A 200-mile winter loop of south-east England's national trails, run on GPX alone
Other trail races within 40 miles
A continuous 200-mile winter loop that starts and finishes at Juniper Hall below Box Hill in Surrey. Runners head east on the North Downs Way, drop south on the Vanguard Way to Alfriston, then run almost 80 miles west along the South Downs Way before turning north on the Wayfarers Walk and St Swithuns Way to Farnham and the final stretch of the North Downs Way home. The course is not marked, so runners navigate by GPX across five waymarked trails. Three major checkpoints, about 45 miles apart, offer hot meals, a drop bag and beds, plus a safety point at mile 184. With about 16 hours of darkness a day, December weather and a 96-hour limit, it is a long self-reliant winter journey rather than a fast race.
Experienced ultrarunners
Dorking, Surrey, United KingdomDecember 09, 2026
Winter Downs 200 is a loop trail race in Dorking, Surrey, United Kingdom, held on December 09, 2026. The course covers 321.9 km, climbs 6,800 m, and has a 96h cutoff.
Entry by application
Entry is by application. Runners declare their running and multi-sport experience, and race management may refuse any application. As a guide, a finish at a single-stage trail race of 100 miles or longer gives a good chance of acceptance. Shorter finishes alone are not enough. Self-powered winter or mountain journeys, adventure racing, orienteering and climbing also count. A rejected application is refunded in full.
| Location | km | Elevation | Cutoff | Crew | Drop bags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Juniper Hall Start | 0.0 | 61 m | — | Crew | |
Reigate Hill Crew Access | 12.9 | 210 m | — | Crew | |
Merstham Crew Access | 17.7 | 127 m | — | Crew | |
Limpsfield Chart Crew Access | 35.4 | 179 m | — | Crew | |
Forest Row Crew Access | 56.3 | 69 m | — | Crew | |
Gills Lap Car Park Crew Access | 64.4 | 204 m | — | Crew | |
Kings Standing Car Park Crew Access | 66.0 | 208 m | — | Crew | |
High Hurstwood Crew Access | 72.4 | 78 m | — | Crew | |
Blackboys Village Hall Aid Station | 78.9 | 76 m | 23h15m7:15 AM +1 | Drop Bags | |
Chiddingly Crew Access | 88.5 | 43 m | — | Crew | |
Berwick Station Crew Access | 99.8 | 29 m | — | Crew | |
Bo Peep Crew Access | 105.4 | 168 m | — | Crew | |
Firle Beacon Crew Access | 109.4 | 162 m | — | Crew | |
Housedean Farm Crew Access | 124.7 | 51 m | — | Crew | |
Ditchling Beacon Crew Access | 133.6 | 223 m | — | Crew | |
Clayton Windmills Crew Access | 136.8 | 162 m | — | Crew | |
Summer Down Car Park Crew Access | 141.6 | 165 m | — | Crew | |
Devil's Dyke Crew Access | 143.2 | 206 m | — | Crew | |
Truleigh Hill YHA Aid Station | 148.1 | 188 m | 43h20m3:20 AM +2 | Drop Bags | |
Botolphs Layby Crew Access | 149.7 | 8 m | — | Crew | |
Washington Crew Access | 162.5 | 70 m | — | Crew | |
Chantry Post Crew Access | 165.8 | 188 m | — | Crew | |
Bignor Hill Crew Access | 180.3 | 202 m | — | Crew | |
Cocking Hill Car Park Crew Access | 191.5 | 106 m | — | Crew | |
Harting Down Crew Access | 202.8 | 199 m | — | Crew | |
Queen Elizabeth Country Park Crew Access | 209.2 | 117 m | — | Crew | |
Butser Hill Crew Access | 210.8 | 124 m | — | Crew | |
Sustainability Centre Aid Station | 220.5 | 211 m | 64h30m12:30 AM +3 | Drop Bags | |
Old Winchester Hill Crew Access | 225.3 | 194 m | — | Crew | |
Beaconhill Beeches Crew Access | 233.3 | 192 m | — | Crew | |
Bishops Sutton Crew Access | 249.4 | 79 m | — | Crew | |
Alton Crew Access | 267.1 | 107 m | — | Crew | |
Farnham Crew Access | 286.5 | 67 m | — | Crew | |
Puttenham Village (crew) Crew Access | 296.1 | 99 m | — | Crew | |
Puttenham Safety Point Aid Station | 296.1 | 107 m | 87h11:00 PM +3 | ||
St. Marthas Crew Access | 305.8 | 113 m | — | Crew | |
Newlands Corner Crew Access | 307.4 | 182 m | — | Crew | |
Denbies Hillside Crew Access | 315.4 | 191 m | — | Crew | |
Juniper Hall Finish | 321.9 | 61 m | 96h8:00 AM +4 | Crew |
Aid station details for this race are still being filled in. Cutoffs and access rules come from the race’s own published information and can change — check the official race details before planning around them.
Sign in for race-day weather at every station, points of interest, segment-by-segment analysis, pacing, and to save this race to your calendar.
No camping. Juniper Hall (race HQ, WD200 start and finish, WD100 finish) offers rooms: WD200 runners check in the night before, and finishers of both races can sleep there after. No parking at Juniper Hall; use the road by Ryka's Cafe or the Burford Bridge car park. Hotels in Dorking, including the Burford Bridge Hotel.
Mid-December in south-east England: short days with about 8 hours of light, average temperatures near 5°C (41°F) and humidity around 80%. Rain is common (about 90 mm for the month), so chalk and clay trails are often muddy and slippery. Nights on the open downs can be windy and near or below freezing.
December race in southern England; average temperature about 5°C, colder overnight on exposed downland
December averages about 90 mm of rain; mud and wet chalk are likely
About 16 hours of darkness each day, with wind, rain and frost all possible
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