Permanently Cancelled UK parkrun events

 

While there are new parkrun events starting on most weeks, occasionally events are permanently cancelled. The most common reason is due to landowners withdrawing permission, either due to safety or capacity concerns.

There are currently 35 permanently cancelled parkrun events in the UK that were publicly accessible. A further 16 events on closed facilities (e.g. prisons), plus one overseas military base, are also permanently cancelled. There’s a few exceptions which are not included in these numbers and the details on this page.

  • Bakewell parkun started in 2018 and continued until the Covid pause in 2020. It was replaced by Monsall Trail parkun which starts in the same place but runs in the opposite direction. The old Bakewell course headed north to the turning point and The Monsal Trail course runs south to a different turn around point. Both start and finish at the old Hassop Station. I have not counted Bakewell as a cancellation as the event numbers continued through to the Monsall Trail stats.

  • Darley Abbey parkrun started in 2013 and continued until January 2016. It was replaced by Markeaton in March of the same year in a different location. I have not counted Darley Abbey as a cancellation as the event numbers continued through to the Markeaton stats.

  • Morden Hall, Greater London was held as a one-off on June 6th 2009 as part of the Wandle Valley Festival. Following the event, the National Trust grounds were deemed unsuitable for a permanent weekly 5k, likely due to concerns about the impact of regular footfall on the delicate nature of the park or congestion on the paths.

  • Middlesbrough Stewart, North-East England held 3 events on Wednesday nights.

  • There were 4 bespoke parkrun events that were held in 2011/2012. These were: Bramhall Park (6th Sep 2011), Harrogate (7th Jan 2012), Highbury Fields (26th July 2012), Oldham (16th Sep 2012).

The first UK parkrun event to be permanently cancelled was Little Stoke which ended on May 7th 2016. The most recent is Victoria Dock which closed on December 20th 2025.

Ipswich was the event that had the most event numbers before closing at 574. Wythall closed after only 1 event.

Many of these events retain a strong community who would love to see them return, either at the same venue or nearby. I’ll update this page if any return. Note that although Brighouse has been closed since February 24th I’ve received a lot of feedback that there are plans to restart it. I’ve not included it in the listings but I’ll add it in if it doesn’t come back.

Let me know if you have any corrections or additional information to add to this page either by commenting below or via my Contact page. I’m also looking to add photos of the cancelled events, especially the parkrun event name banner. I’ll donate £1 to parkrun for every correction, additional fact or photo used.

Red crosses indicate permanently cancelled public parkrun events. Orange crosses indicate permanently cancelled parkrun events on closed facilities.

Aston Hall

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Inaugural: October 14th 2023. Final event: #34 on August 24th 2024

  • Reason for cancellation: Due a lack of core team. The local football club foundation had invested heavily into the event and made commitments in the process which were then never fully fulfilled. Unfortunately, there is no nearby running club and the local community also didn’t embrace the arrival of parkrun. This meant despite lots of effort by the ambassadors and local other parkruns no core team was ever built and most runners each week were tourists being no regular volunteer base could be established.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Lucas Farls, Paul France, Roderick Hoffman, Amy Louis, Anna McManus, Chris Reeler, Carlo Di Terlizzi, Jo Yarnall

Bodelwyddan Castle

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Wales. County: Denbighshire

  • Inaugural: August 18th 2018. Final event: #35 on June 29th 2019

  • Reason for cancellation: Closure of the castle and grounds to the public.

  • Replaced by: Nova Prestatyn (maybe not officially but many of the core team moved there)

  • Links: Event Home Page, Wikipedia

  • Photos by: Graham Holland

Caldicot

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Wales. County: Gwent / Monmouthshire

  • Inaugural: July 29th 2017. Final event: #7 on October 14th 2017

  • Reason for cancellation: Suspended due to railway works.

  • Replaced by: Rogiet

  • Links: Event Home Page

Castle Howard

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: North Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: September 14th 2019. Final event: #23 on March 7th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: The owners (the Howard Family) felt the parkrun got in the way of their daily operation & opening hours. Also - dissolution of the core volunteer team.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Matt Johnson, Michael Ingham, Victoria Knight-Phillips, Siân Siân, Heather Thomas

Catterick

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: North Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: June 17th 2017. Final event: #135 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Catterick racecourse management decided they could no longer host it, citing reasons like public liability risks, potential disturbance to the on-site fishing club, and plans for their own redevelopment.

  • Replaced by: Thorp Perrow

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Gail Jazmik, Katherine Richards

Churchfields Farm

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: December 29th 2018. Final event: #41 on October 19th 2019

  • Reason for cancellation: Churchfields farm business model changed after Covid with an increase in weddings and other events which bought them more money than parkrun. The increase in numbers that this bought meant they could no longer accommodate parkrun. In addition in winter prior to the pandemic the underfoot conditions with it being on a working farm meant it had not run for much of it either

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Carlo Di Terlizzi, Andy Southall, Linda Wheeler

Cuerden Valley

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: North West England. County: Lancashire

  • Inaugural: August 10th 2013. Final event: #329 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to financial struggles and a belief by the Cuerden Valley Trust that parkrun, a national organization, should contribute financially to the park's upkeep.

  • Replaced by: many of the core team moved to Worden

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Gail Jazmik

Dallas Burston Polo Club

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Warwickshire

  • Inaugural: October 16th 2021. Final event: #83 on November 25th 2023

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to ongoing land improvements and development at the estate, which made the parkrun route unusable and unsustainable.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Carlo Di Terlizzi, Lynda Skerratt, Linda Wheeler, Rhiannon Williams, Julia Zimmek

Ellenbrook Fields

  • I completed this event on: June 17th 2017 with a finish time of: 25:52

  • Region: East of England. County: Hertfordshire

  • This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun

  • Inaugural: May 21st 2016. Final Event: #203 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Event organizers could not secure the necessary permission from the landowners to continue hosting the event after the COVID-19 pause.

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

  • Photos by: Roderick Hoffman, Claudia Selina

  • The final stetch of Ellenbrook fields course used the old De Havilland (1930's to 1990's) concrete runway.

Epworth Equestrian

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: July 29th 2023. Final event: #59 on October 12th 2024

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to low café usage.

  • Replaced by: Vermuyden Way

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Joanna Bailey, Jason Clift-Jones, Paul France, Amanda M-h, Lou Mann, Siân Siân, Alexander J. Thomas, Claire Wilke, Jo Yarnall

Fritton Lake

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East of England. County: Norfolk

  • Inaugural: May 5th 2012. Final event: #356 on March 30th 2019

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to the venue's new management who implemented charges for event use, which clashed with parkrun's free, volunteer-led model, leading to disagreements over costs, event scale, and health/safety responsibilities.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Lorna Salmon

Gainsborough

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East Midlands. County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: May 30th 2015. Final event: #242 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Didn’t restart after Covid as some of the land had planning permission for housing, which went ahead.

  • Replaced by: Thonock Lane Farm

  • Links: Event Home Page

Gibside

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: North East England. Historic County: Durham. Ceremonial County: Tyne and Wear

  • Inaugural: February 22nd 2014. Final event: #280 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes on the Gibside estate (National Trust property) making the original course unviable.

  • Replaced by: Chopwell Wood

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Siân Siân

Hanbury Hall

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: July 2nd 2016. Final event: #26 on December 31st 2016

  • Reason for cancellation: Its paths and terrain weren't suitable for the large numbers of runners, with concerns about safety on muddy, uneven ground, especially as it wasn't a public park.

  • Links: Event Home Page

Hatfield Forest

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East of England. County: Essex

  • Inaugural: March 21st 2015. Final event: #131 on September 23rd 2017

  • Reason for cancellation: The venue couldn't sustain the growing event, mainly due to a lack of all-weather parking, leading to difficult conditions in winter and limited space.

  • Replaced by: Castle Park

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Roderick Hoffman

Heartwood Forest

  • I completed this event on: January 20th 2018 with a finish time of: 28:00

  • Region: East of England. County: Hertfordshire

  • Inaugural: June 29th 2017. Final event: #47 on October 6th 2018

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to challenges with sustainability, traffic, and potential negative impacts on the growing woodland.

  • Replaced by: Jersey Farm

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

  • Photos by: Roderick Hoffman, Lara Pocock

Henstridge Airfield

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: South West England. County: Somerset

  • Inaugural: September 8th 2018. Final Event: #167 on September 2nd 2023

  • Reason for cancellation: The Event Directors decided they no longer wanted to run it, and without their specific site knowledge for ensuring safety, the Landlord required the event to stop, as no one else with the necessary skills stepped up to take over.

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Photos by: Jane Bell, Kay Boorman, Steve Callow, Hayley Southgate, Julia Zimmek

Inverness

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Scotland. County: Inverness-shire / Highland

  • Inaugural: September 3rd 2011. Final event: #432 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Original venue became unavailable

  • Replaced by: Torvean

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Gareth Llewellyn, Paul Watt

Ipswich

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East of England. County: Suffolk

  • Inaugural: September 8th 2012. Final event: #574 on January 18th 2025.

  • Reason for cancellation: Severe weather and overuse (high footfall) damaging Chantry Park, leading to a need to rest the venue and explore route changes, with organizers working with the council for a return, which eventually happened at a new location, Christchurch Park.

  • Replaced by: Christchurch Park which was previously the winter course for Ipswich.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Fiona Earl, Roderick Hoffman, Dominique Sellors, Robert Sprurgeon, Hailey Swailes, Paul Watt

Knockbracken Reservoir

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Northern Ireland. Historic County: County Down

  • Inaugural: February 29th 2020. Final event: #189 on June 28th 2025

  • Reason for cancellation: Organizers couldn't reach a compromise with the landowner, Let's Go Hydro, regarding the use of their private grounds.

  • Replaced by: Belvoir Forest

  • Links: Event Home Page, Dancing at Lunacy Blog Post

  • Photos by: Michael Conway, Linda Harley Gillespie, Jocasta Williams

Little Stoke

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: South West England. County: Gloucestershire

  • Inaugural: November 3rd 2012. Final event: #173 on May 7th 2016

  • Reason for cancellation: Stoke Gifford Parish Council demanded charges (initially £1 per runner, then for park maintenance), which parkrun organizers, said contradicted the event's free, volunteer-led ethos and would set a dangerous precedent, leading organizers to withdraw the event on safety and principle grounds.

  • Replaced by: Many of the Little Stoke core team went to Eastville, Three Brooks, Pomphrey Hill and Chipping Sodbury

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Photos by: Louise Duggan, Roderick Hoffman, Claire Wilkie

Llanelli Coast

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Wales. County: Carmarthenshire / Dyfed

  • Inaugural: November 19th 2016. Final event: #161 on March 7th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Not due to a single event, but rather its operations shifted to become the nearby Sandy Water parkrun, though the original site faced issues like flooding and changing conditions over time.

  • Replaced by: Sandy Water

  • Links: Event Home Page

Mountbatten School

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: South East England. County: Hampshire

  • Inaugural: March 2nd 2019. Final event: #46 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: The company who ran the Mountbatten School Site removed permission.

  • Replaced by: Ganger Farm

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Photo by: Roderick Hoffman

Mulbarton

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East of England. County: Norfolk

  • Inaugural: March 16th 2013. Final event: #322 on February 8th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: The core team couldn't secure necessary landowner permissions and found no viable permanent alternative location.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo By: Amanda M-h (notparkrun during “the pause”)

New Earswick

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: North Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: April 21st 2018. Final event: #241 on August 30th 2025

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to unresolved capacity issues and conflicts with other activities at the New Earswick Sports & Social Club, the venue's home, leading to unsafe overlaps, parking complaints, and inability to find a workable solution

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Joanna Bailey, Clare Griffiths, Amanda M-h, Hah Nah, Siân Siân, Claire Wilkie

Skegness Boating Lake

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East Midlands. County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: December 28th 2019. Final event: #12 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: During covid the main carpark entrance for Skegness was moved, it now goes across the course path whereas previously it didn’t.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo By: Ali Sheppard

Storeys Field

  • I completed this event on: July 15th 2023 with a finish time of: 27:07

  • Region: East of England. County: Cambridgeshire

  • Inaugural: July 31st 2021. Final event: #206 on August 30th 2025

  • Reason for cancellation: A new road was built directly through its course in the Eddington development, making the route unsafe and unviable.

  • Replaced by: Brook Leys

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course page

  • Photos by: Jess Furber, Sarah Kimberley, Paul Miles, Terry Robert Spurgeon

Storthes Hall

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: West Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: January 19th 2019. Final event: #50 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: The Storthes Hall Student Village, its host venue, closed down due to business challenges.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Viki Bee Clarke, Gail Jazmik, Finbar Morley

Stranmillis College

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Northern Ireland. County: County Antrim

  • Inaugural: February 2nd 2019. Final event: #54 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to increasing conflicts with the college's sporting activities, particularly football, meaning the event couldn't safely run when pitches were in use from late summer to mid-February, leading to a mutual decision to stop the weekly run

  • Links: Event Home Page, Dancing At Lunacy Blog Post

  • Photos by: Linda Harley Gillespie

Tees Barrage

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: North East England. County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: June 23rd 2012. Final event: #378 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Reportedly due to a runner tripping and injuring themselves then making a claim against the water authority who are the landowners. The landowners decided not to continue with permission to allow the event.

  • Replaced by: “Sure some of the core team set up Wynyard Woodlands as its replacement”

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photo by: Siân Siân

Tring

  • I completed this event on: November 22nd 2014 with a finish time of: 27:01

  • Region: East of England. County: Hertfordshire

  • This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun

  • Inaugural: November 1st 2014. Final Event: #293 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: The Woodland Trust, which manages Tring Park, withdrew permission for the event for reasons that both the Landowners, local community and parkrun UK rejected.

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

  • Photo by: Ken Douglas, Roderick Hoffman, David McKillop, Claudia Selina

Victoria Dock

  • I completed this event on: April 28th 2018 with a finish time of: 24:23

  • Greater London Borough: Newham. Historic County: Essex

  • Inaugural: March 17th 2018. Final Event: #272 on December 20th 2025

  • Reason for cancellation: Per the Victoria Dock parkrun Facebook page: “Victoria Dock has always relied entirely on volunteers. Sadly, despite our best efforts, we’ve reached a point where we no longer have enough volunteers to continue the event sustainably. This has been the deciding factor in our decision to close.”

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

  • Photos By: Victoria Dock parkrun Facebook Page, Richard Gower

Wolford Wood

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Warwickshire

  • Inaugural: February 11th 2023. Final event: #60 on November 16th 2024

  • Reason for cancellation: Wolford Wood was a SSSI and badly affected by the weather so couldn’t run for much of the time and the landowners decided to end their support.

  • Replaced by: Fire Service College. Wolford Wool was started when Fire Service College became unavailable so was technically a replacement event itself.

  • Links: Event Home Page

  • Photos by: Jane Bell, Cheryl Currant, Mike Lewis, Paul Miles, Rhiannon Williams

Wythall

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: September 16th 2017. Final event: #1 on September 16th 2017

  • Reason for cancellation: “Wythall Park Community Association have voted against allowing parkrun to continue at their venue, as it "would suffer disproportionate damage".”

  • Links: Event Home Page

Yeovil Montacute

  • I completed this event on: September 15th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:41

  • Region: South West England. County: Somerset

  • Inaugural: September 7th 2013. Final Event: #295 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Per the core team: “as the core team put it "Unfortunately we are a victim of our own success - the increasing numbers of people attending prior to the pandemic were having an increasing impact on the Trust’s ability to care for the Grade I listed parkland"

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Photos by: Gail Benghiat, Kelly Croft, Yvonne Faulkner-Grant, Roderick Hoffman, Sue Freegard, Richard Gower

Permanently Cancelled junior parkrun events

Barking and Dagenham juniors

Bold Forest juniors

  • Region: North West England. County: Merseyside

  • Inaugural: 13 August 2017. Final event: #119 on 15 March 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Brentwood juniors

Brighouse juniors

Castle Park juniors

  • Region: North West England. County: Cheshire

  • Notes: This event closed before starting. There were no actual events held for the public.

Craigswood juniors

  • Region: Scotland. County: Lothian

  • Inaugural: 03 March 2019. Final event: #54 on 15 March 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Daventry juniors

Dixton juniors

Dover juniors

Lakes juniors

Llanelli Coast juniors

Melton Mowbray juniors

Northwich juniors

  • Region: North West England. County: Cheshire

  • Inaugural: 27 March 2016. Final event: #191 on 15 March 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Nostell juniors

Park Wood juniors

Peel Park juniors

  • Region: North West England. County: Greater Manchester

  • Inaugural: 12 May 2019. Final event: #39 on 15 March 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Poole juniors

Reculver juniors

Shelley juniors

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: West Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: 10 June 2018. Final event: #151 on 15 October 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page

Strathmartine juniors

West Smethwick juniors

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 15 March 2020. Final event: #1 on 15 March 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Whiteley juniors

Permanently Cancelled parkruns on closed facilities

Altcourse

  • Historic County: Lancashire. Ceremonial County: Merseyside

  • Inaugural: November 16th 2019. Final event: #15 on March 14th 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Bear Brook

Camp Bastion

Cromhall

East Sutton Park

Elmley

Fort Road

Freckleton Road

  • Region: North West England. County: Lancashire

  • Inaugural: November 26th 2022. Final event: #71 on November 9th 2024

  • Links: Event Home Page

Grove

Hollesley Bay

  • Region: East of England. County: Suffolk

  • Inaugural: June 29th 2019. Final event: #36 on June 25th 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page

Onley

Peregrine

Portrack

  • Region: North East England. County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: August 20th 2022. Final event: #104 on December 28th 2024

  • Links: Event Home Page

Prescoed

  • Region: Wales. County: Monmouthshire / Gwent

  • Inaugural: November 13th 2021. Final event: #11 on March 26th 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page

Sands Lane

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: East Riding of Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: February 22nd 2020. Final event: #50 on July 15th 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page

Swinfen

  • Region: West Midlands. County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: May 11th 2019. Final event: #48 on March 14th 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Wayland

  • Region: East of England. County: Norfolk

  • Inaugural: April 14th 2018. Final event: #93 on March 14th 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page

Contributors

The great people of the parkrun Tourism community who provided input to this page. Photo credits are listed above in the relevant event section.

Tan Ratty Blot, Richard Borrowdale, Kevin Botto, Catherine Brook, Liz, Burkey, Shane Chapman, Jason V. Clift-Jones, Joanne Collins, Cheryl Currant, Ken Douglas, Nicola Douglas, John Flannery, Nicola Francis, Martin Gebbett, Linda Harley Gillespie, Roderick Hoffman, Neil Holloway, Olly Hughes, Matt Johnson, Chris Lillywhite, Anton Mirafsari, Anna McManus, Finbarr Morley, Rob Ogelsby, Charlie Pearce, Ian Penson, Jonathan Webb, Becky Weaver-Clarke, Jocasta Williams, Yvonne

https://www.richardgower.com/blog/parkrun

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parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

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