It's Grim Up North Running Let's Motor Along the Towpath

Pick your distance

What you’re in for

Easter Saturday on the towpath from Rodley Cricket Club, 10k to marathon. The course is the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath from Rodley, between Leeds and Apperley Bridge: an out-and-back turning at a marshal. Registration is at Rodley Cricket Club's ground on the canal bank, parking there is a fiver to the club, and the Rodley Barge is on hand afterwards. The marathon is two laps of the half and the ultra is two halves plus a 10k.

Terrain and trail

Surfaced towpath, flat apart from the ramps at the locks and bridges, and fast. A quiet stretch of canal for the most part, with a few busier spots around the pubs and moorings. Puddles after rain, ice in the winter events, and the usual courtesy needed around walkers and bikes. Feed stations roughly every three miles with drinks, sweets and cake, and the events are cup-less, so bring your own cup or bottle. A GPX is supplied and not every junction has a marshal, so know where the turn is. Over-ear headphones are not allowed, and some road crossings are unmarshalled.

Train for it: routes near the start

Routes starting within 20 km of Rodley Cricket Club, Canal Bank Sports Ground, Rodley, Leeds, nearest first. Each one has a free GPX file and a TRP grade, so you can rehearse the ground before race day.

MODERATE

Shipley Glen and Baildon Moor

12.7km · 215m climb · Loop · 9.0km away

You start at the World Heritage village of Saltaire, run the canal and the wooded ravine of Shipley Glen, then climb to the trig on Baildon Moor for a proper moor-top view over Airedale.

MODERATE

Washburn Valley from Leathley

10.2km · 167m climb · Loop · 11km away

You get a quiet string of reservoirs and river woodland a stone's throw from Otley, with none of the crowds of the honeypot dales. It is the sort of route locals keep to themselves.

VERY HARD

The Ilkley Skyline

35.1km · 808m climb · Loop · 11km 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 · 14km 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 · 14km 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 · 16km 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

All West Yorkshire routes →

How to enter

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Common questions

How far is the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

The Let's Motor Along the Towpath offers 5 distances: 10K (6.2 miles), 10 Mile (16.1 km), Half Marathon (21.1 km / 13.1 miles), 20 Mile (32.2 km), Marathon (42.2 km / 26.2 miles).

How much climbing is in the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

No course file for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath yet, so there's no measured climb here. When It's Grim Up North Running publish one, this fills in.

How hard is the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

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 Let's Motor Along the Towpath yet.

Is the Let's Motor Along the Towpath course marked?

Yes, the course is marked. Navigation skills are not required.

What kit do I need for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

We don't hold a compulsory kit list for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath. It's Grim Up North Running confirm mandatory kit in their race information, usually in the final instructions.

What are the cut-offs for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

We don't hold published time limits for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath. If It's Grim Up North Running set cut-offs, they'll be in the race information.

What is at the checkpoints on the Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

We don't hold a checkpoint list for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath. What's on the table varies a lot between races, so check the It's Grim Up North Running race information rather than turning up expecting food.

Can I download the Let's Motor Along the Towpath route?

Not yet — we don't hold a course file for the Let's Motor Along the Towpath. Some organisers only send the GPX to entrants. If we get one, it goes up free, with no sign-up.

When is the next Let's Motor Along the Towpath?

Sat, 3 Apr 2027, 08:30. Entries open.