Bristol Parkrun and Free Running Routes Guide

Bristol has two free, weekly 5k timed runs, called parkrun, every Saturday at 9am: one at Ashton Court and one at Eastville Park. Both are free, open to any pace, and don't require anything beyond a one-off online registration. Beyond parkrun, the city has five official measured routes and a handful of running clubs if you're after something more regular.

Bristol's two parkruns

Parkrun is a free, volunteer-run 5k that happens every Saturday morning in parks across the country, and Bristol has two long-running events.

Ashton Court parkrun takes place at Ashton Court Estate, just across the River Avon from the city centre. The course is a mix of tarmac and stone or gravel paths, so it holds up reasonably well year-round, though sections can get muddy and puddled after rain. It's genuinely hilly in places rather than flat. Afterwards, most people head for a coffee at the Coach House Café in the mansion courtyard.

Eastville parkrun takes place at Eastville Park on Fishponds Road. The course runs entirely on permanent paths, which makes it a more predictable, flatter option if the weather's been bad. Dogs are welcome on a short, handheld lead (waist-mounted running leads aren't allowed), though you can't run with both a pushchair and a dog at the same time. Regulars grab a post-run coffee at the nearby Tesco Extra, in the Eastgate Centre, or at cafes in Fishponds, and there's a community café in the park itself that opens once a month.

Both events cost nothing, but you do need to register once on the official parkrun website before your first run and bring a printed or scannable copy of your barcode, or you won't get a time recorded.

Ashton Court vs Eastville at a glance

Junior parkrun

If you're running with kids, junior parkrun is a free, shorter 2k version aimed at 4 to 14 year olds, held on Sunday mornings rather than Saturdays. Locations around Bristol have included Kingsweston, Windmill Hill, Eastville Park and Greville Smyth Park, though not every one runs every week, so check the parkrun website for which junior events are currently active near you.

Official measured routes, if you'd rather run solo

Not everyone wants a timed Saturday morning event. Bristol City Council maintains measured routes in several parks that you can walk, jog or run at your own pace, any day of the week:

• Eastville Park
• Ashton Court
• Horfield Common
• Netham Park
• Victoria Park

These aren't signed with mile markers in the way a race course would be, but the distances are established and popular with regular local runners building up mileage outside of parkrun.

Running clubs and bigger events

If you want structure and company beyond a weekly parkrun, Bristol's main running clubs include Bristol & West Athletics Club, Great Western Runners, Southville Running Club and Westbury Harriers. Most welcome new members at a range of abilities rather than only competitive runners, so it's worth contacting a couple directly to see which fits your pace and schedule.

For a bigger one-off goal, Bristol hosts the Bristol 10k and the Bristol Half Marathon each year, both part of the national Great Run series. Dates move annually, so check the Great Run website directly if you want to enter rather than relying on a fixed date here.

If running isn't quite your thing but you still want to get outdoors, Bristol Orienteering Klub runs navigation-based events that don't require running at all, and are open to all ages and abilities.

Where to go

Ashton Court is also covered in more depth, alongside the city's other green spaces, in our guide to Bristol's best parks. If you fancy a route with more woodland and less pavement, Leigh Woods sits right next to Ashton Court on the other side of the Suspension Bridge and is popular with trail runners. And if you're planning to bring a dog to any of these, our dog-friendly Bristol guide has more detail on where dogs are welcome and where they aren't.