Trail running near Kettlewell
21 routes within 15km · free GPX downloads
EXPERTKettlewell Ultra
Proper Dales miles — limestone scars, wide skies, and the kind of distance that sorts out who's eaten their breakfast. This is a full day out.
Checked Jun 2026
VERY HARDBuckden Pike & Great Whernside from Kettlewell
A direct climb out of the valley earns you a wide plateau with views stretching from the Three Peaks to the North Yorkshire Moors.
Checked Jul 2026
VERY HARDWharfedale Three Peaks
Three big Wharfedale summits with none of the crowds or paved paths, just rough moorland, bog and proper navigation across the roof of the dale.
Checked Jul 2026
HARD
Kilnsey and Mastiles Lane
You run the length of Mastiles Lane, an arrow-straight Roman road across Malham Moor, with the great overhang of Kilnsey Crag as the landmark at the valley end.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDBuckden Pike from Buckden
A steep climb rewards you with one of the best viewpoints in the southern Dales — Wharfedale laid out below in both directions.
Checked Jul 2026
EXPERT
Ultra Tour Yorkshire Dales 100k
This is the full southern Dales in one enormous self-navigated loop: Malham Tarn, the summit of Buckden Pike, Trollers Gill, Simon's Seat and a string of the prettiest villages in the country.
MODERATEGrass Wood from Grassington
You get ancient ash woodland alive with birdsong and a return along one of the loveliest stretches of the River Wharfe, all from the doorstep of Grassington.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATEGrassington Moor and Hebden Circular
The moor above Grassington has layers — wildflowers, curlews, and the eerie ruins of 18th-century lead mines that made this one of England's most productive mining landscapes.
Checked Jul 2026
VERY HARDYorkshire Trod 50k
It strings together several of the Dales' individually famous valleys into a single day, so instead of picking one dale to explore you cross through four or five of them back to back.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATELitton and Halton Gill
Littondale is one of the hidden valleys of the Dales, all drystone walls, tiny hamlets and empty fells, and this loop gives you its prettiest upper stretch with barely another soul about.
Checked Sept 2026
HARDScar House Reservoir Moorland Loop
You start beneath the huge stone dam of Scar House and head out across the empty grouse moor at the very head of Nidderdale, about as remote as the Dales get.
Checked Jul 2026
EASYGrimwith Reservoir
A rare thing in the Dales: a route you can hold an even pace on from start to finish. The circuit is 100% runnable and there is only 31m between its lowest and highest point.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDFountains Fell and Arncliffe from Malham Tarn
The classic Malham scenery gives way to wide open fell country and a summit that feels properly remote despite being only 8km from the village.
Checked Jul 2026
HARD
Malham Tarn to Langcliffe Scar
You run from Malham Tarn out across the high limestone to Langcliffe Scar, joining the two greatest pieces of Dales limestone in one loop.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATEBurnsall and Appletreewick
One of the more relaxed runs in the Dales — gentle underfoot, easy navigation, and two good pubs along the way. The Wharfe is at its limestone best through here.
Checked Jun 2026
HARDBurnsall Half from the Wharfe
You get one of the prettiest stretches of the River Wharfe, the stepping stones and the hump-backed bridge at Burnsall, wrapped into a proper dale circuit rather than a quick there-and-back.
Checked Jul 2026
HARD
Horse Head and Cosh from Halton Gill
The Horse Head Pass links Littondale and Langstrothdale on a route that barely anyone runs, so you get proper Dales solitude on ground that's been used as a working crossing for centuries.
HARDEasy Malham Loop
Two of the Dales' most famous limestone features on one short, almost flat loop, perfect for an easy day or a first taste of trail running in Malhamdale.
Checked Jul 2026
HARDMalham Cove and Malham Tarn
The classic Malham circuit, joining the cove, its dramatic limestone pavement and the glittering tarn into one flowing mid-distance loop.
Checked Jul 2026
EXPERTFountains Fell and Pen-y-ghent from Malham
A full 50km day that strings together the cove, the tarn and two major summits, a serious long-distance challenge through the heart of the Dales.
Checked Jul 2026
MODERATEMalham Cove, Gordale Scar and Janets Foss from Malham
Three of England's most dramatic limestone features in one run — with a scramble through Gordale Scar that makes most runners grin.
Checked Jul 2026
Running near Kettlewell
Kettlewell sits deep in Wharfedale with Great Whernside to the east and Buckden Pike to the north. A quieter base than Grassington with direct access to high fell terrain.
In an emergency
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Common questions
- There are 21 trail running routes within 15km of Kettlewell on Trail Running Planet, ranging from easy riverside paths to serious fell routes. All include free GPX downloads.