Some friends in Swaledale have had the fabulous idea of reviving a beautiful series of events. We asked Simon Hewitt to give us the lowdown…
The Dales Trail Series ran for three years between 2015 and 2017. The races were well organised and had a fantastic reputation. Swaledale is such a great place to run but there are not many races which take place here or travel through. We are going to bring the races back under the DalesRunner name this year. We hope to showcase the awesome landscape in the dale and provide three high quality running events.
The routes will be staying the same this year. They show the diversity of terrain that Swaledale has to offer as well as some stunning views. For the DR20 runners can enjoy the panoramas from the top of Fremmington Edge and Calver Hill. On the DR30, the route passes the waterfalls at Keld, travels up to The Tan Hill Inn. Climbing up Swinner Gill before gliding down to Gunnerside is also a highlight of this route.
Running in Swaledale provides a lot of options. You can find tracks and trails to run as well as some more technical terrain. The industrial past of the area has created some really interesting features such as hushes and old mine buildings. It’s also a fairly quiet once you get out on the hills. You can run for hours and not see a soul; enjoying it all for yourself!
Well done to Jess and Simon for all their hard work. To find out more head over to https://www.dalesrunner.co.uk/
DIY Ultras 