Roundhay Rudolph

The McLoughlin family have created the Roundhay Rudolph to collectively raise money for two local charities and one international charity – St Gemma’s Hospice; Friends of Roundhay Park; and WWF. The family appreciate what the green space of Roundhay Park has given them during the past lockdowns. And the tireless work St Gemma’s do in caring for those in the Leeds community living with a terminal illness.

Running the Roundhay Rudolph is not only about fundraising but very much for the benefit of local runners, walkers, and cyclists to enjoy during the long, cold winter months.

Run the Roundhay Rudolph and donate over on the JustGiving page.

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 11.35km and an elevation gain of 207m.

The largest non-stop incline begins within the first kilometre of of the route, and has a distance of 440m and an elevation gain of 16m. You can see this on the above elevation chart in red.

The largest continual decline is 434m long with an elevation drop of 22m which starts in the last kilometre of the route. This is shown on the chart as green.

Start

Start at the Oakwood Clock and head up Princes Avenue.

When you reach the tennis courts turn left onto Old Park Road before taking a right onto Lidget Park Road. This road will lead back to Talbot Road (another right turning) before heading up towards Street Lane.

At Chelwood Drive (off Street Lane) it’s time to run Rudolph’s antlers. Head up Chelwood Grove and High Moor Crescent to run two laps of the cul-de-sac type roads.

Middle

Once back on Street Lane head east towards the Bentcliffe drive turning. Take this and then make a left onto Bentcliffe Avenue. At this point you’ll get an eye full of Rudolph by running Moor Allerton Avenue.

Run towards Bentcliffe Grove, marking off the square connected by Bentcliffe Mount – that was Rudolph’s nose. Once done head down Lidgett Lane and briefly run an out and back alongside the eastern side of Allerton Grange Fields.

End

Back on Lidgett Lane you will head all the way down until it turns onto Gledhow Lane. Here take a left onto Jackson Avenue. Follow this road round until you reach North Leeds cricket club, and the edge of Roundhay Park. It’s all downhill back to the start at the Oakwood Clock from here.

The Roundhay Rudolph crosses several busy roads. Where you can, cross the busy roads on pedestrian crossings. As it’s Rudolph we’d be Scrooge to say not to have fun running this one!

Oakwood is a suburb of north-east Leeds that lies 3-mile from the centre of the city. It sits between Gipton and Roundhay Park.

Oakwood was originally a small piece of rural land that made up the fringes of Roundhay Park and its vast estate.

The Oakwood clock is the distinctive start and finish point of the Roundhay Rudolph. The clock was constructed by Potts of Leeds in 1904.

The nearest toilet to the start-finish of the Roundhay Rudolph can be found at a choice of cafes and restaurants at the top end of Roundhay Road, close to the clocktower.

There is free (time limited) parking at the start-finish point of the Roundhay Rudolph run. Head to the Oakwood Clock carpark to grab a spot, postcode: LS8 2FA (Google Map Directions)

A short walk down Roundhay Road will bring you to a selection of cafes and restaurants to enjoy after your run.

Grön Kafe is a sustainably sourced coffee shop come eatery that puts a big emphasis on serving up locally sourced food with a healthy twist. Come here for a quick brew or sit down and grab a bit of brunch or dinner. All safe in the knowledge that the planet is that bit more cared for.

For those looking for a good fill we recommend you check out Chophaus next to the Oakwood Clock. Don’t be put off by the sleek and modern architecture. This restaurant serves up steak, cooked on a charcoal grill; and sold by the weight. Perfect for those protein fiends wanting to replenish what you’ve just burnt on the run.