For those of you unfamiliar with the God’s Own Backyard Ultra or the GOBYU, this is a race event where the participants have one hour to run 6,706 metres or 4.1 7 miles and get back to the start line for the next lap. If they don’t make it back in time, you’re out! The race goes on until there is only one person left standing; everyone else is a DNF (did not finish).

Here in Leeds we have our very own GOBYU, offering both a Spring and a Winter option. This route or ‘yard’ as the laps are known, is from the November 2023 race event, which took a slight detour to normal avoiding a field of knotweed!

The route starts at the Hunter’s Greave Scout Camp, and takes you along the canal, towards Leeds. You come off the canal before the bridge, turning right over the bridge, and there is quite a long incline up Leeds Bradford road. At the top of this hill you turn right at the signpost into Bramley Fall Park for a section of trail through the woods. The route eventually takes you back onto the canal (over the canal lock bridge) to return to your starting point.

This particular route is what is referred to as the ‘daytime’ yard! If you have the stamina to keep going as the darkness comes, then the ‘night time’ yard changes to an out and back along the canal.

See how many yards you can manage…  in 2022 the Leeds GOBYU record was 37!

 

How to get there by Public Transport

The start of the route is only a few minute walk from Kirkstall Forge Train Station, where there are direct trains form Leeds every 30 minutes.

 

How to get there by car

There is parking at Kirkstall Forge Train Station. LS5 3NF

 

Facilities

Butlers Coffee and Kitchen Bar is opposite the train station, where there are also toilets. But the opening hours are limited to weekdays between 7.30am – 4pm. So if you are attempting this route at the weekend then you may need to venture a mile or so further in to Kirkstall or towards Kirkstall Abbey to find a cafe and toilets.