How far is the Welcome Way?

The Welcome Way offers 4 distances: 13 Mile (20.9 km), 20 Mile (32.2 km), 34 Mile (54.7 km), 50 Mile (80.5 km).

How much climbing is in the Welcome Way?

The 13 Mile has 417 m of ascent. The 20 Mile has 729 m of ascent. The 34 Mile has 1,320 m of ascent. The 50 Mile has 1,873 m of ascent.

How hard is the Welcome Way?

13 Mile: Hard. 20 Mile: Hard. 34 Mile: Very Hard. 50 Mile: Expert. Distances are measured off the course file. Where the file carries no elevation, the climb is the organiser's published figure.

Is the Welcome Way course marked?

No. The Welcome Way is not a marked course. You are expected to navigate it yourself.

What kit do I need for the Welcome Way?

The organiser's compulsory list is: A proper bag to carry it all in, Waterproof jacket with taped seams, Enough fluid to reach the next checkpoint, A cup, Energy bar or other food, Survival bag, Whistle, Mobile phone, switched on, with the race director and medic numbers saved, Tracker, Hat or buff, Gloves, Personal first aid kit, Printed map and route description, Head torch.

Can I download the Welcome Way route?

Yes. The GPX for each distance is free to download here, with no sign-up, the same as every route on Trail Running Planet.

Punk Panther Welcome Way

Otley, West YorkshireSat, 13 Mar 2027

Over moors and through woods, by rivers and canals. Half marathon to fifty miles.

Distance	Ascent	Per km
50 Mile	1,873 m	23 m
34 Mile	1,320 m	24 m
20 Mile	729 m	21 m
13 Mile	417 m	19 m

moorwoodlandcanalNavigation required

Nobody has reviewed this one yet

No reviews of the Welcome Way, 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

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Pick your distance

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HARD

TRP grade · E3·T3

3 checkpoints

Start time not confirmed yet — check with the organiser.

Download GPXFree, no sign-up.

This file is from a previous running and the course may have changed since. If you are navigating with it, get the current version from Punk Panther first.

What you’re in for

Over moors and through woods, by rivers and canals: the strapline is the organiser's and it is accurate. The race largely follows the Welcome Way, a circular trail out of Otley that climbs Otley Chevin, crosses Burley and Baildon moors and drops to the Aire and the Leeds–Liverpool Canal. The two ultra distances add a loop around Bingley and Shipley Glen. Four distances on the same March morning. The 13 Mile is 22.5km with 417m of climb, the 20 Mile 34.5km and 729m, the 34 Mile 55.1km and 1,320m, and the 50 Mile 80.8km with 1,873m. It is a typical Punk Panther set-up: enter above your comfort level knowing the shorter finish is on the same course. On the 50, miss the Shipley Glen checkpoint by 13:00 and you are dropped to the 34.

Terrain and trail

A genuine mix. Moorland paths and gritstone over the Chevin, Burley Moor and Baildon Moor; woodland tracks down to the valley; canal towpath and riverside along the Aire; farmland stitching it together. March means the moor is wet and the towpath is fast, and shoe choice is a compromise whichever way you go. Every distance except the 50 Mile is taped and flagged the week before, and much of the route follows the Welcome Way's own waymarks. The tape is there to confirm you are right, not to replace the route description. The 50 Mile is unmarked and finishes by head torch.

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Aid stations

Water, coke, energy bars and crisps at every checkpoint. Five checkpoints: Denton, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Shipley Glen, The Chevin and Arthington Village Hall. Denton and Burley are on all four distances; Shipley Glen and The Chevin are on the 34 and 50; Arthington is 50 Mile only, and is the one checkpoint where a support crew is allowed.

Cut-offs

No overall time limit is published. The cut-offs are the checkpoint closing times — arrive after one closes and you are retired. Course closes 23:00. Checkpoints close: Denton 10:30, Burley-in-Wharfedale 12:00, Shipley Glen 15:30, The Chevin 18:00, Arthington 20:00.

Train for it: routes near the start

Routes starting within 20 km of Otley, West Yorkshire, nearest first. Each one has a free GPX file and a TRP grade, so you can rehearse the ground before race day.

MODERATE

Washburn Valley from Leathley

10.2km · 167m climb · Loop · 3.4km 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 · 4.8km 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.

HARD

Burley Moor Stone Circles from the Cow and Calf

11.6km · 320m climb · Loop · 6.9km 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

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

7.7km · 248m climb · Loop · 6.9km 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.

EASY

Fewston Reservoir Loop

5.2km · 21m climb · Loop · 8.0km away

A short and beautiful run around this picturesque reservoir in the Washburn Valley

Checked Jun 2026

MODERATE

Ilkley Moor from the Cow and Calf

9.5km · 287m climb · Loop · 8.4km 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 routes near Ilkley →All Airedale routes →

Mandatory kit

A proper bag to carry it all in — Their words: not a carrier bag
Waterproof jacket with taped seams
Enough fluid to reach the next checkpoint
A cup — There are none at the checkpoints
Energy bar or other food
Survival bag — A bag, not a sheet
Whistle
Mobile phone, switched on, with the race director and medic numbers saved
Tracker — Supplied by the organiser for ultra distances, worn at all times
Hat or buff
Gloves
Personal first aid kit
Printed map and route description — Sent by the organiser before the race
Head torch — Ultra distances only

Kit for this race

Picked against the list above. Check the organiser's final instructions before you buy anything.

Mandatory: A proper bag to carry it all in

Rab Veil 6L Running Vest

Rab·vest

Buy now

Mandatory: Waterproof jacket with taped seams

Rab Downpour Waterproof Jacket

Rab·waterproof

Buy now

Mandatory: A cup

Lifeventure Ellipse Collapsible Cup

Lifeventure·other

Buy now

Mandatory: Survival bag

Lifesystems Survival Bag

Lifesystems·other

Buy now

Mandatory: Whistle

Lifesystems Mountain Whistle

Lifesystems·other

Buy now

Mandatory: Personal first aid kit

Lifesystems Light & Dry Micro First Aid Kit

Lifesystems·other

Buy now

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How to enter

Sat, 13 Mar 2027 · Entries open

Enter via SiEntries ↗

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

Common questions

: The Welcome Way offers 4 distances: 13 Mile (20.9 km), 20 Mile (32.2 km), 34 Mile (54.7 km), 50 Mile (80.5 km).
: The 13 Mile has 417 m of ascent. The 20 Mile has 729 m of ascent. The 34 Mile has 1,320 m of ascent. The 50 Mile has 1,873 m of ascent.
: 13 Mile: Hard. 20 Mile: Hard. 34 Mile: Very Hard. 50 Mile: Expert. Distances are measured off the course file. Where the file carries no elevation, the climb is the organiser's published figure.
: No. The Welcome Way is not a marked course. You are expected to navigate it yourself.
: The organiser's compulsory list is: A proper bag to carry it all in, Waterproof jacket with taped seams, Enough fluid to reach the next checkpoint, A cup, Energy bar or other food, Survival bag, Whistle, Mobile phone, switched on, with the race director and medic numbers saved, Tracker, Hat or buff, Gloves, Personal first aid kit, Printed map and route description, Head torch.
: No overall time limit is published. The cut-offs are the checkpoint closing times — arrive after one closes and you are retired. Course closes 23:00. Checkpoints close: Denton 10:30, Burley-in-Wharfedale 12:00, Shipley Glen 15:30, The Chevin 18:00, Arthington 20:00.
: Water, coke, energy bars and crisps at every checkpoint. Five checkpoints: Denton, Burley-in-Wharfedale, Shipley Glen, The Chevin and Arthington Village Hall. Denton and Burley are on all four distances; Shipley Glen and The Chevin are on the 34 and 50; Arthington is 50 Mile only, and is the one checkpoint where a support crew is allowed.
: Yes. The GPX for each distance is free to download here, with no sign-up, the same as every route on Trail Running Planet.
: Sat, 13 Mar 2027. Entries open.