Updated May 2026
I want to start with something honest. I recently spent eight hours running through the night on a section of the Thames Path 100 as part of a friend’s crew. There were two of us, we knew the route, we had headtorches, we had phones, and we had each other. And it was still eerie. The mist off the river, the eyes reflecting back from the trees, the isolation of a narrow path in complete darkness with nobody else around.
I chose to be there. I was prepared. And it still gave me pause.
That experience clarified something I already knew as a female trail runner and a UKA-qualified running coach. The conversation about women’s safety on the trails is not about fear. It is about being honest about risk, making smart decisions and building habits that let you get out and run with confidence rather than anxiety.
This guide is the honest version of that conversation. Not a list of generic tips, but what the women I run with and I actually do.
The Honest Starting Point
I do not run trails. I do not know if I am alone. That is not timidity; it is one of the smartest decisions I make as a runner. Unfamiliar terrain adds a layer of risk that compounds every other safety consideration. When you know your trails, you know where the path becomes unclear, where you lose signal, where you are genuinely isolated and where you can get help if you need it. That knowledge is a safety tool as valuable as any app or device.
I also do not run trails alone at night. During daylight on familiar ground with the right precautions, I feel confident going out alone. In the dark, no. That is a personal line I have drawn, and I think it is the right one for most women running solo.
Neither of these decisions stops me running. They shape how and where I run alone, and they mean I run with a group for longer or more remote runs. That balance, knowing your limits and building your runs around them, is what sustainable solo trail running looks like for most women.
Tell Someone Every Single Time
This is non-negotiable. Every solo trail run, every time, tell someone where you are going and how long you expect to be.
Not a vague “I’m going for a run.” Specifically, which trail, which direction, approximate distance and when you expect to be back. If you are not back by a certain time, they should try to contact you, and if they cannot reach you, they should know what action to take.
My partner always knows where I am going. If I change my route mid-run I send a message. It takes thirty seconds, and it means someone always has the information needed to raise the alarm if something goes wrong.
Find My iPhone and Location Sharing
I have Find My iPhone set up with my closest friends and my partner. They can see my location in real time at any point. I can see theirs. This is one of the most genuinely useful safety tools available to female runners right now, and it costs nothing if you are already in the Apple ecosystem.
The value is not just that someone can find you in an emergency. It is the psychological reassurance of knowing that people who care about you can see where you are at any given moment. That reassurance is not insignificant; it changes how you feel about going out alone, and it means you are more likely to actually go rather than talk yourself out of it.
If you are on Android the equivalent is Google Maps location sharing, which works identically. Share your location with two or three people you trust completely, close friends, a partner, a family member, and keep it running permanently rather than just activating it when you think you need it.
Safety Apps Worth Knowing
What3Words divides the entire world into three-metre squares, each with a unique three-word address. If you need emergency services in a remote location, you can give them your exact position in three words rather than trying to describe where you are on an unmarked trail. Download it, learn how to use it before you need it and make sure it works offline. Mountain Rescue teams across the UK actively recommend it.
bSafe is a personal safety app that allows a trusted contact to follow your location in real time, sends an SOS alert with your GPS location if activated and has a timer function that alerts your contacts if you do not check in by a set time.
Strava Beacon shares your live location with up to three contacts for the duration of your activity if you use Strava for tracking your runs. Simple, automatic and integrated into your existing running app.
OS Maps is the Ordnance Survey app for UK trail runners. Download maps offline so you can navigate without signal. Knowing where you are and being able to find your way back is a fundamental safety tool that apps like Strava do not provide.
Leave Your Headphones at Home
I do not run with headphones on trails, and I actively discourage the women I coach from doing so on solo runs.
Your hearing is one of your most important safety tools in an isolated environment. The sound of footsteps behind you on a quiet path. The sound of water that tells you there is a stream you cannot yet see. The sound of another runner, a cyclist or a dog approaching from around a bend. All of that information disappears the moment you put headphones in.
I know this is not what everyone wants to hear. Music makes runs more enjoyable for many people. But on a solo trail run in an isolated location, your awareness of your surroundings matters more than your playlist. If you cannot run without music, consider bone conduction headphones that sit outside your ears and leave your hearing intact, but even then, stay alert.
Running with Flo
I run with my English Springer Spaniel, Flo, regularly on trails, and her presence genuinely changes how I feel about running alone. Not because she would protect me in any dramatic sense, Flo is enthusiastic rather than intimidating, but because having another living creature alongside you changes the psychological dynamic of solo running. You feel less alone. You are less alone.
A dog also provides a natural conversation starter with other trail users, which normalises encounters and makes isolated trails feel less threatening. And practically speaking, a dog that reacts to something you have not noticed yet is a useful early warning system.
If you run with a dog, read our trail running with dogs guide for practical advice on kit and keeping your dog safe on trails.
Running in Groups
For longer runs, unfamiliar trails or any run where you feel uncertain about going alone, run with a group.
I am the chairman of a running club with approx. 400 members. One of the most valuable things a running club provides for women is exactly this, a ready-made community of people to run with. You do not have to run alone. You do not have to negotiate your safety concerns with a non-running partner who does not fully understand why you want to be out on a trail at 7 am. You join a group run, and you go.
If you are not a club member, look for local trail running groups on Facebook, Parkrun communities or apps like Meetup. Trail running communities are genuinely welcoming, and finding a group for longer or less familiar runs is easier than most people expect.
For fell racing and organised events, the community safety aspect is built in. There are other runners on the course, marshals at checkpoints and race organisers who know the terrain. Entering organised events is a brilliant way to run on unfamiliar or more challenging terrain with the safety net of an organised event around you.
Practical Kit for Solo Safety
A fully charged phone. Obvious but worth saying. Check before you leave, not when you are three miles from home.
A personal alarm. A small, loud alarm that you can activate instantly is worth carrying on isolated trails. They are inexpensive, weigh almost nothing and provide a significant deterrent as well as a way of attracting attention in an emergency.
Something like this alarm has over 3000 reviews on Amazon and is perfect to clip on your belt.
A whistle. Three blasts is the universal distress signal in the UK mountains. Your running vest should have a whistle accessible without removing the vest.
Enough battery on your GPS watch. If you use a Garmin for navigation, make sure it is charged before you leave. A dead watch on an unfamiliar trail removes your most accessible navigation tool. See our guide to the best Garmin watches for trail running for current recommendations.
Cash or a contactless card. In case you need to get home unexpectedly and cannot reach anyone.
Trust Your Instincts
This is the advice that matters most and the hardest to put into a bullet point list.
If something feels wrong, go back. If a trail feels more isolated than you expected, turn around. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, change your route. If the weather closes in faster than you anticipated, descend. Your instincts as a runner and as a woman are calibrated by years of experience, and they are almost always right.
The training run is not worth ignoring your instincts for. The miles will still be there tomorrow on a route that feels right. The most important thing you can do for your long-term trail running is stay safe today so you can keep running tomorrow.
A Note on Running in the Dark
I do not run alone at night on trails. That is a personal decision based on an honest assessment of the risk, and I think it is the right one for most women running solo.
If you run at night, do it with a group, on familiar routes, with good lighting and with location sharing active. The Thames Path at night with a friend was an incredible experience. The same path alone would have been a different proposition entirely.
Night running in organised events, ultras, night races, and trail events with a field of runners is a different context entirely. There is safety in numbers, and the structure of an organised event changes the risk profile significantly. See our guide to the best headtorches for trail running if you are running in any low-light conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is trail running safe for women alone?
Trail running alone as a woman carries specific considerations that running in a group does not. The honest answer is that it is manageable with the right preparation, the right habits and good instincts, but it requires active thought rather than passive assumption. Know your trails, share your location, carry the right kit and trust your instincts.
What is the best safety app for women runners in the UK?
What3Words for emergency location sharing with rescue services, bSafe for real-time location sharing with contacts and an SOS function, and Strava Beacon if you already use Strava. Having Find My iPhone or Google Maps location sharing permanently active with trusted contacts is the simplest and most reliable baseline.
Should I run with headphones on trail runs?
Not on solo trail runs in isolated locations. Your hearing is a critical safety tool, and headphones remove it. If you prefer to run with audio consider bone conduction headphones that leave your ears open to ambient sound.
What should I do if I feel unsafe on a trail?
Trust your instinct and change your situation. Turn around, take a different route, call someone or activate your safety app. Do not talk yourself out of an instinct that is telling you something is wrong.
Is it safe to run trails alone at night?
For most women running solo the honest answer is no, not on isolated trails. Night running in groups, on familiar routes or in organised events is a different proposition. The risk profile of solo night trail running is significantly higher than daylight running and the preparation required to manage it safely is substantial.
Does running with a dog make trail running safer?
It changes the experience meaningfully. A dog provides companionship that reduces the psychological weight of isolation, can alert you to things you have not noticed and changes how other trail users interact with you. It is not a substitute for proper safety preparation but it is a genuine contributing factor to feeling and being safer on the trails.
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