Cononley and Carleton Loop
Two proper climbs in 10km and a train station at the start. It packs more up and down into a short run than almost anything else in lower Airedale.
Effort: Good distance, solid climb
Underfoot: Not graded yet — check the route description before you commit to this one.
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A 10km loop from Cononley village climbing west onto the high ground above Airedale, dropping into Carleton-in-Craven and climbing back over the moor edge to about 330m before a long descent home. Around 400m of climb on field paths and lanes.
Two proper climbs in 10km and a train station at the start. It packs more up and down into a short run than almost anything else in lower Airedale.
The route
Start in the middle of Cononley, a few minutes from the station, and head west straight uphill on the lanes and field paths out of the village. The first climb takes you from just over 100m to around 270m in 2.5km, with the views opening up behind you across Airedale towards Skipton as you go.
Down to Carleton
The route crests the high ground at about 2.6km and then drops north through the fields to Carleton-in-Craven. You lose over 150m in 2km, and the ground is steep grass in places, so it's quicker than it is comfortable. Carleton at 4.5km is the lowest point of the run and a good place to take stock, because the second climb is the bigger one.
The second climb
Leave Carleton heading south-west and climb steadily for 2.5km onto the edge of the moor, topping out at around 330m at roughly 7km. It's the highest point of the day and the most open part of the route, with big views west towards Lothersdale and back across the Aire valley. From here it's all downhill: the return follows the lane and paths south-east across Cononley Moor and drops back into the village.
Why it works
At 10km with around 400m of climb, this sits right on the line between Moderate and Hard on our scale and grades Hard on the numbers. Nothing here is technical, but the climbs are steep and the fields get properly heavy through winter. It's a brilliant short hill session if you live in Airedale, and with half-hourly trains from Leeds and hourly from Bradford, it's one of the easiest fell-style runs to reach without a car.
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Field paths cross pasture with cattle and plenty of stiles, which get slippery in the wet. Short sections run on narrow lanes with no pavement, and the fields are heavy and muddy from late autumn to spring.
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
- Most runners complete Cononley and Carleton Loop in 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes, depending on pace and conditions.
GPX checked
Distance, ascent and grade are calculated from the GPX file. Nobody has run this one for us yet, so treat the description as a plan rather than a report. How we check routes
About the author
Runner reports
Nobody's logged a run here yet. If you get out on it, a few lines about how it went helps the next person plan their day.
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