The Hurly Burly starts from a beautiful town called Barmouth. You’ll swim upriver to the George III pub in Penmaenpool.

There is no parking at the finish area so spectators and swimmers must all park in Barmouth.

Friday is a busy morning so please give yourself plenty of time to park and register.

TBC - Registration will open in Barmouth

TBC - Briefing

TBC - Start to enter the water

TBC - first wave of coaches taking swimmers and spectators back to Barmouth (coaches run every 15 minutes)

We encourage car sharing as much as possible to keep traffic off the roads and help the event run smoothly. Please join the Hurly Burly Facebook Group to find people coming from your local area.

There is a large pay and display carpark in Barmouth. Make sure you put enough money onto your car for the duration of the event.

Please arrive early to find a space - Car Park, Mainu, Jubilee Rd, Barmouth LL42 1NF.

The Swim Start

Barmouth Harbour, The Quay, Barmouth LL42 1HB

The Swim Finish

George III, Penmaenpool, Dolgellau LL40 1YJ (no parking available)

Traffic Management

Be aware that some of the roads around Barmouth will have traffic management running on them, clear diversions will be in place.

The Hurly Burly takes place on one of the most wild stretches of rivers in Snowdonia. It’s a great day out for the whole family.

Supporters are more than welcome but please be aware they need to follow a few rules to help make the day run smoothly for everyone.

Parking

All supporters will need to park in Barmouth and take a return shuttle bus to the finish and back. There is no parking at the finish area.

Buses

Supporter buses will all leave Barmouth at TBC. Buses will return from Penmaenpool every 15 minutes from TBC for swimmers and supporters.

Swimmer Pack

Your swimmer pack will be given to you when you register on the day or the evening before.

The pack contains:

Numbered wristband (must be worn)

Numbered baggage tag (if you wish to drop a bag)

Skins swimmer wristband (if accepted through the skins swimmer process)

Timing chip (to be worn around the ankle)

Water Bottles

Please bring your own bottle for water refilling so we use fewer cups.

Arrival

Registration will be open on Thursday 5 - 7pm. The Yacht Club will also be making a meal so swimmers can meet each other a socialise the night before the swim. More details will be released in 2025.

Friday is a busy morning so please give yourself plenty of time to park and register if arriving on Friday.

Registration

Once you’ve arrived in Barmouth, head to the registration tent. Our amazing volunteers will check you in and check that you have your timing chip, give you your swimming hat and write your swimmers number on your hand.

YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ENTER THE WATER UNLESS YOU HAVE YOUR HAND NUMBER, YOUR WRISTBAND, TIMING CHIP AND YOUR SWIMMING HAT.

Baggage

You can either leave bags with your supporters or give them to us to look after. Please label with tags provided in your registration pack. We will look after all small (4kg max) bags. We will bring your bag to the finish for you to collect in Penmaenpool.

Refreshments

There will be food and drink available to purchase from the Yacht Club at the start and at the event village at the finish.

Changing

There’ll be no changing tents available so please arrive ready to swim. Please do not change in the loos as this creates long queues and is not fair on other participants who are waiting.

There are no official waves of swimmers so everyone will head to the beach together and be encouraged to enter the water dependant on your swim speed. Please listen carefully to the briefing before the swim.

Once you’re in the water, it’s up to you. Enjoy the atmosphere and don’t forget to look up every now and then and enjoy the scenery around you.

There will be a full water safety crew on the water at all times. If you need support or you notice another swimmer needs help, please alert one of the lifeguards. A full safety briefing will be provided before the swim in Barmouth.

Tow floats, fins, music, GoPros, in fact any “extra” kit are not allowed at this event.

Skins Swimmer

Confirmed skins swimmers must wear their skins wristband at all times. We recommend bringing a wetsuit as well, just in case.

The Yacht Club again will be serving teas and coffees from their boat house (next to the event village). They will not have a card machine available, so if you wish to buy a tea or coffee, please bring cash.

Once you triumphantly emerge from the river at George III, you’ll arrive on a small beach and make your way to the event village in the pub carpark. Here there’ll be food drinks and a well earned hot chocolate for your efforts. If you have friends/family meeting you at the finish, it’s worth giving them some warm clothes for you to wear on your return. Or pack some into your small (4kg max) bag for you to collect from us on arrival. There is no parking at the finish of the swim so you will need to take a coach back to your car in Barmouth.

If you have additional needs or require support exiting the water, please let us know before the event geri@levelwater.org

Following this there will be waves of coaches taking swimmers and supporters back to Barmouth every 15 minutes from.

We will do everything we can to support swimmers with additional needs.

Access to and from the water’s edge is difficult. The closest a vehicle can reach the start line is around 100m, so a method of crossing this distance on wet sand will be needed.

The finish is on a beach and there is a short journey across uneven ground to the event village.

If you require adjustments (e.g. access for vehicle pick-up/drop-off at start and finish villages, or putting a wheelchair into the baggage van for you) then please ensure you record this in the “assistance” box of your registration form. If you could email geri@levelwater.org highlighting this, to ensure your specific needs are met, that would be helpful.

If you'd need more complex adjustments (eg assistance from a helper whilst you're in the water, exiting at the early exit point or any kind of mechanised / wheelchair access to and from the water), please email geri@levelwater.org and we will contact you to figure it out.

We will call anyone with needs before the swim to discuss the day with you.

If you have any concerns whatsoever about your medical fitness to participate, that you consult with your GP before taking part in the swim.