A quick preview of 7 local fell and trail races coming up this month:

Sat 4 Nov, 1pm: Shepherd’s Skyline – 6 miles, 350m climb, £6 EOD, HQ Shepherd’s Rest Inn nr Todmorden. A nice run along the skyline to Stoodley Pike, a steep drop, a climb back up and a final descent. Bogs, rocks + pub, what more do you want.

Sun 5 Nov, 10.30am: Cop Hill – 6 miles, 275m climb, £5 pre-entry or EOD, HQ Meltham Sports Centre. More hilly multi-terrain than fell but still a good race on a 2-lap course.

Sat 11 Nov, 10.30am: Post Hill Challenge – 5.6km, £8 pre-entry, HQ Troydale Social Club. Undulating 2-lap course featuring 2 climbs of the (in)famous Post Hill; not technically a fell race but it feels like one – pace it carefully. If you think this is daft, compare with 1920s-style racing on Post Hill.

Sat 11 Nov, 11am: Holly Hustle – 7 miles, £15 pre-entry, HQ Meanwood Institute. Going head-to-head with Post Hill, Adam has lined up plenty of mud for the 5^th running of this Great Owl trail race up + down Meanwood Valley.  

Sun 12 Nov, 11am Wadsworth Half Trog, 9 miles, 420m climb, £6 pre-entry or EOD, HQ Hare and Hounds Pub nr Hebden Bridge. Not done this one but any race with the word “trog” in it can only mean mud, bog and perhaps some more mud.

Sat 18 Nov, 10.30am, Tour of Pendle, 17 miles, 1500m climb, £10 pre-entry by cheque (yes, still). HQ Barley Village Hall. My 3 top tips: i) expect to park half a mile from the start, ii) pack a £10 note for tea and cake after, iii) the race doesn’t start until you’re about 10 miles in. Not for the faint-hearted, enjoy.

Sat 25 Nov, 2pm, Harriers v Cyclists, 5 miles, 300m climb, £10 pre-entry, HQ Bradford & Bingley Sports Club. 100 runners and 100 cyclists jostle it out together through the mud, up Shipley Glen to Baildon Moor and back. A whole lot of daft fun in what will be my final fell race for Valley Striders before switching to NLFR, hope to see a few of you there (and perhaps for refreshment after).