Month: January 2026

On Saturday 4th July 2026, the Provincial Prior, accompanied by members of his Bodyguard, will be taking on a 24km endurance challenge across the Brecon Beacons, known as the S.A.S. Fan Dance.

The Fan Dance event is organised by former SAS & SBS soldiers and is a 24km soldiering time trial.

This particular test is one of the speed marches that takes place bi-annually on the SAS & SBS Selection every summer and winter.

It follows in the footsteps of a history of young men in search of something out of the ordinary for nearly 70 years of SAS Selection.

The route will be true to the original Fan Dance that has been an essential test since the early 1950’s Selection.

The essential elements remain unchanged; the Fan Dance is a demanding individual test, pitted against the clock over arduous mountain terrain.

We are raising funds for the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group and the QR code will take you to the Just Giving Page.

Thank you in advance for your support. The Fan Dance endurance challenge is being undertaken by a team of Brother Knights and 2 friends from the Worcestershire Province

More about the S.A.S. Fan Dance.

The Brecon Beacons Fan Dance is one of the UK’s most iconic endurance challenges — long on sheer determination with remarkable views of the landscape if the weather is kind (which it often isn’t). Held in the wild heart of the Brecon Beacons, this brutal exercise strips fitness back to its raw essentials: legs, lungs, navigation, and mental toughness.

Covering approximately 24 kilometres (15 miles), the Fan Dance usually takes participants from the Storey Arms over the twin summits of Pen y Fan and Corn Du, before returning the same way. With around 1,000 metres of ascent, it’s not the distance that breaks people — it’s the relentless climbing, exposure to fast-changing mountain weather, and the demand to maintain pace while carrying weight.

The Fan Dance is famously associated with British military selection, but today it attracts civilians, athletes, and endurance enthusiasts eager to measure themselves against the same uncompromising terrain. There’s no cheering crowd on the ridgelines, no medals handed out at the summit — just wind, cloud, and the quiet question of whether you can keep moving forward.

That’s why the Fan Dance matters. It’s a challenge where fitness meets resolve, where preparation is everything, and where finishing is a genuine achievement. To complete it is to earn a deep respect for the mountains — and for your own limits.