By Dave Allen, ran on 10th December 2022

My brother-in-law, Matt and I were pondering a long run this weekend and after I had unimaginatively suggested going over one of our old favourites, he suggested we give the relatively new Yorkshire Heritage Way a try. The YHW traditionally runs from Bradford Cathedral to Ripon Cathedral, but given we are both Ripon bois we set off from our end, with the aim being to then get public transport back home when we were done.

We met at Ripon Cathedral at half six and it was very, very cold. Minus three according to my phone. Once we got moving, we warmed up sharp enough. The first few miles saw us on familiar territory, passing through the Valley of the Seven Bridges at Fountains Abbey, picking up a bit of the Ripon Rowel and then up through Brimham Rocks. As we dropped into the woods after Brimham, Matt caught his knee on a rock and hit the deck like a sack of spuds. He was in a LOT of pain, and I really thought it might be ambulance o’clock! After a few minutes he got back onto his feet, walked it out a little and before long he was moving well again. After a section of Andy Purll’s ‘Pateley Pig’ we then picked up a chunk of the LDWA Six Dales Trail, down by Thruscross Reservoir and onto a bit of the LDWA Blubberhouses 25. A real compilation album of other routes so far!

The first half of the course had been a bit stoppy-starty, as we kept taking our eye off the GPX and losing the trail, and there was quite a lot of undulation on the course. Progress had been fairly slow – our first 13 miles had taken 3.5 hours. Around the halfway mark I started to feel a bit queasy and was struggling to catch my breath – probably a combination of being a bit out of shape, and the cold. I felt rotten as we went through Burley in Wharfdale, but Matt gave me a tracker bar and that got me sorted out (briefly). We got into a good rhythm going over Hawksworth Moor. I was still blowing out my arse though but from here it was down into Baildon, picking up the Leeds Liverpool canal through Saltaire and Shipley, before taking off into Bradford. It’s fair to say the last ten miles of the route were a little less idyllic but hey – this is Yorkshire Heritage Way, so it all counts!

One thing to note – because the route is envisaged as starting in Bradford, 95% of the signs are only visible if you’re heading towards Ripon. But if you’re unsure, just look back at the gate you just went through and there will usually be a sign on there. Some kind soul has also rather extensively stickered the route from Burley all the way to Bradford. The GPX we were following said the route would be 42.3 miles with 3.5k ft of ascent. But with a few wrong turns and double-backs we actually clocked 44 miles and with 5.3k ft ascent. I felt crap for most of the second half, but we got it done in a whisker over ten hours, so I was very pleased with that!

This is a fantastic course for anyone looking to get out for a DIY ultra-run. The GPX was generally spot on, and the terrain was brilliantly varied – with woodland trails, open moorland, reservoirs and track roads, with a more urban flavour in the last (or first) ten miles. If you finish in Bradford you’re minutes from the Interchange, so getting home shouldn’t be too much of a pain. Finishing in Ripon will see your public transport options a little more limited (no trains), but the 36 bus gets you to Harrogate, from where you can get to most place.

If you fancy a guided crack at it – give me a shout 

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/

If you read Tom’s piece on DIY running, you’ll have to forgive me for this first paragraph.  I too have been involved in the DIY underground punk world for almost 30 years, playing in bands, putting out our own records, booking our own gigs and building and creating networks worldwide.  You share resources, share information, share knowledge and do so autonomously for no profit.  This is what DIY culture means to me, being independent and sitting outside the mainstream.

So DIY running?  And why DIY ultras?  I enjoy spreading out a map on the table, seeing the little dotted lines, where they go, where they join and envisioning a route taking shape in my head.  I love to then take that route from paper into the real world and that is where the adventure begins.  Who doesn’t love an adventure?

There’s very little risk or chaos in the world, society is all wrapped up in cotton wool and self-reliance seems to be a skill that most people have forgotten.  This is where the ultra-side comes in.  Planning a run around remote isolated rough countryside requires some preparation.  You’ll need to either carry what you need for a full day out from the start or drop supplies somewhere en-route and hope you’ve prepared well enough.

For me the sense of achievement is greater than finishing an organised race.  I just love being alone in the middle of nowhere, looking for a non-existent footpath through some recently felled forest and having to think and reroute.  It’s one of the few times in life you truly get to be self-reliant. Priceless.

For context – some background. I spent many years involved in the “DIY” punk music scene. Rather than big expensive stadium productions, this meant watching bands in the back rooms of pubs, or a basement, or even someone’s living room. It meant the gigs were cheap and you rubbed shoulders with the bands. In fact, the bands were your friends and peers. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the big gigs or festivals, but in one scenario you are a spectator, whereas in the other you play an active role.

Fast forward to the running world, and do you know what – it’s the same thing! You have huge sponsored runs which tend to cost a bit more, but have a big production and mass participation. Think GNR, London Marathon etc. These are the all-singing, all-dancing stadium events of the running world. Momentous events.

But there are also hundreds of smaller events happening every weekend. Some are well established annual races and others are one-offs that pop up and disappear. A small field of runners, a handful of volunteers and often a leap into the unknown. That’s like your gig in the back of the pub.

Then you have the off-the-grid stuff going on. No planned route, no marshalls, no “safety net”, just you and the elements. Armed with a map, some food and drink and a sense of adventure. That’s DIY running for me. Anyone can do it. There’s no cost, no entry criteria. No fixed distance or type of event. You can do it any day of the year, with whoever you want.

That, for me, is the spirit of DIY running.