Roundhay parkrun 5km

The Roundhay parkrun 5km takes in some of the best sights the city’s premier park has to offer. You can turn running this route into a morning or afternoon spent enjoying what else there is to do in the 700 acres of parkland.

If you’re running the parkrun event on a Saturday you will need to signup for free on the Roundhay parkrun page before attending.

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 1.76km and an elevation gain of 37m.

The largest non-stop incline begins in the final third of of the route, and has a distance of 294m and an elevation gain of 15m. You can see this on the above elevation chart in red.

The largest continual decline is 263m long with an elevation drop of 20m which starts in the second third of the route. This is shown on the chart as green.

Route Highlights

There are two highlights of running this captivatingly scenic route. Not only will you see all the best bits of the park; at all times you have a clear view of where you're fellow parkrunners are on the course. As a runner this is both inspiring and encouraging.

Best Time To Run

The Roundhay parkrun 5km is a route you can run all year round. The route is plotted entirely on concrete paths. And the facilities to prepare for the run or unwind afterwards lend themselves for helping you do it in severe periods of weather.

The route starts just past Barran’s Fountain monument. Heading north you will start by running uphill towards Mansion House. Take the first left and head along Upper Lake Path.

Follow this until the fork in the path and go left into the centre of the park. Once here take the first left through the Park Arena where the cricket pitch is. This stretch can feel nice and fast as you run down the hill bending onto the path around the edge of the open ground.

Head down past the velodrome and run on towards the Lakeside Café. Once at the café turn left and head back up to where you started, keeping the lake on your right. That’s one lap!

Now it’s time to repeat this again  2-more times and cross the finish line a tad further up the hill. Well done, you’ve completed 5 kilometres!

parkrun

For many in the city we’re more in touch with bricks and mortar than we are greenery and nature. By turning up to parkrun on a Saturday morning you’re connecting yourself to a green space. And in turn this can only make you feel a little bit better!

The biggest risks running the Roundhay parkrun 5km is colliding with other park users including cyclists and dog walkers. Watch out for others and be considerate when overtaking them.

 

At over 700 acres, Roundhay Park is one of the biggest urban parks in the world visited by almost a million people a year. It includes parkland, woodland and gardens now owned by Leeds City Council.

Before it was sold to the council Roundhay Park was a hunting ground gifted to Ilbert De Lacy by William the Conqueror in the 11th Century.

There are plenty of customer toilets in and around the park. The four most accessible can be found separately in in Tropical World, The Roundhay Fox, The Mansion or The Lakeside Café.

There are several car parks available for free at Roundhay Park.

• South end of the park off Wetherby Road – Postcode LS8 2LE (Google map directions)
• Park Avenue by the Lakeside Café – Postcode LS8 2JL (Google map directions)
• West side of the park off Princes Avenue – Postcode LS8 2EP (Google map directions)

If you fancy a sit down after the run there are a number of picnic benches dotted around the park that are perfect for a post-run picnic.

However, for those in need of some cooked food and a coffee you can pop into the Lakeside Café (the one you will run past). This café has a great outside eating area and is a firm favourite of runners using the park.