County Durham races

Estate parkland, reservoir tracks and mixed woodland on the eastern edge of the Pennines. Gentle ground for the most part: good surfaces, modest climbing, and races that tend to be well organised and quiet rather than dramatic.

The events here are based around Raby Castle, Lambton Castle and the Derwent reservoirs, running from five kilometres to around fifty-five. None of them expect you to navigate and none run through the night, which makes this a straightforward place to run a first trail race or a first ultra.

The woodland and parkland drain reasonably but hold water after prolonged rain, and the reservoir tracks stay firm through most of the year. Durham is easy to reach from the north east and these races rarely fill months in advance, which is worth knowing if you decide late.