Wellness
The Central Coast's best running climbs Terrigal's Skillion headland, follows the flat 7.5 kilometre Gosford Foreshore around Brisbane Water, and covers the rugged Bouddi Coastal Walk past a historic shipwreck site at Maitland Bay.
The Central Coast offers a genuine mix of beach, waterfront and rugged coastal trail within a short drive of each other. Here are the best running routes on the Central Coast for 2026.
A run from Terrigal Beach to The Skillion covers roughly 1.5 to 3.5 kilometres depending on the start point, along sand before a grassy, gravel climb up the headland. The Skillion is a Middle Triassic sedimentary formation, named for its single-pitch, skillion-roof-like slope, with a fenced lookout giving views south to Avoca Beach and north to Wyrrabalong National Park, one of the most photographed landmarks on the coast.
The Gosford Foreshore path runs about 7.5 kilometres, flat and fully paved, starting at the Gosford Sailing Club and passing Gosford Park and Garnet Adcock Memorial Park along Brisbane Water, with water views the entire way and a gentle grade accessible to most fitness levels.
The Bouddi Coastal Walk from Putty Beach to MacMasters Beach runs roughly 8 to 9.4 kilometres one way, a moderate grade on boardwalks, sandstone steps and forest single-track through rainforest and coastal heath. It can be broken into shorter segments, and passes Gerrin Point Lookout, a whale-watching spot, and Maitland Bay, the site of a historic shipwreck.
Terrigal Trotters, a running club formed in 1983, meets at Terrigal Surf Club at 6am every Saturday for group runs and walks from 5 kilometres to ultra-trail distances at all paces, a genuine decades-old local institution. The Entrance area also hosts a free, flat 5 kilometre parkrun at Picnic Point every Saturday at 7am, alongside others at Mt Penang Gardens and Woy Woy.
Gosford Foreshore is the most reliable choice for a flat, straightforward run at any time of day; the Bouddi Coastal Walk is worth the trip for anyone wanting genuine coastal trail terrain.
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Published by The Daily Central Coast