It was the end of a long and challenging event so everybody got to relax, the cars displayed for the final time on the promenade, greatly appreciated by those out enjoying the afternoon sunshine, even if after an exhausting day chock full of challenges, some crews chose not to linger.
With the cars headed back to Llandudno and the finish line there was still the small sting in the tail in the form of two short regularities on the Great Orme where the day had begun with tests. The first followed Marine Drive around the headland, a second ‘lap’ seeing cars sweeping up the zig zag bends of the road that passed St Tudno’s church, the distinctive headstone with the winged wheel. It is the burial place of Beatrice Blore Brown who, in 1914, became the first woman to drive an automobile up the course of the tramway, which rises at a gradient of one in three. It was an experience sampled in reverse by competitors departing the Orme for the official finish line on the promenade.
The provisional results showed Mark Godfrey and Ryan Pickering as the overall victors with a margin of twenty six seconds from John King and Guy Woodcock in a later Ford Escort. Having been leading earlier in the day, Graham Walker and Sean Toohey in the Lotus Elan eventually took third place overall. A full listing will be published on the Three Castles web site once confirmed by the results team.
The awards dinner held later in the evening includes the formal announcement of the results and the many other awards as well as details of the rally's charitable fund raising efforts for this year.
The Three Castles charity for 2026 was the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team. Together, the rally organisation and its competitors raise funds for this all-volunteer service that aims to keep everyone safe in the hills around the Ogwen Valley, through which the event travelled on day 2. A member of their team chose the Three Castles for their first ever rally. Jane Gallop and Chris Thomas (Car 50) had thought finishing at all would be a good result so were delighted, if a little surprised, to find themselves in 45th position overall. They may yet return to improve the standing of their first attempt.
The total funds raised will depend on the course of this year's awards evening but in previous years the sums raised for charity have been substantial and underscored the reputation of the Three Castles as the friendliest of classic rallies. Certainly it is one of the things entrants always remark on, novice crews able to depend on advice offered by fellow competitors. It is part of the ethos of the event and whatever else might change, something that will be a part of next year's Three Castles Trial, scheduled to run from the 1st to 4th June 2027.