If you are looking for a trail race that will take you away from the comfort of urban gravel tracks and into the heart of glorious landscapes then the Blanchland Show Half Marathon & 10K ticks the box. Those taking part in the 26 August event will enjoy racing in stunning surroundings and will experience the nature and heritage of the North East up close.

Blanchland itself is a picture-perfect historic village, recreated in the 18th century from the ruins of a medieval monastery. Popular with walkers, cyclists and as a location for period films and TV dramas, those visiting will enjoy eating lunch in the former Victorian school or having drinks in the medieval cellar bar, or monastic cloister garden. Blanchland is set in the soft landscape between the Derwent Reservoir and and the sweeping moorland fells of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The race route takes runners through The North Pennines Nation Landscape and UNESCO Global Geopark described as 'a stunning landscape of open heather moors, dramatic dales, tumbling upland rivers, wonderful woods, close knit communities, glorious waterfalls, fantastic birds, colourful hay meadows, stone-built villages, intriguing imprints of a mining and industrial past'. The area has many distinctive geological features, landscape and flor with significant archaeology and it supports important biodiversity in a range of key habitats.

The event will start centre-stage in the main Blanchland Show ring with a steep climb to start on a gravel track past Pennypie House and onto the moors. From the top of the climb, runners will cross the trail heading breifly into Slaley Forest (the half marathon does a big loop of the forest), before popping back out onto the moors where the 10K and Half Marathon merge. Runners then pick up The Carriers’ Way and follow that back to Blanchland.

Those taking part will enjoy access to the show where they can find multiple food and drink outlets. There will also be a bespoke memento for all finishers and a packet of wildflower seeds. Organisers say: "We are including a packet of mixed wildflower seeds for you to plant which will encourage bees and other pollinators to visit your garden which is great for the environment."

If you'd like to know more, visit the Blanchland Show Half & 10K website.

Image: Greener Miles Facebook