Bewl 5 Mile Trail

Race Description

Run alongside the longer Bewl 15 on the same July morning, the Bewl 5 Mile is entirely off-road and shares the first two and a half miles of the round-Bewl-Water route before turning back the way it came. It's a shorter, friendlier introduction to the same lakeside scenery: gently undulating shoreline paths give way to a trio of proper hills on quiet lanes toward the finish, enough to make it feel like a genuine trail race rather than a token shorter option.

Bewl Water itself, the largest area of inland water in South East England, provides a constant backdrop, and the out-and-back nature of the course means runners take it in twice. What makes race day memorable, though, is as much what happens after the finish line as the run itself: free beer and a generous spread of homemade cakes await every finisher, alongside a bespoke medal and commemorative t-shirt, all organised by Wadhurst Runners with a level of care that regulars talk about as much as the course.

Proceeds go to the Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance. It's a good fit for runners newer to off-road racing who want real trail underfoot and a few honest hills without committing to fifteen miles, as well as families or slower runners who want to share race day with friends tackling the longer distance. The lakeside setting alone makes it worth the trip out to the Kent-Sussex border.