Armley parkrun 5km

The official Armley Park parkrun route is 3-laps of you running against the clock. This inner-city park will surprise you with stunning views over Kirkstall Valley. You’ll have a choice between the park’s very own tea room or the official post-parkrun brew at the Malt Shovel. If you join parkrun on a Saturday at 9am, you will need to signup and print your runners barcode for free over at the Armley parkrun website.

Wanting to find your way to the start of the route? Here is a link for a Google Maps Directions page.

This route has a distance of 1.7km and an elevation gain of 36m.

The largest non-stop incline begins at the beginning of of the route, and has a distance of 253m and an elevation gain of 10m. You can see this on the above elevation chart in red.

The largest continual decline is 160m long with an elevation drop of 9m which starts near the start of the route. This is shown on the chart as green.

Route Highlights

One of the biggest highlights of the Armley parkrun route is the views overlooking Kirkstall Valley. Particularly on the straight stretch towards the skatepark. If you look close enough you might be able to spot the River Aire.

Best Time To Run

The best time to run the Armley parkrun route is in the summer. Due to a big portion of the run being on grass, this route can get a little more difficult to tread in the autumn and winter months.

Start the route opposite the tennis courts and run anti-clockwise on the tarmac path towards the skate park. At this point you will run onto the field and follow the tree line back on yourself down the middle. Once at the bottom take a right along the edge of the football pitches and golf course. This part of the route is the toughest underfoot because of its unevenness and potential bogginess in wet weather.

After you have passed the wooded areas and the playground you will re-join the tarmac path. Stride across this all the way to the front entrance flower beds, flying past the water fountain and back to the tennis courts. Two more laps and you’ve hit your 5 kilometres.

parkrun

One of the reasons why you should run parkrun on a Saturday morning is it kicks starts your weekend off in such a positive way. You won’t regret the early start!

There isn’t a local running club or running group that call Armley parkrun their home. Instead you’ll find runners from all over the inner west of Leeds (and beyond!) running or volunteering at the event.

Armley park is a public space accessible by all. Like any parkrun event on a Saturday morning you’ll notice signs warning other park users to be aware of runners. Keep in mind that other people will be using the paths and green space when you might be running at speed around the route.

 

Armley Park is two miles to the west of Leeds city. The green space is a spacious 34 acres in size and covers open fields and dense woodland. The best way to access the park is from Stanningley Road.

The Gotts Park Mansion aka the Gotts Park Golf Club has accessible toilet facilities – including a disability toilet – within the building. You will find Gotts Park Mansion is at the end of the Gotts Park entrance off Armley Ridge Road.

Park for free on-site in the dedicated Armley Park car park (Google Map Directions) – the start of the run is a short walk up from here by the tennis courts.

After you’re run you’ll have a choice of where to go for a drink and a bite to eat. There is a tea room located in the Gotts Park Mansion at the centre of Armley Park. You can get breakfast or lunch including a dedicated kids menu with a selection of hot and cold drinks.

If you fancy something a little further afield the official post-parkrun brew is had at the Malt Shovel by the Stanningley Road junction. You’ll be able to get a range of drinks and food from the pub.