A great mix of trail and road with plenty of elevation adding to the challenge. I personally had no issue with navigation as I know the area well. Quite a few people went straight on across the orchard before getting to Brenley Lane. The actual path as shown on your map goes to the left first around the edge which is what I did. My Garmin still came up a bit short so I ran on a bit further at the end. It probably needed arrows or an extra marshall at that point. All the Marshalls did a great job and water stations were well placed. A bit of walking at the start but tbh I was expecting it so it didn’t worry me. Clearing it more wouldn’t help as it is very uneven. Nice medal and weather was perfect.

You always know that you'll get a good event with Sporting Events UK. But on this occasion they pulled off probably the best local race I have ever done. The scenery was to die for, and the after race atmosphere was electric. The event village was nestled just behind Macknade which gave full access to the food hall and street food market. Put this race on your calendar for next year.

Excellent event with a really good atmosphere. Loved having the food available at the end and the party atmosphere with the live music.
The single lane at the start was the only downside.
I really want this to become an annual event!

A superb new half marathon. The scenery was amazing and I loved the varied course with a great mix of off-road and quiet country lanes. The HM was tough, but the inclusion of a 10K option means the event is suitable for beginners as well as more experienced runners. The venue was great - plenty of parking and a huge range of post-race options (food, drink etc.) very close to the finish line. I personally didn't have any problems navigating the route, but a more staggered start would help with the narrow path at the beginning. As always, thanks to Barry and all his team (including of course the marshalls) for putting on an exceptional new event.

Excellent event with lovely Marshalls, well done! I do think it needed a few more Marshalls, or perhaps just more signage as a couple of speedy friends said they took a wrong turn and ran further than a half. I did the half and stayed with a group, so we kept each other on track and I loved the route. It's certainly challenging but do-able with the right preparation and so much more scenic and fun than the Saxon Shore half. It's a great mix of terrain and very evenly up and downhill with excellent scenery to keep you distracted and inspired. Blue skies, birdsong and sweeping vistas, all really up-lifting. The placement of water stations was well thought out and the right amount for the conditions that day.

Efficient checking in system and bag drop and loos were fine too. A real bonus to have Macknade's food and drink at the start and finish as it really added to the celebratory atmosphere with lots of runners staying back afterwards.

Loved it, thank you so much to the organisers. I will Marshall next year if I don't run it again! X

Only downside was the start of the race with a very narrow path leading out quite congested
My Garmin watch registered just under 10k at the finish so I ran around the car park to make up the distance had to be done.

For a first running of this event I think you guys did great. My only comments would be the following:

- The half came up short for me, which was a shame. I would rather overshoot the distance than come up short.
- A little more course management / prep was needed in places, especially just after the start. Although it looked like a good amount had been cut back, you dont expect to have to stop and start walking after less that 100m from the start line. Open this area up a little more and traffic will flow much better.
- Signage. Generally very good and all of the marshals were great and very supportive. There were a couple of long stretches where you were left questioning if you had missed a turn.

Overall very good though and I look forward to next year!

I really enjoyed this event. Its very scenic through the fields and lanes and being local to me it was great to be able to walk along and meet up with friends before the start. It was also a great location with food and drink available afterwards. I didn't even realise there was a pop up bar at Macknades which I will definitively go back to soon. Very well organised with marshals and signage Thank you to every one who helped make it a success.

Unfortunately, I got to 12km (I was supposed to be doing the 10k), and then realised i'd gone wrong somewhere, and was on the half route with all the other half marathon runners.

Apparently I was supposed to be told to turn around. There was no signage for this and I guess I must have missed the person who was instructing 10k runners to turn around.

Luckily, it was just a training run for distance, not trying to set a personal best or anything.

Was a lovely quiet route, with a real mixture of terrains and uphill and downhill sections.

This was a fabulous, scenic route on a beautiful sunny day. A challenging course but one that is suitable for all abilities and with stunning scenery all around. Well done Barry and team for a brilliantly organised race, I’ll definitely be back for more next year.

Only thing more signage , I thought I was lost as saw nobody for a while , and thought I had taken a wrong turn and was getting worried , thankfully I saw runners ahead !

I really loved the route and the fact that it wasn't all country lanes - the hillier sections were fun too! My favourite part was running through the buttercup valley - I've been searching for this place ever since I ran here months and months ago with a running group, so so pleased this race gave me the chance to rediscover it again. The water stations were enough and we liked that everyone was released in waves to avoid the path blocking up at the start.

When we were running adjacent to the wood, there was an arrow pointing right but it wasn't clear enough whether it was pointing into the field or straight on, as opposed the path into the wood. We followed the runners in front who went straight on and only afterwards realised we'd cut 100m or so off the run. I felt bad about this for the rest of the run, so something to fix next year! The only other place there was some ambiguity as to direction was when we approached a T-junction towards the end and the queued up cars had blocked the arrow. Thankfully, the marshalls (who were busy managing traffic) were able to point us in the right direction when we asked.

My only other comment would be that it was quite unclear what the terrain would be like until the route was released. I appreciate that this is a new race but I got the impression some people were disappointed it wasn't a 'PB course' and that it involved trails/hills. For me, this was a selling point so I think that to avoid dissatisfaction next year, you should make that clear from the start.

Thank you for organising!

Lovely run, scenery was lovely on the half. Some parts were a little muddy but easy to get around. Marshalls were great. Downside, a little congested at the start, I took a wrong turn with a few other runners at around 8.5 miles and had to double back, a sign on the gate would have been good as it did not look like you were supposed to go that way.

Good 10km route but would prefer a round trip rather than there and back.

The only thing missing was the distance marks I only sore 3.

Really enjoyed the 10k route. The first part had been well cut back (we had practiced the route so knew what to expect and had seen how overgrown they were), the volunteer marshals all friendly and supportive, with well placed water stations. Great atmosphere at the start and after the race. Thanks to all involved.