Trail running near Ilkley
46 routes within 15km · free GPX downloads
HARDIlkley, Rombalds Moor, Roman Road and Addingham
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
HARDIlkley to Rombalds Moor Loop
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
MODERATEMiddleton Woods and Nesfield from Ilkley
Middleton Woods is the largest ancient woodland left in West Yorkshire, and for about two weeks around late April the whole floor turns blue. Run it then and you will not miss having a summit.
HARDBeamsley Beacon and Lippersley Pike from Ilkley
Two moors and three tops for 514m of climb, starting a few minutes from a station platform. Beamsley Beacon is the last hill of the Yorkshire Dales and the view south from it takes in the whole of Wharfedale with Rombalds Moor filling the far side.
MODERATEIlkley Moor from the Cow and Calf
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
MODERATEThe Twelve Apostles and Rombalds Moor Trig from the Cow and Calf
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.
HARDBurley Moor Stone Circles from the Cow and Calf
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.
MODERATEBeamsley Beacon from Addingham
The summit carries Bronze Age burial cairns and the wreckage site of a WWII aircraft just south of the trig point - a hill with more history packed into one top than its modest height suggests.
Checked Jun 2026
VERY HARDThe Ilkley Skyline
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.
MODERATEBolton Abbey Loop
Priory ruins, limestone riverside, and the Strid - one of the most dramatic river narrows in England. This is Wharfedale at its most photogenic.
HARDSimon's Seat from Bolton Abbey
Woodland, waterfall, open moorland, and a gritstone tor — this route packs an unusual amount of variety into one 21.9km day out.
Checked Jul 2026
EASYFewston Reservoir Loop
A short and beautiful run around this picturesque reservoir in the Washburn Valley
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATEFewston and Swinsty Reservoir Loop
Two reservoirs for the price of one, connected by well-graded Yorkshire Water tracks. Quiet, well-maintained, and a reliable choice when everywhere else is ankle-deep.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATEThruscross Reservoir from Blubberhouses
The middle option in the Washburn Valley reservoir series - more commitment than the short loops but less than the full three-reservoir circuit. Thruscross from below gives the valley its proper context.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDThruscross, Fewston and Swinsty from Blubberhouses
Three reservoirs, one long run, and some of the best-maintained trail surfaces in the north. This is what you do when you want big distance without big hills.
Checked Jun 2026
EASYSwinsty Reservoir Loop
The smallest of the Washburn Valley reservoir circuits. Straightforward, reliable, and the kind of route that gets used regularly rather than just once.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATE
Shipley Glen and Baildon Moor
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.
EASYThruscross Reservoir Loop
Thruscross sits above the rest of the valley and feels it - more open, more exposed, and noticeably quieter than Swinsty and Fewston below. Worth the extra 5 minutes drive.
Checked Jun 2026
VERY HARDSimon's Seat from Thruscross Reservoir
This route crosses two distinct landscapes in one loop - the flooded Washburn Valley around Thruscross, then the high gritstone fell of Simon's Seat - with barely any road between them.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATEBarden Moor Short Loop
Half the distance of the long loop but the same open moorland character - a good way to get a feel for Barden Moor without committing to a half-day out.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDBarden Moor Long Loop
This loop crosses genuine open moorland with long sightlines over Wharfedale, on access land that's free to roam off the main tracks if you want to vary your line.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDLunds Tower and Wainmans Pinnacle from Crosshills
You get onto the quiet western shoulder of Rombalds Moor, away from the Ilkley crowds, with wide views over Wharfedale one way and Airedale the other for a short, sharp climb.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATE
Washburn Valley from Leathley
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 HARDSalt and Pepper Pots from Skipton
A point-to-point feel on a loop, linking a bustling market town to a wild gritstone edge crowned by two eccentric Victorian towers with huge views to Pendle.
Checked Jul 2026
EXPERTGrimwith Blast
It links a big day in Wharfedale with the wide-open water and skies around Grimwith, so you get valley running, moorland crossings and a proper reservoir circuit all in one loop without needing a second car.
Checked Jul 2026
EXPERTSimons Seat Blast
Simon's Seat is one of Wharfedale's best short climbs on its own, and this route turns the trip up to it into the centrepiece of a full ultra distance day rather than an afternoon out.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDSkipton Explorer
It's the route to reach for when you want proper distance without a mountain attached, running out through genuinely pretty Dales-edge countryside that most visitors drive straight past on their way to the bigger fells.
Checked Jul 2026
EASYSkipton Aireville Park and Woods
If you've got an hour and you're in Skipton, this is the run. Park, woodland, canal towpath. Nothing complicated, nothing slow, good underfoot all year.
Checked Jun 2026
EXPERT
Fountains Fell, Pen-y-ghent, Malham and Pennine Way from Skipton
You string together the greatest hits of the southern Dales in one enormous loop: Gordale Scar, the summit of Pen-y-ghent, Fountains Fell and Malham Tarn, all on foot from Skipton.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDWelcome to Skipton
The full Skipton picture in one run: moor above, canal below, and the Craven countryside in between. A proper long day out from one of the best trail running towns in the Dales.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATESkipton Woods and Canal
Castle woods on the way out, canal on the way back. Skipton has better trail running on its doorstep than most people realise, and this circuit shows it.
Checked Jun 2026
VERY HARDSkipton 6 Peaks
Six distinct summits in one big day, a proper local challenge that strings together the gritstone crags and moors ringing Skipton.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDSkipton to Pinhaw Beacon and Back via Pennine Way and Canal
Pinhaw Beacon is the high point of the Pennine Way's opening stretch out of Edale, and this route takes you up to it and back without needing to commit to the rest of the trail.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDSkipton Moor, Bolton Abbey and Barden Moor
A proper long day stitching together terrain most runners split into two separate outings. Bolton Abbey woods make a welcome change of scene at the halfway mark.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATESharp Haw from Skipton
Sharp Haw looks unremarkable from a distance and then turns into a proper short, steep pull right at the end - a disproportionate amount of summit feeling for a hill this size.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATESkipton Moor, Cawder Lane and the Canal
Two different surfaces in one short route - open moor underfoot for the climb, then a flat, easy canal towpath to bring you home.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDSkipton Moor and Farnhill Pinnacle
More rewarding than it looks from the map. Skipton Moor has a real open-sky feel, and Farnhill Pinnacle is a genuinely odd and photogenic landmark.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATESkipton Moor from Skipton
Twenty minutes from the station and you're on open moorland with a proper climb under your belt. This is the shortest and sharpest of the Skipton moor routes.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATESkipton Moor to Bradley and Canal Back
Three distinct sections in one run: moor, village, canal. This is the most satisfying of the Skipton circuits - proper climbing followed by a flat, fast return.
Checked Jun 2026
MODERATEEmbsay Crag from Skipton
Embsay Crag is one of those gritstone edges that looks ordinary on the map and delivers something much better in person - proper moor underfoot and a long view across the Dales skyline.
Checked Jun 2026
EASYSkipton Canal and Stirton
Canal towpath running at its most accessible - flat, surfaced, and direct. Stirton sits quietly 2km south of Skipton and gives the route a reason to go beyond the park.
Checked Jun 2026
EXPERT
Skipton Round
You circle Skipton on a huge loop through the quieter country of Craven, linking moor edge, riverside and old field paths that most runners pass through but never string together.
MODERATEBarden Moor from Embsay Reservoir (Short)
Open moor with big skies and a reservoir to frame the start. Compact enough for a summer evening run — good tracks throughout.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDBarden Moor from Embsay Reservoir
Big moorland miles and some really nice fast and flowing trails. Covers proper ground without the serious climbing of the Dales fells.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATESkipton to Malham via Canal and Pennine Way
You start on a flat canal towpath and finish in Malhamdale, with the Pennine Way's National Trail waymarking doing the navigation for you almost the entire way.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDSkipton to Saltaire Along the Canal
Zero metres of climbing over 25.6km means this is pure running, not hill work - a good route for working on pace and distance without terrain getting in the way.
Checked Jul 2026
Guides to running from Ilkley
- 10 of the Best Trail Running Routes Near Ilkley
Ten trail runs from Ilkley, 7.7km to 35.1km, all with free GPX — from a bluebell wood loop to the 35km Ilkley Skyline.
Common questions
- There are 46 trail running routes within 15km of Ilkley on Trail Running Planet, ranging from easy riverside paths to serious fell routes. All include free GPX downloads.