Easiest parkrun | Hardest parkrun course
You may well have often thought ‘How hard is my local parkrun compared to a flat 5k?‘.
Below you will find a list of the easiest parkrun courses and the toughest, most difficult parkrun courses. Starting with the easiest first and culminating in the really difficult Lanhydrock parkrun.
This list is purely organised for difficulty by total ascent. Naturally, a seasonally muddy course or an occasionally windy course could make any course relatively easier or harder on the day. For example, Old Deer Park parkrun ranks as flat and ‘easy‘ – but go there on a wet & windy day and the grassy, open course is much more difficult.
Must Read: Personalised 5k Training Plan
Just page down to the list of courses or instead, have a look at the following highlighted post “parkrun: difficulty rating, adjusted course times” which quantifies the amount of time you might lose on the hillier parkrun courses.
parkrun : difficulty ratings, adjusted times for toughest / hardest / easiest courses
Anyway; here is the list from easiest to hardest. Not all the newer parkruns are on the list. Please let me know which you would like added.
| Easiest Sub 10ft | Southsea, Hackney Marshes, York, Strathclyde, Fulham Palace, Long Eaton, Goole, Rickmansworth |
| Sub 20ft | Portrush, Hull, Roding Valley, Evesham, Edinburgh, Crosby, Hove Promenade, Belfast Victoria, Kingsbury Water, Bushy, Worthing, Beckton, Stratford-upon-Avon, Kingston, Lee-on-the-Solent, Hartlepool, Reading, Swansea Bay, Cardiff, Bideford, Eastbourne, Ellenbrook Fields, Montrose, Seaton, Aberystwyth, Wetherby, Cambridge, Poole, Abingdon, Pegwell Bay, Hastings |
| Sub 30ft | Minehead, Market Harborough, Colwick, Southwark, Harwich, Perth, Burgess, Peter Pan, Wimbledon Common, Didcot, Tonbridge, Stretford, Aldenham, Worcester Pitchcroft, Inverness, Greenock, Congleton, Durham, Wythenshawe, Dolgellau, Kingsway, Boston, Winchester, Bryn Bach, Beeston, Gloucester North, Grangemoor, Barking, Bicester, Woking, Great Cornard, March, Riverfront, St Albans, Upton Court |
| Sub 40ft | Mansfield, Longrun Meadow, Beckenham Place, Exeter Riverside, Portsmouth Lakeside, Poolsbrook, Thurrock, King’s Lynn, Torbay Velopark, Salisbury, South Manchester, Aylesbury, Northallerton, Malling, Peterborough, Kesgrave, Brighouse, Ellesmere Port, Weymouth, Aberdeen, Burnham and Highbridge, Conwy, Redcar, Bognor Regis, Comber, Thetford, Elgin, Rutland Water, Linwood, Lincoln, Southend |
| Sub 50ft | Banbury, Crane Park, Rother Valley, Tooting Common, Albert, Newbury, Cleethorpes, Croxteth Hall, Penrith, Old Deer Park, Osterley, Pymmes, Warrington, Northala Fields, Antrim, Cassiobury, Ashford, Carrickfergus, Stonehouse, Rushmoor, Portobello, Maldon Prom, Ecos, Perry Hall, Chelmsford Central, Maidenhead, Heslington |
| Sub 60ft | Sittingbourne, Bromley, Cwmbran, Hereford, Darlington South Park, Barnstaple, Southport, Wimpole Estate, Walsall Arboretum, Millom, Frimley Lodge, Woodley, Norwich, Newport, Maidstone, Blackpool, Black Park, Prudhoe Riverside, Lydney, Gorleston, Penrose, Andover, Arrow Valley, Daventry, Wanstead Flats |
| Sub 70ft | Druridge Bay, Chippenham, Belton House, Ormeau, Huntingdon, Mersea Island, Riverside, South Norwood, Lytham Hall, Buckingham, Rising Sun, Limavady, Bedfont Lakes, Gunpowder, Catterick, Tees Barrage, Cheltenham, Fareham, Widnes, Rushcliffe, Brockenhurst, Wycombe Rye |
| Sub 80ft | Moors Valley, Valentines, Bangor, Brueton, Doncaster, Victoria, Newcastle, Stormont, Netley Abbey, Cannon Hill, Humber Bridge, Nonsuch, Canons Park, Margate, Ellon, Chipping Sodbury, Milton Keynes, Preston Park |
| Sub 90ft | Harcourt Hill, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Marple, Dulwich, Oak Hill, Oxford, Dartford, Harrow Lodge, Fritton Lake, Whiteley, Brierley Forest, Wilmslow, Burnage, Bournemouth, Riddlesdown, Lowestoft, Great Notley, Forest of Dean, Harrogate, Whitstable, Tamar Lakes, Delamere, Northampton, Scunthorpe, Bedford |
| Sub 100ft | Medina IOW, Whitley Bay, Newark, Tewkesbury, Plymvalley, Penallta, Walthamstow, Worsley Woods, Mulbarton, Cheadle Hulme, Chester, Waterworks, Basildon, Dalby Forest, Citypark, Pontypridd, Porthcawl, Clacton Seafront, Conkers, Folkestone |
| Sub 110ft | Gunnersbury, Dudley, Dudley, Panshanger, Stewart, Raphael, Clumber Park, Livingston, Birkenhead, Blandford, Ayr, Wormwood Scrubs, Horsham, Kettering, Derry City, Peckham Rye |
| Sub 120ft | Linford Wood, Luton Wardown, Hatfield Forest, Princes, Ormskirk, Enniskillen, Llanelli Coast, Lymington Woodside, Southwick Country Park, Swindon, Catton, Bexley, Burnley, Bracknell, Fountains Abbey, Queens, Workington, Braunstone, Upton House, Fell Foot, Telford, St Andrews, Corby |
| Sub 130ft | Cannock Chase, Bury St Edmunds, Leicester Victoria, Chichester, Shorne Woods, Basingstoke, Sunderland, Erddig, Peacehaven, Brighton & Hove, Eastleigh |
| Sub 140ft | Pontefract, Woodhouse Moor, Blickling, Coventry, Worcester, Aviemore, Harrow, Rugby, Highbury Fields, Knowsley, Heaton, Killerton, Greenwich, Stevenage, Hoblingwell, Omagh, Eglinton |
| Sub 150ft | Wotton, Merthyr, Keswick, Sedgefield, Tilgate, Brandon Country Park, Sewerby, Springburn, Mile End |
| Sub 160ft | Preston, Markeaton, South Oxhey, Bath Skyline, Hazlehead, Ipswich, Shepton Mallet, Glossop, Chadderton Hall, Great Lines, Orpington, South Shields, Leamington, Rosliston |
| Sub 170ft | Yeovil Montacute, Sherwood Pines, Havant, Richmond Park, Sheffield Hallam, Cranleigh, Gnoll, Hillsborough, Llyn Llech Owain, Melton Mowbray, Colchester Castle, Brockwell |
| Sub 180ft | Pennington Flash, Wallace, Wakefield Thornes, Brundall, Carlisle, Huddersfield, Billericay, Barry Island, Southampton, Gateshead, Kirkcaldy, St Helens, Woodbank, Harlow |
| Sub 190ft | Penrhyn, Bramhall Park, Hanley, Banstead Woods, Vogrie, Falkirk, Grovelands, Colby, Pontypool, Holkham, Witton, Newent |
| Sub 200ft | Guildford, Finsbury, Roundshaw Downs, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Hackworth, Concord |
| Sub 225ft | Shipley Country, Cross Flatts, Rotherham, Phoenix, Rushmere, Hyde, MUSA Cookstown, Pollok, Reigate Priory, Forest Rec, Ally Pally, Bradford, Horton Park, Nostell, Pomphrey Hill |
| Sub 250ft | Armagh, Bolton, Gedling, Parke, Lloyd, Stamford Park, Stonehaven, Gladstone, Gadebridge, Valley, Canterbury, Skipton, Homewood, Ruchill, Crystal Palace |
| Sub 275ft | Hilly Fields, Haigh Woodland, Hockley Woods, Dewsbury, Graves, Brentwood, Barclay, Barrow, Larne, Tamar Trails, Temple Newsam, Trelissick, Roundhay, Oldham, Falls, Henley-on-Thames, Ganavan Sands |
| Sub 300ft | Alice Holt, Sheringham, Camperdown, Dunfermline, Oakwell Hall, Bramley, Halifax, Mole Valley |
| Sub 400ft | Colin Glen, Wyre Forest, Gainsborough, Bestwood Village, Pendle, Hampstead Heath, Lancaster, Ashton Court, Bedgebury Pinetum, Clair, Rostrevor, Blackhill, Sheffield Castle, Hadleigh, Cuerden Valley, Tring, Gibside, Tollcross, Barnsley, Ludlow, Queen Elizabeth, Watergrove |
| Hardest Sub 500ft | Lullingstone, Bevendean Down, Lyme Park, Drumchapel, Mount Edgcumbe, Wepre, Lanhydrock |
Must Read: parkrun courses: difficulty rating, adjusted course times
Source: jegmar.com (modified)
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Hello, I’d love to see some of the newer Parkruns graded on this site. How about Heslington and New Earswick (both York area). Thanks.
ty for the heads up.
did Bevendean Down today – definitely justifies it position in the top 5 hardest!
Great post thank you. Newborough Forest Anglesey is v undulating (think it opened this June)
Can you list the Walmer and Deal Park run
I will add the new ones at some point in the future than kyou for alerting me to those two.
It is more than just listing as I have to get a course profile and then there is a post that is linked to this information that I also have to update as well. The day job has a greater calling unfortunately. I will try. !! 🙂
Pomphrey Hill, Bristol has a tough climb and you have to do three laps to cpmplete the 5K x
Hi, please could you add Macclesfield?
I’m going to have to do a bunch of them en masse at some point in the futyre as it takes too long to do it piecemeal
Foots Cray Meadows isn’t on here? Perhaps that could be added.
Hi
Can’t see Mole valley and The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a recent new one.
Thanks
good spot. will try to add later next month.
I might even do the Mole Valley one
New ones at Cyclopark and Kingdom now, please.
This is a really interesting list encouraging. I assumed my local parkrun was one of the easiest. It isn”t. Thank you
Please list Eden Project Parkrun.
trick question….
it’s downhill but lots of ups and down and turns too.
it would come out as the easiest by one measure but clearly isn’t the easiest
Got to be in the easiest 5 in the country. It’s asphalt all the way and a big wide start to find a position before it narrows. The ups are all short and sharp and the downs long. The irony is that now with the new course at Lanhydrock (changed post covid restart) the toughest and the easiest are just 5 miles drive apart.
Would be good to see Lanark Moor on here. I did it this morning and still don’t think I’ve fully recovered! Beautiful course though, well worth the pain! Apologies if I have missed it on the list.
Random question: Why is Bushy in bold?
there was probably a good reason when i pressed ctrl-b … but i’ve forgotten. It’s my local one tho.
I automatically assumed you’d done this as it was the first.
yeah i have done bushy VERY many times on all 3 variants of the course.
Hi
Please add Squerryes winery..
Can’t see, Uckfield, Or Dartford Heath.
A number of Parkruns mentioned 1-2 years ago here, and to date have not been entered, has the site been dicontinued?
happy to update the table if people have the supporting info. The course info should be on Strava, RwGPS, Komoot or similar
Berkeley Green in Gloucestershire is more or less flat!