Hamsterley Forest Winter Trail Races
Hamsterley, United Kingdom • 10 Jan 2026
Event overview
The Hamsterley Winter Trails 1/2 and 10k take place on Saturday 10 January 2026 at Hamsterley Forest Park, Bishop Auckland, County Durham (DL13 3NL). The event includes the following distances:
- Half Marathon
- 10k
The event is in its sixth year and was sold out in the last three years. The route starts and finishes at the visitor centre by the main car park and follows well marked footpaths, forest trails and woodland tracks. Hamsterley Forest covers about 4,900 acres.
Practical information
Terrain is a mixture of hard packed gravel tracks, single twisting dirt tracks and occasional muddy bridleway. There will be a race HQ with toilets and medical support throughout the event. Aid stations will provide water, gels and sweets at mile 4, at mile 9 and at the finish area. Participants may need to walk about 10 minutes from the car park to the registration area. There are plenty of parking spaces; discounted parking charges apply and car sharing is encouraged.
Entry fees are:
- Half Marathon: £30 (affiliated) / £32 (unaffiliated)
- 10k: £23 (affiliated) / £25 (unaffiliated)
The organiser describes the event as eco-friendly: disposable plastic cups are not used and entries include a packet of mixed wild flower seeds. A mandatory kit list will be communicated before the event because temperatures at this time of year can fall below freezing. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.