How far is the Ilkley Skyline?

The Ilkley Skyline offers 2 distances: Ilkley Skyline (35.0 km / 21.7 miles), Ilkley Skyline Half (21.0 km / 13.0 miles).

How much climbing is in the Ilkley Skyline?

The Ilkley Skyline has 910 m of ascent. No figure yet for the Ilkley Skyline Half.

Is the Ilkley Skyline course marked?

No. The Ilkley Skyline is not a marked course. You are expected to navigate it yourself.

Great Owl Running Ilkley Skyline

The Hermit Inn, Moor Rd, Burley Woodhead, Burley in Wharfedale, IlkleySat, 14 Aug 2027

Unmarked 35km fell round of the moors above Ilkley, plus a 21km half

Distance	Ascent	Per km
35 km Ilkley Skyline	910 m	26 m
21 km Ilkley Skyline Half	—	—

fellmoorNavigation required

Nobody has reviewed this one yet

No reviews of the Ilkley Skyline, and nothing on what people wore. Both are things no organiser publishes and every runner wants before they enter — how it actually went, and what was on your feet.

Ran it? Write the first review

Running it soon? Connect Strava and we will ask you about it the day you finish, so you do not have to remember to come back.

Pick your distance

Start time not confirmed yet — check with the organiser.

What you’re in for

A 35km (22 mile) fell race with about 910m of climb, following the Ilkley Skyline challenge route devised in 2013 by North Leeds Fell Runner Mike Ayers. It starts and finishes at the Hermit at Burley Woodhead and takes in Beamsley Beacon, Round Hill and the tops of Burley Moor, Ilkley Moor and Rombalds Moor, mostly over fell and fields with short road sections, the longest being the climb back up through Burley from the stepping stones. The route is unmarked, so carry a map or GPX (GPS is allowed). Aid stations are at Addingham (14km) and Timble (25km). The 21km half is point to point from Addingham suspension bridge to the Hermit, with runners bussed out after the main start.

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Train for it: routes near the start

Routes starting within 20 km of The Hermit Inn, Moor Rd, Burley Woodhead, Burley in Wharfedale, Ilkley, nearest first. Each one has a free GPX file and a TRP grade, so you can rehearse the ground before race day.

VERY HARD

The Ilkley Skyline

35.1km · 808m climb · Loop · 0.2km away

Eleven kilometres of unbroken moor crest, then you cross the valley and run the skyline back the other way with your entire morning laid out in front of you. It is the biggest day available from an Ilkley train station.

MODERATE

The Twelve Apostles and Rombalds Moor Trig from the Cow and Calf

7.7km · 248m climb · Loop · 2.7km away

You touch the highest point of the moor and a Bronze Age stone circle inside eight kilometres, on paths good enough to run nearly all of. It is the best hour available on Ilkley Moor.

HARD

Burley Moor Stone Circles from the Cow and Calf

11.6km · 320m climb · Loop · 2.7km away

Four thousand years of prehistory in one loop. Rombalds Moor carries over 400 cup-and-ring marked stones, and this route strings the best of them together before dropping you onto two kilometres of Burley Moor that almost nobody runs.

MODERATE

Ilkley Moor from the Cow and Calf

9.5km · 287m climb · Loop · 4.2km away

You run straight up onto the moor of the famous song, past the Cow and Calf crags and out to the Twelve Apostles stone circle, with cup-and-ring carvings scattered underfoot.

Checked Jul 2026

HARD

Ilkley, Rombalds Moor, Roman Road and Addingham

28.7km · 565m climb · Loop · 4.5km away

You climb out of pretty Ilkley onto the wide gritstone shoulder of Rombalds Moor, then swing back through the green lower Wharfe valley for a big, varied day close to home.

Checked Jul 2026

HARD

Ilkley to Rombalds Moor Loop

15.6km · 373m climb · Loop · 4.6km away

Over 400 prehistoric cup-and-ring carved stones are scattered across this moor, and you'll pass several without trying - a working archaeological landscape disguised as an ordinary heather moor.

Checked Jun 2026

All routes near Ilkley →All Airedale routes →

How to enter

Sat, 14 Aug 2027 · Not open yet · £25

See the event on Eventrac (organiser-branded greatowlrunning.eventrac.co.uk) ↗

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Add to your calendar · as an all-day entry, until the start time is confirmed

Common questions

: The Ilkley Skyline offers 2 distances: Ilkley Skyline (35.0 km / 21.7 miles), Ilkley Skyline Half (21.0 km / 13.0 miles).
: The Ilkley Skyline has 910 m of ascent. No figure yet for the Ilkley Skyline Half.
: Not graded yet. A TRP grade is worked out from distance and climb measured off the course file, and there isn't one for the Ilkley Skyline yet.
: No. The Ilkley Skyline is not a marked course. You are expected to navigate it yourself.
: We don't hold a compulsory kit list for the Ilkley Skyline. Great Owl Running confirm mandatory kit in their race information, usually in the final instructions.
: We don't hold published time limits for the Ilkley Skyline. If Great Owl Running set cut-offs, they'll be in the race information.
: We don't hold a checkpoint list for the Ilkley Skyline. What's on the table varies a lot between races, so check the Great Owl Running race information rather than turning up expecting food.
: Not yet — we don't hold a course file for the Ilkley Skyline. Some organisers only send the GPX to entrants. If we get one, it goes up free, with no sign-up.
: Sat, 14 Aug 2027. Not open yet.