Autumn Trail Run | Saturday 12th October 2024 – 09:15hrs | Cowdray Estate

10km Course Autumn | 10 Mile Course Autumn | New 5km 2024 &  Race Info TBC

Feedback after the 2023 Autumn Run: ‘The course was stunning. Easily the best trail race I’ve had the pleasure to run.  I’m already looking forward to the next one’. 

Following the success of last years ‘Run The Seasons’ series of races in 2023/2024, we’re getting ready to once again celebrate all things autumn and to coincide with Cowdray’s popular Apple Day at the Farm Shop.

There are three distances, 10km,10 mile (actual 9.66m) and new 5km Run. All runs are undulating and have some tough sections, but the locations are second to none. The majority of the courses are on bridleways, footpaths, the Serpent Trail or Sussex Diamond Way, but there are some locations on private land, which the Cowdray Estate have kindly allowed us to use to give runners the best possible event.

These are proper trail runs, so the terrain is completely different to the Angmering Bluebell Run and other runs on the South Downs.  There are steep uphill and downhill sections, gravel, sand, mud and rocky sections, all of which are manageable for the majority of runners.

The 10km course heads gradually uphill towards Bexley Hill, through some ancient and thick woodland before returning on a different route exposing the golden autumnal colours on the South Downs.

The 10mile course initially follows the same route as the 10km run and then diverts at the Bexley Hill mast. We then pick up the Serpent Trail through Verdley Wood towards Henley before eventually returning with a tough climb back up to Bexley Hill.  Don’t underestimate this course, there are a couple of challenging sections.

The race coincides with the Cowdray Farm Shop Apple Day (10am-3pm), a celebration of this delicious and much-loved fruit. This humble fruit will be celebrated with a chance to press home-grown apples,  take part in some apple-themed activities, as well as the chance to sample delicious apple-themed treats created by Cowdrays head pastry chef and butchery team alongside tastings from local suppliers. Remember to bring your own apples if you have them and a container to take home some of your own fresh apple juice!

Apple Day was launched in 1990 by an association called Common Ground as a way of raising awareness of the provenance and traceability of food, which aligns perfectly with Cowdray’s values.