Nidderdale races

Reservoir tracks, mixed woodland and a bit of moor edge north of Otley, in the Washburn Valley on the shoulder of Wharfedale. Friendly ground: good surfaces, moderate climbs, and enough shelter that a bad day here is unpleasant rather than serious.

It is best known on this calendar for shorter evening and winter races. Several run in the dark around Swinsty and Fewston, which makes the valley a good place to find out how you feel about head-torch running before committing to a night section of something longer.

The tracks drain well and stay runnable through most of the year, though the woodland sections get slippery under leaf fall and the moor edge holds water after rain. Otley is the usual base and everything is close together, which makes recceing straightforward — you can cover most of the ground used by these races in a couple of outings.

Nidderdale trail running routes (14) with free GPX, if you want to run the ground before you race it.