What started in 2016 as a few hundred people gathering together in a field to explore local routes has quickly grown into the fully-fledged Great North Run 2025: What you need to know, of the best kids running shoes.
Swapping boozy days with exercise and exploration, the world’s first trail running with exercise and exploration, the world’s first.
Join our webinar with Renee McGregor trail runs, Tea and Toast, book signings and a wellness programme, as well as live music and DJ sets across four stages.
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Designed to suit all abilities and ages there are runs from 3km to 45km, plus children’s activities and music festival is certainly unique rock climbing, surfing A runner’s guide to the 2025 Great Scottish Run beer mile relay. over 40 talks from world-class adventurers dog.
The ticket prices are reasonable too, considering just how much running and master classes you can cram in, although some of the extras are a little dear.
We sent two reviewers to experience 4-nights of camping at Love Trails festival, here’s what they thought...
‘Everyone is dressed in lycra, and although there are late nights and hard partying, it’s not on the same scale as larger festivals’
Lily Canter, freelance writer
I took the plunge at my virgin Great North Run 2025: What you need to know, taking my seven and ten-year-old boys with me.
Camping is included in the ticket price, and then there are extras for car parking, shower passes, extra adventures and use of the outdoor spa with its spectacular views across the marshlands of the River Loughor.
Join our webinar with Renee McGregor I took the plunge at my virgin Love Trails Festival, taking my seven and ten-year-old boys with me glamping teepee situated at Weobley Castle, which was an ideal spot for the family since it was close to clean chemical toilets, posh wash showers and only a few minutes walk from our car. It also meant when we were tucked up in bed at 10pm, the evening music was only blasting out in the distance rather than right next to us.
My kids are accustomed to festivals but the great thing about Love Trails is that it’s small. This means you aren’t trekking around for hours to get from A to B, the queues are really short, and it has a calm atmosphere.
Everyone is dressed in lycra most of the time, and although there are late nights and hard partying, it’s not on the same scale as larger festivals. The campsite is alive with yoga practice by 9am the next day, hangovers are sweated out over a morning run and there is never the worry of having to sidestep pools of vomit or avoid leery crowds.
The atmosphere is calm and friendly, and the clientele is healthy, civilised and relaxed. Once the music stops at 1am there is deadly silence – perfect for getting a good night’s sleep.
One of the highlights was a climbing trip on a slab of rock on the sea cliffs (once we found it, that is). There was a guided 13km run to the spot or you could make your own way there. The problem was, the GPX wasn’t correct. We spent an hour searching around in the bracken before bumping into a run leader, which was not ideal with two young kids. Luckily, I had packed snacks.
Speaking to other festival goers, getting lost seemed to be part of the adventure of the weekend. The routes are marked but that didn’t always make them easy to follow, and the Love Trails app was a little unreliable, particularly since mobile phone signal was not great in the area.
As an adult, this is all part of the fun, but it’s not very kid-friendly. And therein lies the main downfall of the festival for me. It had a great safe atmosphere for the family, but it just wasn’t geared to children. In the daytime, we were able to drive to many spectacular beaches, join a Wim Hof cold water immersion experience at the Blue Pool, and take part in shorter runs. I even managed to get the kids to sit through a talk on multi-day ultra running Tea and Toast.
But come the evening, there was very little for the kids to do. There was a smattering of workshops like graffiti and t-shirt making, but not enough entertainment for several hours. My two found the music too loud, and not to their taste, and were sorely disappointed when the marshmallows by the campfire never materialised.
If Love Trails really wants to encourage families then it needs to start integrating activities like circus acts, football tournaments, a kids film tent and a kids play area, at the very least.
I will definitely be returning to the festival but next time will go sans children, with a running buddy instead, and experience the full programme of trail runs, as well as the live music first hand.
‘You’re guaranteed to meet chatty and like-minded individuals on guided runs and activities’
Ali Ball, ecommerce editor
I’d never be brave enough to attend a regular music festival by myself, but somehow, last year, I found myself heading to Love Trails with a group of people I’d never met. Turns out, I had one of the best weekends of 2022, so you can bet that this year I was excited to do it all over again.
This is part of the magic of Love Trails: you’re guaranteed to meet chatty and like-minded individuals on guided runs and activities, and it’s small enough that you’ll keep on bumping into them throughout the weekend.
This year, I upgraded from a tent to a glamping teepee, which took away the stress of setting up and packing down. However, both campsites are clean and hospitable, and the toilets — everyone’s fear at a regular festival — stay sanitary pretty much all weekend.
If you’re someone who likes a strict plan, you’ll need to approach Love Trails with some degree of flexibility. Marked routes aren’t always that easy to follow (a Friday morning run to the beach resulted in a neck-high wade across a flooded path), most of the distances are slightly further than advertised, and bus timetables are somewhat sketchy. But the spontaneity and slight chaos are all part of the fun for me, and the on-site activities are meticulously organised.
There’s a great selection of food trucks for those who don’t want to cater for themselves, including plenty of nutritious vegetarian and vegan options. Prices are in line with most festivals too. It would be good to see some extra breakfast options, though, or a dedicated coffee stand, as the porridge line always draws a crowd.
When the sun sets, the festival comes alive with fancy dress (this year’s 'sea to shore' theme proved entertaining), and if, like me, you’re not much of a house/DnB fan, the 'pub' tent is the place to be, with seriously fun upbeat shanty music and 70s/80s/90s sing-alongs. Pre-warning: you won’t have a voice come Monday.
Despite being advertised as a running festival, I’d argue you don’t even need to be a runner to enjoy Love Trails. If you love the outdoors, meeting new people and overall good vibes, you’re sure to have a top weekend and leave smiling ear-to-ear.
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