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Posted June 24, 2019

Our favourite Leeds parkruns

parkrun is…

  • a free event every Saturday at 9am in local parks
  • an opportunity to volunteer and be a part of the community
  • a chance to cover 5km in any way you want e.g. walking, hopping, skipping
  • a great way to catch up with friends and make new ones
  • a timed event, so you can track your progress
  • a way to feel smug because you’ve kicked off your weekend with exercise and/or volunteering

Our top 7 Leeds parkruns

  • Bramley
  • Armley
  • Woodhouse Moor
  • Roundhay
  • Cross Flatts
  • Bradford
  • Temple Newsam

  1. Bramley

Bramley is Gita’s home parkrun and she loves it. The course does contain the ‘upwards flat’ section, but Reg is always there at the start of it encouraging every single person up it. Once you’ve floated up, you make your way to naughty corner and then around to Carol’s corner, where Carol cheers you on as you head down the hill.

  1. Armley

Armley is a relatively new parkrun from the community behind the fantastic Bramley parkrun, and so as you can imagine it’s got just as good support for you. The star of the show is disco corner, where the tunes give you dancing feet.

  1. Woodhouse Moor

Woodhouse Moor was the first parkrun set up outside of London. As such it’s one of the oldest and most welcoming parkruns. The park is lovely to go around with its winding paths and sections of manicured gardens.

  1. Roundhay

Roundhay is a beautiful setting for parkrun, as you go around the lake and through some of the woodland. The course is all on paths, so you don’t even have to worry about getting muddy, and there’s plenty of parking.

  1. Cross Flatts

Cross Flatts has a warm and friendly team of marshals and is another parkrun that’s all on paths. There’s also a fantastic finish section that’s straight and flat, so you can really go for a sprint finish if you’ve got any energy left at the end.

  1. Bradford

Bradford parkrun is set in Lister Park, which is magnificent, as there’s a grand house in the centre of the park, a pavilion where everyone congregates at the beginning and end and even fountains to admire. The course has been ingeniously designed so that there’s only a small incline section to make your way up, and there’s a long downhill that lets you take in the scenery.

  1. Temple Newsam

Temple Newsam is another parkrun in a stunning setting, and it has farm animals too. There is a point in the course where you feel a bit odd, as you’re in a wonderful park but you can see the busy A1 M1 link. You get a real sense of calm as you run around the lake and gaze at the ducks drifting along.

Watch this space, as we’re looking forward to visiting Potternewton, Middleton Woods, Rothwell, Oakwell Hall, Horton Park and Myrtle parkruns soon!