Blackdown Beauty
Exmouth Running Belles at the start of the 2019 Blackdown Beauty
Women on the Run Ladies
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Route Booklet (2012)
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Priors Park Farm at Culmhead. (Click for map)
Just down the road from Holman Clavel Inn This will be the last Beauty from Priors Park Farm |
Overview of Routes Click to enlarge
Note the Merry Harriers has burnt down but route stays the same. See photos below of what is left! We will have a water station close to the site but we know it's not the same!
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DOCUMENTS Subject to Change for 2019
Route instructions |
Map Downloads
Route diagram here
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Final Instructions |
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Blackdown Beauty is a social run in the wonderful countryside of the Blackdown Hills. Various routes between 10.5 and 18 miles are available via 4 pubs (18 mile route) and a cream tea. This is not a race but it is a chance to run, jog and walk in good company enjoying the outstanding scenery on this beautiful, sometimes demanding course following public footpaths and minor roads.
All routes start at 11.45 at Priors Park Farm at Culmhead . The 18 mile route heads though pine woods to the Queens Arms at Pitminster. The route then goes cross country to Blagdon Hill and up to where the Merry Harriers pub was and then on to the Half Moon at Clayhidon. The next stop is at Pear Tree Cottage at Stapley for a superb cream tea provided by the "legendary" Smeatharpe WI, then on to the York Inn at Churchinford and finally back to Priors Park Farm via Otterhead Lakes.
The shortest route goes direct to the water station (previously Merry Harriers Pub) and then to Stapley for the cream tea before heading back to the start. Open the “Overview of Routes” PDF file (above) to see how the various legs can be linked together.
The numbers are limited to 200 and entry may be gained by posting the printed Entry Form and mailing to Roger Saunders or by completing the on-line form and follow payment instructions. Entry fee £10 includes a cream tea and route directions. Food and drink will also be available at the finish at nominal cost and at various pubs en-route.
The Blackdown Beauty is a social run in the wonderful countryside of the Blackdown Hills. Various routes between 10.5 and 18 miles are available via 4 pubs (18 mile route) and a cream tea. This is not a race but it is a chance to run, jog and walk in good company enjoying the outstanding scenery on this beautiful, sometimes demanding course following public footpaths and minor roads.
All routes start at 11.45 at Priors Park Farm at Culmhead . The 18 mile route heads though pine woods to the Queens Arms at Pitminster. The route then goes cross country to Blagdon Hill and up to where the Merry Harriers pub was and then on to the Half Moon at Clayhidon. The next stop is at Pear Tree Cottage at Stapley for a superb cream tea provided by the "legendary" Smeatharpe WI, then on to the York Inn at Churchinford and finally back to Priors Park Farm via Otterhead Lakes.
The shortest route goes direct to the water station (previously Merry Harriers Pub) and then to Stapley for the cream tea before heading back to the start. Open the “Overview of Routes” PDF file (above) to see how the various legs can be linked together.
The numbers are limited to 200 and entry may be gained by posting the printed Entry Form and mailing to Roger Saunders or by completing the on-line form and follow payment instructions. Entry fee £10 includes a cream tea and route directions. Food and drink will also be available at the finish at nominal cost and at various pubs en-route.
What the runners said
July 2019
Exmouth running belles
We would like to say a massive thank you for all the organisers and landowners for allowing us to have such a brilliant day. Once again, our passion for white drawing pins came to the fore and for once in our history we didn’t get lost. The course was more overgrown this year preventing us from getting into a gentle running pace, but this added to the fun. Thank you also to the lovely ladies at Peartree cottage who provided such delicious scones and cream tea.
Jon & Lorraine Croome
Thanks to all organisers and helpers for another fab running of the Beauty, the run with a hidden cream tea! We really enjoyed the event, the friendliness of all and the great running terrain of the Blackdown Hills.
Lisa
It was a great event, thanks so much for organsing it.
Lizzie
A great time was had by the Women on the run girls.
July 2018
Fit2Run group
A great fun run.lovely views and an amazing cream tea .lots of laughs all the way .ending with a welcome burger. Will be back next year.
Katie James
Carolyn Roper and I did this for the first time at the weekend and joined forces with 4 other like-minded ladies making it a really fun day out. The cream tea was an obvious hightlight! Many thanks to you and your team for organising such a lovely event. We hope to join you again soon.
July 2017
Debbie Pennington
Thank you for a fantastic day. It was my furthest run to date. I really enjoyed it and will be back again next year.
Thomas
Thank you for truly brilliant day this was my second year and I enjoyed it even more than the last.
Debbie Vinnicombe
That's brilliant. Thank you for organizing a lovely run.
Jim Pyne
Many thanks to yourself and your Club members, WI ladies (mega cream tea !) for such a great day out in the Blackdowns yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and heartened that I can still run a reasonable distance !
Sue Tremlett
Thank you .... first Beauty for me and 3 pals although I've done the Beast twice. Looking forward to January already! Great organisation and lovely people, not to mention the cream tea!!
Jo Earlam
It was a great run Roger, thank you and to all the organisers! Everyone taking part from Sidmouth loved it.
June White
Fantastic day. The cream tea was amazing. We all had so much fun and looking forward to next year already .thanks
June 2016
Robert Mills
An excellent, friendly, interesting and well organised event, although my aging eyesight sometimes struggled with the pin locations! Please pass on my thanks to all who helped organise and run the event. Special thanks to the Honiton group, Denis, Roger, Alan, Pippa and Richard, who encouraged me through the latter stages, and navigating through the jungle. Thanks for adopting a 'Hedgie' for the day! I am being told to come back for the winter version; may see you all again.
Terry Bewes
On behalf of the seven ‘Mighty Green’ runners from Sidmouth RC I would like to thank all of the Honiton RC members who organised such a great event. We all had such an enjoyable day. The weather was kind and the hospitality we received at Peartree Cottage made it hard to believe we were in a running event; it was difficult to get up and go again. The cream teas those ladies put on are legendry. At the Half Moon we couldn’t get Her Majesty to wear the Mighty Green but she did agree to have a drink with us, must be a first for any running club. Have no doubt we will be back next year. Just a comment but I did notice that Howard’s dancing has not improved since the Ottery 10k.
Wendy Holloway
Best run of my life Roger! Here's Wendy Holloway, Joy Nixon and Tim Hoyle from Crewkerne Running Club enjoying our cream tea that we had to run back 2 miles for as we realised we'd taken a wrong turn and weren't prepared to sacrifice it! 21 miles in total for us - an 8 mile PB distance for me and I loved every step. Congratulations on organising such a fabulous run.
Hannah Tapp and Suze Kay
Thank you so much for organising today's run. Well organised, great atmosphere, fabulous cream tea and much needed scrummy burger to finish! Running has never been so much fun.
Harriet Pottinger
Many thanks for organising another great BB yesterday.
Colin Stanford
Thank you for yesterday's Blackdown Beauty plenty of hills, mud, bogs, over and under electric fences , excellent scones and tea, longhorn cattle, horses and pigs. I got lost met my saviours Richard , Judy, Penny and Leah who kindly allowed me to join them. A brilliant day down in Devon.
Clare Medlock
Thank you again for such a great event. Like last time I developed a love and obsession for drawing pins. We only got lost once but managed to get back on track. Please thank all who were organised in the event and the cream tea ladies. Please thank Jim for letting us use his farm. See you next time.
Monica Read
Fantastic event thank you. Photos to follow.
Jo Earlam
It was a great event, really enjoyed it, thank you.
June 2015
Harriet Pottinger
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the run on Saturday. This is the first year I've done the Beast (I entered the 10 mile and surprised myself by
doing the full 16) and the Beauty (went straight for the 18 miles, so that's a distance PB for me) and both were notable for how well they were organised, the fun and camaraderie all the way around, and for the excellent weather you managed to lay on for both events! Not to mention the delicious cream tea and hotdogs. I look forward to seeing the photos on the website soon.
Please pass on many thanks to Jim at Priors Park Farm for his hospitality, and to you and your team for making it all happen. I hope you raised LOTS for MacMillan Cancer Support, who helped to make the last days a bit more bearable for a friend who died of cancer 2 1/2 years ago just a day before his 49th birthday. He was a very fit and keen runner/climber/all round sportsman and adventurer, and he would have loved the Blackdown events See you next year!
Best wishes,
Harriet Pottinger
Rose Buchanan
I had a great time running the blackdown beauty Saturday and am joining the club.
July 2014
Claire Medlock: hi Roger, what a great event. We had a blast. Ended up running over 12 miles because we got lost around an airfield and never found out what the wrinkly warren (or whatever it's called!) I found a strange love for white drawing pins!! It was great to do an event which was not pressured about time. Thank you.
Dotty King: Hello, Thanks for a great event on Saturday, we got lost a few times but overall had a good time and will be back next year.
Attached are some pics of the day. Best wishes, Dotty
Nadine Prouse: Thankyou so much for such a great event. Thoroughly enjoyable & didn't get lost once..well maybe ran round a couple of fields a few times trying to find a way out but as I said "we weren't lost, always somewhere". The cream tea was fantastic, special thanks to all who helped make the day & hope you raised lots for such a worthy cause. Nadine RFRC
Tanya Lewis: Had a fantastic day such a lovely friendly club that were lovely company with Awsome food too xxxx
My name is Emma Thomas and I'm just e-mailing you to say what a fantastic day my friends and I had on Saturday at the Blackdown Beauty. Fantastic run and the hospitality and warmth felt at the cream tea stop was incredible! Well done Honiton Running Club brilliant organisation. I have now run the beast and the beauty this year and I will be back next year!! Thanks again!!
July 2012
Iain Robert: The Blackdown Beauty what a brilliant complementary event to The Blackdown Beast. Many thanks for the Beauty on Saturday, the costumes were great and I had a thoroughly good time catching up with fellow enthusiasts from around the area. The route was challenging in places, my legs were stinging all Saturday night. However, the pain was more than made up for by the cream tea at Pear Tree Cottage. Please pass on my thanks to all those involved in organising and supporting this run. Keep it quiet so we can all enter again next year.
Neil Bissix Just a quick line to say how much we enjoyed the Blackdown Beauty on Saturday. It's nice to hear that as well as organising a very enjoyable race you will also manage to donate a substantial sum to MacMillan Cancer Support. We have already pencilled the date for January's Blackdown Beast into our diaries.
Andy Fraser Thank you very much for yesterday. Well organised, great cream tea, so good will ignore it was done the Cornish way, farm very welcoming. Just a good day all round.
Tim Wigram Brilliant day out and run, thanks all for organising!!!
Karen Lister We had a great time to. We just powered through. Great organisation thanks
Annie Foot A great run once again - the toughest yet we reckon with all that slimy smelly yucky mud!! thanks to everyone involved in the organisation
Colin Leeky Evans: Great event Guys! Fun all the way :-)
July 2011
Martin Chaffey: Thanks again for organising Saturday - thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a real shame that more of my lot (Yeovil) didn't turn out. Did travel down to Mother in Law's and arrived in full clown make-up - think my two brothers in law enjoyed it too!
Annie Foot: A big thank you from all of us! Once again a brilliant run, perfect conditions and excellent company - we loved it! Annie, Cathy, Vanessa, Sally, Teresa and Michelle
Olivia: Thank you so much for organising The Beauty, I had a great day even though we eventually did 13miles.
Also please thank the cream tea people as it was so yummy, plus they were so welcoming, and within a minute of you arriving the tea and scones were there like magic!!
Brian North: A big thank you to you and all your team for a super day yesterday - a brilliant idea and a very interesting run. The cream tea was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed the garden. We Trull Troggers had a great day out and have made notes to ensure we will be there next year.
Garry Perratt: Thank you for another great run yesterday..... which I hope will long continue without becoming a victim of its own success and getting too big as The Dream did.
Vanessa Knowles: Had a great day. Thanks to all the organisers.
John Ward: We had a great time - thanks from all the Running Forever RC team!
Jerry Bird: Awesome day guys. Loved it and well done for making a great and enjoyable day. Cheers
Bob Powell: (Wells City Harriers) Brilliant day, I thought, but my legs disagree! Again, thanks for a great day out, and will try to get there next year. Please add me the circulation list so Wells City Harriers get it on the calendar.
Joanna Steele-Perkins: Thank you for a fantastic event! We would have done the 18 miler if we didn't have time restrictions! Will definitely be there for The Blackdown Beast.
Ian J. Can I give my own personal thanks to everyone involved in the organizing of the BB. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and the Taunton Hashers were splendid company. Put me down for the 10 mile route next year as 'rear-guard' leader. The only additional comment to those already made to you was the cost of the event per person. All my Taunton colleagues said it was far too low considering a large percentage of the proceeds went to charity and the quality of the cream tea! A £10 fee is the least you should be charging!
July 2010
Hi Nick and fellow members.
Just writing to say thank you so much for organising the run on saturday. james, amanda, jules,katie, jane and myself had such a fantastic day, also thank you so much for waiting, for us we certainly didn't expect that.
We all had a great time, the cream tea was absolutely lovely Good job it was a Saturday, because i was so tired on Sunday, definitely needed a lay in.
Looking forward to the run in January, please send us the details and definitely the Black Beauty next year.
Thanks once again. Anne Smyth
July 2019
Exmouth running belles
We would like to say a massive thank you for all the organisers and landowners for allowing us to have such a brilliant day. Once again, our passion for white drawing pins came to the fore and for once in our history we didn’t get lost. The course was more overgrown this year preventing us from getting into a gentle running pace, but this added to the fun. Thank you also to the lovely ladies at Peartree cottage who provided such delicious scones and cream tea.
Jon & Lorraine Croome
Thanks to all organisers and helpers for another fab running of the Beauty, the run with a hidden cream tea! We really enjoyed the event, the friendliness of all and the great running terrain of the Blackdown Hills.
Lisa
It was a great event, thanks so much for organsing it.
Lizzie
A great time was had by the Women on the run girls.
July 2018
Fit2Run group
A great fun run.lovely views and an amazing cream tea .lots of laughs all the way .ending with a welcome burger. Will be back next year.
Katie James
Carolyn Roper and I did this for the first time at the weekend and joined forces with 4 other like-minded ladies making it a really fun day out. The cream tea was an obvious hightlight! Many thanks to you and your team for organising such a lovely event. We hope to join you again soon.
July 2017
Debbie Pennington
Thank you for a fantastic day. It was my furthest run to date. I really enjoyed it and will be back again next year.
Thomas
Thank you for truly brilliant day this was my second year and I enjoyed it even more than the last.
Debbie Vinnicombe
That's brilliant. Thank you for organizing a lovely run.
Jim Pyne
Many thanks to yourself and your Club members, WI ladies (mega cream tea !) for such a great day out in the Blackdowns yesterday. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and heartened that I can still run a reasonable distance !
Sue Tremlett
Thank you .... first Beauty for me and 3 pals although I've done the Beast twice. Looking forward to January already! Great organisation and lovely people, not to mention the cream tea!!
Jo Earlam
It was a great run Roger, thank you and to all the organisers! Everyone taking part from Sidmouth loved it.
June White
Fantastic day. The cream tea was amazing. We all had so much fun and looking forward to next year already .thanks
June 2016
Robert Mills
An excellent, friendly, interesting and well organised event, although my aging eyesight sometimes struggled with the pin locations! Please pass on my thanks to all who helped organise and run the event. Special thanks to the Honiton group, Denis, Roger, Alan, Pippa and Richard, who encouraged me through the latter stages, and navigating through the jungle. Thanks for adopting a 'Hedgie' for the day! I am being told to come back for the winter version; may see you all again.
Terry Bewes
On behalf of the seven ‘Mighty Green’ runners from Sidmouth RC I would like to thank all of the Honiton RC members who organised such a great event. We all had such an enjoyable day. The weather was kind and the hospitality we received at Peartree Cottage made it hard to believe we were in a running event; it was difficult to get up and go again. The cream teas those ladies put on are legendry. At the Half Moon we couldn’t get Her Majesty to wear the Mighty Green but she did agree to have a drink with us, must be a first for any running club. Have no doubt we will be back next year. Just a comment but I did notice that Howard’s dancing has not improved since the Ottery 10k.
Wendy Holloway
Best run of my life Roger! Here's Wendy Holloway, Joy Nixon and Tim Hoyle from Crewkerne Running Club enjoying our cream tea that we had to run back 2 miles for as we realised we'd taken a wrong turn and weren't prepared to sacrifice it! 21 miles in total for us - an 8 mile PB distance for me and I loved every step. Congratulations on organising such a fabulous run.
Hannah Tapp and Suze Kay
Thank you so much for organising today's run. Well organised, great atmosphere, fabulous cream tea and much needed scrummy burger to finish! Running has never been so much fun.
Harriet Pottinger
Many thanks for organising another great BB yesterday.
Colin Stanford
Thank you for yesterday's Blackdown Beauty plenty of hills, mud, bogs, over and under electric fences , excellent scones and tea, longhorn cattle, horses and pigs. I got lost met my saviours Richard , Judy, Penny and Leah who kindly allowed me to join them. A brilliant day down in Devon.
Clare Medlock
Thank you again for such a great event. Like last time I developed a love and obsession for drawing pins. We only got lost once but managed to get back on track. Please thank all who were organised in the event and the cream tea ladies. Please thank Jim for letting us use his farm. See you next time.
Monica Read
Fantastic event thank you. Photos to follow.
Jo Earlam
It was a great event, really enjoyed it, thank you.
June 2015
Harriet Pottinger
Just a quick note to say how much I enjoyed the run on Saturday. This is the first year I've done the Beast (I entered the 10 mile and surprised myself by
doing the full 16) and the Beauty (went straight for the 18 miles, so that's a distance PB for me) and both were notable for how well they were organised, the fun and camaraderie all the way around, and for the excellent weather you managed to lay on for both events! Not to mention the delicious cream tea and hotdogs. I look forward to seeing the photos on the website soon.
Please pass on many thanks to Jim at Priors Park Farm for his hospitality, and to you and your team for making it all happen. I hope you raised LOTS for MacMillan Cancer Support, who helped to make the last days a bit more bearable for a friend who died of cancer 2 1/2 years ago just a day before his 49th birthday. He was a very fit and keen runner/climber/all round sportsman and adventurer, and he would have loved the Blackdown events See you next year!
Best wishes,
Harriet Pottinger
Rose Buchanan
I had a great time running the blackdown beauty Saturday and am joining the club.
July 2014
Claire Medlock: hi Roger, what a great event. We had a blast. Ended up running over 12 miles because we got lost around an airfield and never found out what the wrinkly warren (or whatever it's called!) I found a strange love for white drawing pins!! It was great to do an event which was not pressured about time. Thank you.
Dotty King: Hello, Thanks for a great event on Saturday, we got lost a few times but overall had a good time and will be back next year.
Attached are some pics of the day. Best wishes, Dotty
Nadine Prouse: Thankyou so much for such a great event. Thoroughly enjoyable & didn't get lost once..well maybe ran round a couple of fields a few times trying to find a way out but as I said "we weren't lost, always somewhere". The cream tea was fantastic, special thanks to all who helped make the day & hope you raised lots for such a worthy cause. Nadine RFRC
Tanya Lewis: Had a fantastic day such a lovely friendly club that were lovely company with Awsome food too xxxx
My name is Emma Thomas and I'm just e-mailing you to say what a fantastic day my friends and I had on Saturday at the Blackdown Beauty. Fantastic run and the hospitality and warmth felt at the cream tea stop was incredible! Well done Honiton Running Club brilliant organisation. I have now run the beast and the beauty this year and I will be back next year!! Thanks again!!
July 2012
Iain Robert: The Blackdown Beauty what a brilliant complementary event to The Blackdown Beast. Many thanks for the Beauty on Saturday, the costumes were great and I had a thoroughly good time catching up with fellow enthusiasts from around the area. The route was challenging in places, my legs were stinging all Saturday night. However, the pain was more than made up for by the cream tea at Pear Tree Cottage. Please pass on my thanks to all those involved in organising and supporting this run. Keep it quiet so we can all enter again next year.
Neil Bissix Just a quick line to say how much we enjoyed the Blackdown Beauty on Saturday. It's nice to hear that as well as organising a very enjoyable race you will also manage to donate a substantial sum to MacMillan Cancer Support. We have already pencilled the date for January's Blackdown Beast into our diaries.
Andy Fraser Thank you very much for yesterday. Well organised, great cream tea, so good will ignore it was done the Cornish way, farm very welcoming. Just a good day all round.
Tim Wigram Brilliant day out and run, thanks all for organising!!!
Karen Lister We had a great time to. We just powered through. Great organisation thanks
Annie Foot A great run once again - the toughest yet we reckon with all that slimy smelly yucky mud!! thanks to everyone involved in the organisation
Colin Leeky Evans: Great event Guys! Fun all the way :-)
July 2011
Martin Chaffey: Thanks again for organising Saturday - thoroughly enjoyed it, and it was a real shame that more of my lot (Yeovil) didn't turn out. Did travel down to Mother in Law's and arrived in full clown make-up - think my two brothers in law enjoyed it too!
Annie Foot: A big thank you from all of us! Once again a brilliant run, perfect conditions and excellent company - we loved it! Annie, Cathy, Vanessa, Sally, Teresa and Michelle
Olivia: Thank you so much for organising The Beauty, I had a great day even though we eventually did 13miles.
Also please thank the cream tea people as it was so yummy, plus they were so welcoming, and within a minute of you arriving the tea and scones were there like magic!!
Brian North: A big thank you to you and all your team for a super day yesterday - a brilliant idea and a very interesting run. The cream tea was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed the garden. We Trull Troggers had a great day out and have made notes to ensure we will be there next year.
Garry Perratt: Thank you for another great run yesterday..... which I hope will long continue without becoming a victim of its own success and getting too big as The Dream did.
Vanessa Knowles: Had a great day. Thanks to all the organisers.
John Ward: We had a great time - thanks from all the Running Forever RC team!
Jerry Bird: Awesome day guys. Loved it and well done for making a great and enjoyable day. Cheers
Bob Powell: (Wells City Harriers) Brilliant day, I thought, but my legs disagree! Again, thanks for a great day out, and will try to get there next year. Please add me the circulation list so Wells City Harriers get it on the calendar.
Joanna Steele-Perkins: Thank you for a fantastic event! We would have done the 18 miler if we didn't have time restrictions! Will definitely be there for The Blackdown Beast.
Ian J. Can I give my own personal thanks to everyone involved in the organizing of the BB. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and the Taunton Hashers were splendid company. Put me down for the 10 mile route next year as 'rear-guard' leader. The only additional comment to those already made to you was the cost of the event per person. All my Taunton colleagues said it was far too low considering a large percentage of the proceeds went to charity and the quality of the cream tea! A £10 fee is the least you should be charging!
July 2010
Hi Nick and fellow members.
Just writing to say thank you so much for organising the run on saturday. james, amanda, jules,katie, jane and myself had such a fantastic day, also thank you so much for waiting, for us we certainly didn't expect that.
We all had a great time, the cream tea was absolutely lovely Good job it was a Saturday, because i was so tired on Sunday, definitely needed a lay in.
Looking forward to the run in January, please send us the details and definitely the Black Beauty next year.
Thanks once again. Anne Smyth