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North East England parkruns

 

The parkrun Regionnaire status used to be a major part of parkrun tourism. Changes in the parkrun website in 2019 removed the regions making it harder to track completion status. All is not lost though, as here’s the complete parkrun guide to what’s in and what’s out of the counties of North West England.

The North East of England is a diverse and distinctive region of the UK, situated in the far north of the country, bordered by the North Sea to the east and sharing a long, historic border with Scotland. The region is composed of three ceremonial counties: County Durham, Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear. Geographically, the North East is characterised by its rugged coastline and expansive, sparsely populated uplands, most notably across Northumberland National Park: a dramatic and ancient landscape stretching south from the Cheviot Hills. It contains the deeply historic, rolling hills of the North Pennines (predominantly in County Durham and Northumberland) and the iconic, windswept route of Hadrian's Wall. Landscapes across the region are varied, ranging from the steep limestone cliffs and sandy bays of the Durham coast to the vast coniferous woodland of Kielder Forest and the rich, post-industrial river valleys of the Tyne, the Wear, and the Tees.

The administrative map of the North East underwent a significant transformation following the Local Government Act 1972, which came into effect in 1974. Prior to this, the region was defined by the ancient historic counties of Northumberland and County Durham (and historically, a portion of northern Yorkshire). The 1974 reforms sought to modernise local government, particularly to address the dense, industrial urban growth around the major rivers. This led to the creation of the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear, which absorbed heavily populated, heavily industrialised swathes of south-east Northumberland and north-east County Durham (including Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland). The reforms also created the short-lived county of Cleveland in the south (absorbing parts of Durham and Yorkshire around the Tees), though this was later abolished. These boundaries, particularly the establishment of Tyne and Wear alongside the slightly reduced modern counties of Northumberland and Durham, were solidified for the purposes of appointing Lord-Lieutenants by the Lieutenancies Act 1997, firmly establishing the modern "ceremonial counties" we recognise today, even as the region's historic identities continue to hold deep cultural significance.

parkrun event numbers per county

There are currently 43 parkrun events in the counties of the North East England region.

Notes and exceptions.

  • Five North Yorkshire events in the Tees Valley: Albert, Flatts Lane, Marshall Drive, Redcar and Stewart are in North East England region. All other North Yorkshire events are in the Yorkshire and The Humber region.

The North East England Counties parkrun pages

Click on each of the images below to go to the page with details of the parkrun events for the county.

More parkrun posts

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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Completing all Tyne and Wear parkruns

There are currently 14 parkrun events in the present-day county of Tyne and Wear, of which I have not yet completed any. The first was Town Moor which started on 16 January 2010 and the newest is Windy Nook which started on 20 April 2024. The name for having completed all parkrun events in Tyne and Wear is “Full Tyne”.

Tyne and Wear is a present-day / Ceremonial county that was formed from the north-eastern part of County Durham and the south-eastern part of Northumberland. The event listings below show which are in either of the historic counties.

Gibside was a parkrun event in Tyne and Wear but has now been permanently cancelled.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.

All of the Tyne and Wear parkrun events …

Below are each of the Tyne and Wear 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.

Chopwell Wood

 

Denton Dene

 

Elemore Park

 

Fulwell Quarry

 

Gateshead

 

Gibside

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.

  • Historic County: 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

 

Herrington Country

 

Jesmond Dene

 

Leazes

 

Rising Sun

 

Silksworth

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Original name: Sunderland. Changed to more accurately reflect the specific location of the course within the Silksworth Sports Complex, particularly as other parkrun events began to populate the wider Sunderland area.

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: Tyne and Wear

  • Inaugural: 10th October 2009

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

South Shields

 

Town Moor

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Original name: Newcastle. Changed when the event restarted after the COVID-19 pause. Several other parkruns had launched in Newcastle, requiring a more specific location name, which was accompanied by a route change.

  • Historic County: Northumberland

  • Ceremonial County: Tyne and Wear

  • Inaugural: 16th January 2010

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Whitley Bay

 

Windy Nook

 

More parkrun posts

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.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:

Back to Run Index
Read More
Richard gower Richard gower

Completing all County Durham parkruns

There are currently 15 parkrun events in the present-day county of County Durham, of which I have not yet completed any. The first was Durham which started on 13th August 2011 and the newest is Oakey Park which started on 27th June 2026. I’m not aware of a County Completion Name for County Durham but let me know in the comments if you have one.

There are an additional 8 parkrun events in the historic county of County Durham that are now in the present-day county of Tyne & Wear.

Tees Barrage was a parkrun event in County Durham but has now been permanently cancelled.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.

A map of all parkrun events in the county of County Durham

All of the County Durham parkrun events …

Below are each of the County Durham 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.

Blackhill

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 13th July 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Cotsford Fields

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 23rd June 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Darlington South Park

 

Durham

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 13th August 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Hackworth

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 9th March 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Hamsterley Forest

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 6th November 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Hartlepool

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 26th April 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Heritage Coastal Path, Easington

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 21st June 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Jubilee

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: October 2019 (Note: exact inaugural Saturday is unspecified in the source records)

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Oakey Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 27th June 2026

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Riverside

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 14th July 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Sedgefield

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 17th March 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Tees Barrage

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial 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

 

The Demesnes

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 11th October 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Ushaw Historic House

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 11th October 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Wynyard Woodland

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: County Durham

  • Ceremonial County: County Durham

  • Inaugural: 15th April 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

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.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:

Back to Run Index
Read More