The 25km long route on this event is effectively a ‘figure of eight’. From the start at Hayfield Scout Hut the first 2km is pan flat on the Sett Valley Trail which is on old railway line converted to a footpath/cycleway; the route then turns northwards and starts to gradually climb towards Lantern Pike (owned and maintained by the National Trust) – skirting this impressive hill on the Pennine Bridleway things flatten out somewhat and we follow a wide, flat and very runnable track across Matley Moor. At the 6.5km mark the route heads due west, again on a wide bridleway across Cown Edge with some great views in all directions from the high point (375m above sea level) – after following this track for nearly 3km we turn left i.e. southwards onto a tarmac lane for a short spell before passing through the village of Rowarth with its well known pub & waterwheel (The Little Mill Inn).

A short rocky climb on a bridleway follows and after some flat, fast running and a drop back to the Sett Valley Trail we have finished the northern loop.

After passing through Birch Vale at approx the 15km mark and crossing the main road there is now a *steady tarmac climb as the route makes its way to the high ground of Chinley Churn. At Moor Lodge the tarmac becomes a wide bridleway which is a little bit rocky in places but easily runnable with care. Continue on this track for approx 3km and we then turn left and head northwards on another bridletrack for ‘home’ – this track is a gradual but very runnable climb all the way to the high point of the route on Chinley Churn at 425m – yet again on this route the views in all directions are superb! From now on it’s either downhill or flat all the way to the finish on a combination of pretty smooth bridleways plus the final 2km blast back to the Scout Hut on the ultra smooth Sett Valley Trail.

The 12km short route is basically the southern loop of the long route so you get the initial smooth 2km warm up down the Sett Valley Trail before the gradual tarmac climb starts – follow the long route description from * above all the way to the finish.

Both routes are a bit tougher than our southern Peak District trail runs in respect of the gradients and the terrain but balance this against the ‘top draw’ high level/moorland running tracks and trails with the added bonus of the stunning ‘Three County’ hill top views i.e. Derbyshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire.