A Classic Car Adventure
The Three Castles Trial is a classic car event in the grand tradition with a Concours D'Elegance and Prologue preceding a three-day historic road rally based on regularity sections and enjoyable driving tests. Returning each night to Llandudno, it runs through the ancient landscapes of Anglesey, Gwynedd and Clwyd in North West Wales during the first week of summer.
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The theme is 'relaxed competition'. Run under MSA regulations, this is a competitive classic rally, but it should be approached in the right spirit. We're not trying to get crews lost or to catch them out. We don't want people speeding on the highway. Rather, we want this to be an event that is a celebration of the classic car: an ambassador for its sport that is encouraged and welcomed by the populations of the villages and hamlets it passes through.
If you enjoy your classic car and your classic motorsport, like meeting new people and swapping stories, when the occasion demands you like a little competition, and if you like the social occasion as much as the rallying itself, the Three Castles is for you.
On the road during the day, an enjoyable pace is maintained - this is a sporting event, and a tough one to win, but it is also easy to appreciate the fine scenery on general road sections that make up the majority of the road route. About 40% of the road route is made up of competitive "regularity sections", where you concentrate on maintaining a steady average speed, usually of between 20 and 30 mph. These sections, about eighteen in number, may not be fast but are a true test of teamwork for both the driver and the navigator and can be surprisingly nail-biting. All good fun.
Fun is also to be had on a similar number of special tests in which you drive against the clock, on private land of course. Run to a 30mph average, the twists and turns on these sections nonetheless provide plenty of fun for the crew, and again test teamwork as well as driving skills. But as with the evenings, it's all about the people - every marshal, every team member, is out to make sure you have a good time, and you'll see happy, smiling faces wherever you go.
This Year
In 2026 the Trial, for years Britain's most popular classic car adventure, will run 3rd - 5th June, preceded by the Penderyn Prologue - which doesn't count for points but introduces the whole format, free to all competitors, on 2nd June. Our unique format is based in a single centre, keeping the same comfortable hotel room throughout. It's a real occasion - the event has been a success since its inception, often attracting a hundred entries or more.
New this year, we have a Trail category for those who would like to enjoy the route without competition. Who come along for the Trail, not the Trial. And in December, we'll introduce a Trophy category for '90s modern classic' cars - already over 25 years old.
More style, new content; re-imagining and re-engineering the event was our theme this time. We again take advantage of quieter roads by running after the bank holiday week, and we concentrated the last day's regularities on quiet lanes. The top venues are there, from Mostyn Hall to the Great Orme, and we enjoy lunches with rural bliss at Caer Rhun Hall and sea views at the superb Portmeirion Hotel, plus historic Brookhouse Mill.
We rotate start times daily, and everyone will be back in good time for the convivial evening functions. Our mid-event evening will offer something for everyone to enjoy, celebrating our 22nd running of the event. We have made adjustments to the regulations to continue balancing opportunities and challenges, regardless of your experience or skill level. Of special note, the successful introduction of a novel hybrid system of scoring, which aims to combine the best of scratch timing and class index systems, means each car now scores on position in class against cars of its type within an event decided overall on scratch times.
We continued to enjoy the enthusiastic support of our many friends in North Wales. The Three Castles Trial is always affordable and enjoyable in any classic car across seven decades from the 1920s to the 1980s - ideal for first-timers and social rallyists. The competition is fun, but never too hard. No rough roads. No night sections. Touring is mixed with road regularity sections that test teamwork and accuracy. This year's varied driving tests at interesting private venues include the Glan y Gors kart circuit, the incomparable closed roads of the Great Orme, and several fine stately home drives, all of them allowing drivers to shine in safety.
A fine route from Clerk of the Course Baz Green and regularity designer Matthew Vokes unveils around 500 miles of great atmosphere and savage beauty, with barely a town in sight. We drive west to the ancient Llŷn Peninsula, south over Snowdonia's high, misty mountain passes to the wild heart of Wales, and east through the rolling landscape of the Clwydian Hills, to a special welcome at Mostyn Hall. The unforgettable finale is, as ever, back in Llandudno.
Come join us in 2026. You’ll enjoy every minute. Click here to request an entry pack!