In autumn 2014 I applied to 21 SAS. What followed was two years of Alpha and Bravo, Wednesday-evening preparation sessions and an assessment weekend — and then, in June 2016, the decision to stop before the formal selection course. These are the original diaries from that chapter, and the guides that grew out of it.
Contemporary diaries first; the retrospective chronology ties them together without replacing them.
Project Selection is a separate UK military information project that I also run — linked here openly, not as an independent endorsement. For anything that affects an application, the Army's own recruitment pages remain the authority.
Start with the diary I wrote when I applied, then the Pirbright weekend, then the full account of the two years and the decision to stop. The diaries are exactly as I wrote them at the time; the later pieces look back with ten years' distance. The difference between the two is part of the story.
The steady heart of it was a year of Wednesday evenings preparing alongside other applicants — I recall ten to fifteen of them. Later came a weekend linked to 21 SAS where our performance was watched and assessed: a different occasion from the general Army assessment at Pirbright, and real, evaluated preparation that I'm proud of having done.
Before the later stages of my Army preparation I travelled to Georgia for ten days of privately arranged training with someone introduced to me as a former Georgian special-forces sniper. That was my own undertaking — neither UK Army training nor an official Georgian course. The original two-part story is linked below.
Most visitors arrive asking what 21 SAS is, what the reserve fitness test involves and what the selection stages are. Those standards change, so the guides below link to the Army's own recruitment pages rather than repeat numbers that may be out of date.
Begin with official recruitment information, establish a sustainable aerobic and strength base, and build gradually with qualified guidance if you are not experienced. My ultramarathon background taught me useful lessons in consistency, pacing and recovery, but finishing an ultra is not an SAS selection credential. Don't jump into extreme load-carrying or deprivation training on the strength of a blog post.
My 21 SAS story
This is an applicant's story, told honestly: what I did, what it asked of me, and why I walked away before the formal selection course.
Before my Army training got going, I travelled to Georgia for ten days of privately arranged training with a man introduced to me as a former Georgian special-forces sniper. My own arrangement — not official UK or Georgian military training.
Read the full accountI completed the Army's Alpha and Bravo stages, spent a year of Wednesday evenings preparing alongside other applicants, and attended a 21 SAS assessment weekend where our performance was watched closely.
Read the full accountI told the unit I didn't want to continue towards selection and arranged to hand my kit back. It was the right call for me at the time, and I've never dressed it up as anything other than a decision to stop.
Read the full accountMy 200-mile Winter Downs finish is recorded independently by the race organiser. Years of long races taught me a great deal about preparation — though finishing an ultra and passing military selection are very different things.
See the race resultMy experience dates from 2014–2016, and the process changes. For current eligibility, fitness standards and how to apply, go straight to the Army.
Visit the official Army pageFirst-hand Army Alpha/Bravo preparation · personal photo archive
Photos from my own British Army training album, 2015–16; they document my Army preparation, not completion of formal SAS selection.
The dates below are the album’s labels, not independently verified capture dates. These photographs do not identify the Wednesday preparation sessions or the later 21 SAS-linked assessment weekend; nor are they photographs of the earlier ATC Pirbright weekend. They imply no official Army endorsement.
2015 trip / 17 October 2026 archive note
My owner-attested portrait and a path from my privately arranged ten-day Georgia experience. Separate from Alpha and Bravo, Wednesday applicant sessions and my later 21 SAS-linked evaluated weekend; not an official course or qualification.
The Army Jobs SAS Reserve page says it accepts applications from people without previous service. That does not mean a civilian proceeds straight to SAS selection: the Army describes basic military training, initial trade training and experience before a candidate can attempt it. The recruiting team determines the appropriate pathway.
Read the application overviewAs checked in October 2026, the Army Jobs role page advertises an 18–48 age range, with more specific ages for applying and different conditions for serving personnel. A separate October 2025 Army article gives a different selection-start age. Do not treat either headline number as individual eligibility advice: check your circumstances directly with the Army.
Compare the published entry rulesThe current Army Jobs page lists a briefing-course assurance march, a swim test, aerobic activity and strength/conditioning assessment. It also displays separate general Reserve entry measures. These are different contexts, not a single universal pass score. Obtain the current detailed standards from recruiters before planning training.
Read the preparation considerationsThe Army's published pathway separates initial Army training from the later UKSF Reserve stages. My own experience sits in that first part: Alpha and Bravo, the Wednesday-evening preparation sessions and a 21 SAS assessment weekend — I never attempted the formal selection course. That unit weekend was a different occasion from the general Army assessment at Pirbright.
Read the first-hand chronologyThe Army Jobs page lists 21 SAS recruiting regions around London and the South East, Wales, the M3/M4 corridor, East Anglia and the South West; it lists 23 SAS in the Midlands, Scotland and northern regions. These are broad areas, not a promise of a nearby vacancy or a current parade-night address.
Explore the official regional listNo shortcut should be assumed. The Reserves are a military service commitment in their own right, with demanding training and the possibility of deployment. My original diary repeated the 'back door' language circulating in forums at the time; it is not an official description of an entry route.
Understand the actual pathwayMy experience dates from 2014–2016. Eligibility, fitness standards and the selection process change, so for anything current use the Army's own pages:
Checked 15 October 2026. The Army Jobs listing and the October 2025 Soldier article use different age wording — ask the recruiting unit rather than picking the convenient figure.
What the stages are, what I was training to before I applied, and how I'd build the twelve weeks before a selection weekend. Written from my own application, free, no pitch.
Applying to 21SAS Part 1
Applying To The SAS Part 2 (ATC Pirbright)
Preparing To Train With A Former Georgian Special Forces Sniper In The Mountains Of Tbilisi (Part 1)
Preparing To Train With A Former Georgian Special Forces Sniper In The Mountains Of Tbilisi (Part 2)
Run Your Team Like Army Cadets To Get The Best Results
Insights From "The Diary Of A West Point Cadet"
Having A Lion's Mentality And Grit And Growth Mindset
Learn Self Discipline From Outwitting The Devil
What It's Like to Wake Up at 4:30 AM?