The opening 2km are along the bank of the river Avon as the route heads out of Bath. There is a 600m section along a quiet road as the route moves from the river bank and onto the railway path where you will have your first pass of the drinks station. Please stick in single file and to the left hand side to ensure there is plenty of space on the road.
The next 5km section takes you into the wide open countryside and on bridges over the river Avon and past the impressive grounds of Kelston Park on your right hand side. Once you are 8km into the route you will be running parallel with the Avon Valley Railway, where if you are lucky you will run alongside an active heritage line service during your run.
At 10.5km there is a drinks station just by the station and platform bringing you up close to the train line. There are 2 crossing points of the railway here, so you may need to pause for a moment whilst the train passes. A train passes twice every 75minutes so it unlikely to cause delays to your run.
At 14.5km you will reach the next drinks station, outside the popular cafe at the former station in Warmley. From here, the route goes up every so slightly to cross a dual carriageway at 16km and then it is downhill all the way to the finish. Along the way you will pass under Staple Hill tunnel, 450m in length, which you reach at 18.5km into the run. There is a final drinks station shortly after 20km.
The route comes off the old railway line for the final km. There are a number of road crossings, most of which are signal controlled. Normal rules of the road apply and you may need to wait whilst the lights change. These crossing points are marshalled, but they do not have the power to stop traffic, the final decision to cross a road lies with the runner. Between road crossing points, please stick to the pavement.
The finish line comes up on the concourse outside Bristol Temple Meads Station and you have accomplished the Bath to Bristol 25km along the original train route! After collecting your medal and refreshments you need to have made your own travel plans; either to be picked up in Bristol or jump on the train from Bristol Temple Meads Station to your home, or to Bath Spa Train Station for the 15min train ride back to Bath. From Bath Spa Train Station, it is 900m walk back to the event base at Green Park or of course you can head directly home, back to your bike or car, from the train station.
As you can see, the elevation profile is very flat with just 62m elevation across the route. There is barely any height change in the first 9km, with the climbing focused between 9km and 16km. There is one short climb just before 16km where the original railway line route gives way to a modern diversion to hope over a dual carriageway. The good news is that the following 3km are flat, and from 19km through to 25km you are on a gentle downhill all the way to the finish.