Tag: parkrun tourism

Catford parkrun- another London event visited

After various touring and home commitments, Branka, Holly and I were all free to tour on the same Saturday, so it was off to visit another London parkrun for us. At least at this time of year, getting a 7am train isn’t too bad as it’s light when you leave home.

We have quite a few to visit in south-east London, and some of these are relatively easy with a train to London Bridge and then a different train from there, so we met at London Bridge to travel together on the second train.

Catford parkrun confusingly is in Mountsfield Park, and the closest train station is Hither Green- it must have been one of the earlier parkruns with the previous naming convention. Anyway, the walk from the station was very simple and not far (about half a mile). It was forecast to be a bit rainy, but we were quite lucky as it stayed dry on our walk there, only raining as we started parkrun and then easing off again after we had finished.

First timer welcome and the bandstand at the start

We arrived a little before the first timers welcome, so we took some pop up photos and left our bags under the bandstand (as it seemed that was the done thing)- at least they would be sheltered if it poured! The welcome was great- the guy enthusiastically informed us that part of the course went around a place that “famously” (?) Charlton Athletic had used for one year, in something like 1927. I like the personal touches and it was good to hear a bit about the local area.

Pop up pic and a few photos from the run

Even at 8:45, there didn’t seem to be many people about at all, but it was close to lots of residential areas and seemed like the sort of parkrun where people appeared at five to nine, as when the RD was doing the briefing it suddenly got very busy.

The course was three laps, but the third lap was a bit shorter than the first two.

I ran with Holly and we both got slightly confused at different points- the paths were quite meandering so it wasn’t easy to keep your bearings and so before our third lap I had forgotten how many times we’d gone past one point, and as we came up to the shorter section of the final lap Holly was thinking we had to do a bigger loop before finishing (I checked my watch to see our distance but handily as they had pacers we could also follow that person in to the finish). The park was varied, with exercise equipment, fields, small wooded areas and some allotments, plus lots of friendly marshals (and people with instruments cheering us on too). We were not in any danger of getting lost as there were loads of cones as well as plenty of marshals, but of course when it’s laps you need to keep count!

At one point I had a deja-vu feeling as it reminded me so much of a section of Brockwell parkrun (and weirdly Branka said it reminded her of it too)- there was part of a path where you ran close to the gates to exit the park, and you were running down at that point and then had to turn and run up- it was just so similar to how I remember that small section in Brockwell too.

After finishing I enjoyed a vegan cookie (as someone was celebrating their 100th and had kindly provided them) and we sheltered under the bandstand for a bit as the rain got a bit heavier. Then it was time for a final pop up photo and a walk back to the station.

Post parkrun pop up pic/ Poddington came along and I remembered to take a photo/ vegan cookies at the finish!

There was a little cafe in the park that looked quite cool- it was in a converted shipping container (although possibly you had to sit outside)- however there is a Leon at London Bridge so we decided to head back there on the train to get breakfast in a more sheltered place.

Parkfaff from Leon (I had the vegan breakfast sandwich, hash browns and tea)/ the cafe in the park/ matcha from B&B and the sun coming out at Borough market

The trains on that line were pretty frequent so we didn’t need to wait long to get back to London Bridge, and then we had a lovely parkfaff chatting about all things (including some more tourism coming up). I was going to head to B&B on my way home, as I was getting a different train back, so after Branka and Holly got their train back, I walked around to get some tea and the sun even came out on my walk back!

Voronoi update:

That was parkrun 454, location 158, and currently 41/65 in my (very long term) Lon-done project. Weirdly my progress towards that challenge and the newly named Explorer 250 are both on 63%

Up next? Probably a few local ones but maybe another London one at the end of the month, we shall see.

Brook Leys parkrun

After a couple of weeks of staying local (Panshanger one week, Jersey Farm the next) I was happy to be off touring again, this time with my dad. We opted for Brook Leys parkrun outside of Cambridge as it was around a 45 min drive away (not too far), the parking was easy (park and ride) and the course looked pretty by the lake.

We arrived in plenty of time and followed a few people in parkrun gear out of the car park and along the road to where it starts (there were also street signs showing Brook Leys)- it was about a half a mile walk so nice and close. We were admiring the buildings on the way (they had lovely tiles on them) and as we were chatting about them one of the volunteers explained that the housing in the estate was mainly for researchers and academics who worked at the uni.

Post run pop up photo/token/ wildflowers seen by the park and ride

The first timers welcome volunteer explained the course in detail (along with a large map)- there was a section where you ran around the lake, and then an out and back section on a path, and you alternated (lake- path-lake-path-lake). I was picturing the lake at Millennium but it was of course way smaller and harder to spot at times due to the large reeds. More of a large pond than a lake I would say.

You had to keep left around the lake (both beginning with L handily) and right for the rest of the course (both R), so that was easy to remember.

Buildings seen on the way/ parkrun flag/ Start area/ buckets for tokens

We didn’t expect it to be quite as busy as it was (the buckets out for tokens up to 500 should have been a clue!) and as it was not too busy during the first timers welcome it was funny to turn back around and see how full the start area was. We lined up and tried to seed ourselves (and even looked for signs for approximate finish time) but didn’t see any- it turned out they were on the right of the path and we were on the left hand side so didn’t see them at all. The briefing was useful as they mentioned the benches on the course too- the team had put high viz on them but wanted to make everyone aware as the first lap would be crowded- and also reminded people about taking the corners gently as the gravel meant that people could skid over easily- not something for us to worry about today as it was so warm, but good to be aware of.

Pre-run pop up photo- the whiteboard pen had dried up so no writing on the board for us/ a few mid run scenes

It did start off fairly busy but nothing as congested as some get, and it did thin out quite quickly. I was hoping for more shade (just picturing other lakeside runs) but it was pretty exposed for the most part. The out and back section was on pavements by buildings so part of that was shaded by the buildings, and there were a few sections with taller trees. One marshal had an umbrella which seemed like an excellent decision.

The shade of the buildings/ the large mirror/ high viz bench

There was also a large reflective block next to the lake- not sure if it was art or something else? We could see ourselves reflected in it (a bit like the bean in Chicago). The lake had a viewing platform next to it and we could see people going up there to look- we saw a heron and cormorant from the path and I am sure there were lots of other birds in there too.

Shade by the buildings/ the viewing tower by the lake/ beautiful purple flowers (and the marshal with the umbrella)

There was also a bank covered in beautiful purple flowers along one side of the path by the lake. I really enjoyed it- yes it is flat so it is a fast course, but it was also varied with the two sections that you ran around, and neither section felt particularly long (sometimes out and backs can feel like they drag on a bit).

The finish area set up was perfect for not losing tokens as after you exited the funnel you had to pass through a sort of wall of scanners, who then said to you “remember to put your token in the bucket” each time (well done to them!).

Almond croissant at home for breakfast/ parkfaff location in the shade/ post run pop up photo

After scanning we had a few more photos- my dad ended up taking photos for probably about 6 groups of people before we managed to inch away from the pop up and get out things. I had taken my rucksack with me which had our water bottles in, and we were both very glad that we had them with us and had not left them in the car. We couldn’t see an obvious cafe where we were, but we’d seen people with coffee cups and one of the volunteers said that if we headed into the main square we would see a few cafes, so we walked there and enjoyed a drink outside, cooling down in the shade for a bit before walking back to the car (I had breakfast at home as we had ordered some amazing vegan croissants for the weekend).

Voronoi update:

It’s quite satisfying when you join together two sections of your map. Dad had the same as he was joining Wimpole and Milton Country while I have joined Wimpole to Bug Hunter Waters and then Ben’s Yard.

The parkrun app had updated the challenges this week (they had renamed challenges that were named after people, so the Cowell club (100 events, named after Chris Cowell who was first to complete 100 events) is now Explorer 100 (which just makes me think of Up) and again it’s now Explorer 250. But the update that I liked was that when you get the notification about your “achievements” (towards challenges) on the app, rather than being a small fiddly button you could swipe between the main event stats and then any achievements, which I think is much clearer.

So that was parkrun 453 and event 157 and another very enjoyable one too.

Up next? Maybe another London one? The rail replacement buses have been out and about which has scuppered a few plans recently, but I am hoping to head back in soon to continue on the Lon-done quest.

Clare Castle parkrun to celebrate my 450th!

Due to various factors, I didn’t know that I’d be home for my 450th parkrun until the weekend before, so it was a bit of last minute planning. After finding out I’d be home I looked into some London ones (I really wanted to see some bluebell woods), however rail replacement buses at the weekend just made the journey to any new one a real faff, so I started looking at drivable ones instead. Branka moved some things around too and so she was coming with me to celebrate, and to make it a new event for us both (and a pretty one), Clare Castle was chosen.

It was about an hour drive from picking up Branka so not too bad, the traffic was good and when we arrived in the car park we could see the parkrun flag so we really could not get any closer to the start.

I had drawn and coloured a 450 logo and used race clips to attach it to my 50 top, but I didn’t want it to tear while I was driving so I changed in the back seat once we got there.

The visitors board, my 450 logo and my top

As we walked into the park we could see the ruins from the castle that was once there (it reminded me a bit of Berkhamsted castle), as well as some wooden sheep sculptures, old railway tracks and little wildlife areas. They had a visitors board so I added the two of us, and then soon after the volunteer gave the first timers welcome, explaining the course- it is three laps with each lap including an out and back section. There were lots of narrow paths so you needed to keep left- sometimes you’d be overtaken and other times you’d be having other parkrunners heading back towards you on the other side of the path.

Pop up photo (from before- do you like how our socks match our tops?) and the selfie frame which we found after

We took a few photos of course- the pop up had the castle behind so it was a great backdrop for the photos, and then it was time for the main run brief- as I’d written my milestone up on the board I got an unexpected shout out from the RD which was lovely. (Someone had on the board their 250th and I was briefly worried that I was overshadowing a real milestone but it turned out to be their 250th different event so that was OK!)

Photos of the course

Then we were off! We had been warned that it was narrow and would thin out, and definitely the first lap felt a little crowded. There were lots of tree roots (the team had marked lots of them with cones) and little uneven bits of ground, so although it was fairly flat, not a pb course because of the ground but also the narrow paths. I just loved it though. The park was so pretty, and each lap had a good variety of things to see (play parks, a river, wooded areas, the castle ruins)- there were lots of very enthusiastic marshals out too (wishing everyone a great weekend on their final laps).

The route:

The strava trace illustrates how we must not rely on GPS to measure accurately though (it said 3.09 on my watch but now says 3 miles)- each lap was identical but the tracing is all over the place due to the twists and also the trees.

More photos from the course

It was a warm day and I was very glad of the shady parts of the route. At one point I went past a parkwalker and they said to me “well done- only another 6 months to go!”- I think it’s going to be about 13 months until my 500th!

Token/ finish area/ Found the selfie frame

The finish area was compact with the scanners at the end of the funnel (I just had time to take my routine photo of my barcode before it was scanned) and then I noticed the ‘selfie frame’ so of course had to have a photo. Loads of people were hanging about chatting and cheering, it had such a good atmosphere. Branka actually managed to take the photo with us both in the frame so we can call it a selfie frame when she is using it!

I did look at the cafe on site, but the only vegan options were chilli (not sure I fancied that for breakfast) or a pre-wrapped flapjack, so we decided to head to Vutie Beets on the way back instead.

Pop up photo after so that it actually happened/ Breakfast bap and mango matcha

The journey back home wasn’t much longer than the way there (a little traffic by Duxford)- a bit easier than any M25 parkrun that always seems to take twice as long getting back from. We managed to have our breakfast baps before midday anyway!

Voronoi update:

As you can see I have some big gaps around Cambridge, so at some point I need to visit some of those events to join up some of the orange squash.

So event 450 completed at location 156! And what a pretty event it was too.

Obviously it’s a while away, but I have started thinking about my 500th.

My participation milestones (official and arbitrary) so far have been:

50th- Panshanger

100th- Ellenbrook Fields

250th- Henlow Bridge Lakes

300th- Church Mead

350th- Lee on the Solent

400th- Victoria Dock

450th- Clare Castle

So, no discernible pattern apart from no repeats (and HBL for 250 was because EF hadn’t come back- if EF was still going it would have been there).

Where do you go for milestones?

Dereham parkrun and a birthday weekend!

As my birthday usually falls around the May Bank holiday weekend, we often make the most of it by heading away for the weekend. This year we headed up to Norfolk, staying near to Norwich and handily where we were on the Friday was a 15 min drive to a new (to me) parkrun- Dereham.

The No Parking sign was by the track to the start, and the car park was just beyond it and clearly signed/ pop up/ visitor board and course map/ the start area as seen from the track

The information on the website mentioned parking at the local football club, and you would need cash for a donation (which went towards the youth football team)- it was very well signposted and there were marshals on the entrance with donation buckets. From there it was a short walk along a marked track to the start.

I was there fairly early (about 8:30) and so chatted a fair bit to the volunteer doing the first timers welcome- he was asking all the new faces where we were from and wrote those on the little whiteboard. They had a sign up showing the map of the course (they had it was 1 and a half laps, although you did the half first so to me it felt like a small lap and then a larger lap) and pointed out the final mini loop of the “trim trail” before the finish.

After the main briefing we walked to the start (only a few metres away) and then we were off. I think they had more people that weekend than usual, as the guy said to me they usually had around 150 ish, but it was more like 200. The start was quite narrow and as there were lots of walkers it took a while for everyone to seed themselves but I just enjoyed taking photos of the course, especially as across the fields you could see everyone up ahead.

The “trim trail” loop at the end/ everyone ahead on the field/ bluebells

It was a really enjoyable route- I had road shoes on and they were OK but I would have been happy in trail shoes as the ground was stony and rough. The course went across fields, through little areas of woodland and along some shaded paths (where I even saw bluebells still flowering). It was lovely in the sunshine but it would be really tough in wintery and windy weather as there wasn’t much shelter on the fields.

The route below- you began by doing the loop to the left, and then once back at the start went beyond that to the loop on the right, and then finished with the loop on the left again before the teeny trim trail section at the end.

There were plenty of marshals out there as well as lots of cones and signs (one sign had a message that said “tail walker take me back with you” which I liked).

More mid-run views of the fields and shaded areas

When I finished I had to rush off really quickly, as our hotel was only serving breakfast until 10 (we thought it was 10:30 when we booked it)- I raced back to the car and my ETA was 9:58! Luckily Andy had gone in and ordered and explained I was on my way so it was OK in the end but I only just made it.

Pop up at the end/ token/ hotel breakfast

Voronoi update:

A nice big chunk filled in -one more to join up Thetford with Blickling and North Walsham!

That was parkrun 449 and location 155 for me- now I need to plan something for parkrun 450! (Which has not been planned sooner as Southampton making the play offs meant that we could have been in Southampton next weekend, but now we are not…)

Back to the weekend, after showering and checking out we headed to Cromer for a walk by the sea and then to a National Trust place for a walk around the grounds- it was such a gorgeous day.

Beach huts/ matcha (my birthday fell on matcha day!)/ sea views

Rothamsted parkrun for Queen of Herts again!

The new parkruns in Herts just keep coming at the moment, and a new one in Harpenden started a few weeks ago. Lots of OH ladies were heading there this past week, so I decided to go along as well.

I was giving my friend and her friend a lift there, and we left at about 8am and parked in the Lydekker car park at the top end of the high street (I don’t know Harpenden particularly well, and this is where I usually park as there are usually spaces and it’s free)- this was around a half mile walk to the start, basically straight down the high street- very simple and easy (I would always rather park further away and walk than have a hard time finding a space on the street or in a busy car park)- the event team have asked people to not use the leisure centre car park as this was one of the conditions of the parkrun getting permission- I really hope that people take heed of this and don’t jeopardise the event.

Anyway, onto the morning. As soon as you turn into the park you could see the start/finish area and the pop up. It’s a lovely wide space for people to gather in, and as loads of OH ladies were there in various groups there was lots of catching up and chatting, before we joined the queue for the pop up (even in the queue noticing more of us)- we didn’t all manage to be in the same photo in the end but there was a good attempt (which you may be able to spot further down!)

Pop up and Poddington

The first timers welcome was really well done in the traditional way (explain the course first, then ask brand new parkrunners to stay back to hear about how the finish works)- the volunteer was given a loudspeaker to try and make sure everyone could hear. The course looks a little complicated, and I have heard it explained in a few ways (a double lap, a figure of 8 repeated, a butterfly)- but basically you start on the central avenue of the park, head up the avenue and when you first get to the top, turn right for a large loop of the park which ends at the avenue- the second time going up the avenue you turn left at the top (for a tiny loop), then repeat. So basically go up the avenue and turn right, left, right, left… simple. (See below- starting at the green dot and going down to the left in the map)

Course map

After the welcome, they held the main briefing, with the RD standing on the steps leading up to the leisure centre building, and it was really well listened to considering the number of people there (over 600). Then we headed to the start which was just behind us. There was no tarpaulin of trust (although I saw on facebook that they are going to get one) but there were loads of benches so I left my rucksack on one of the benches.

Our fun OH ladies photo/ bench of belongings/ main briefing

It was the most beautiful day with blue skies and a bit of a breeze. I had opted for shorts and I was glad of them, particularly when heading into the sun during parts of the route. It was gorgeous. The route was one of those where you can see lots of other parkrunners out ahead and behind you, and one of my favourite views is streams of colourful sportswear outfits stretched out in front of me.

Start line views and running up the avenue of trees

We were off quickly, and the start was nice and wide (although there are some benches that line the avenue so you do have to watch out if you are running on the side of the path)- it is an uphill path though so you will feel it! As I got to the top a runner from OH ladies (Clair) ran alongside me, and we ended up running together and chatting the whole time (Clair is a lot quicker than me but she had run there so was already on about 10 miles I think!)- it was great to have company during the parkrun.

I really enjoyed the route- it is undulating (especially running up the avenue) and as the second loop (to the left) is small it means you run the avenue twice in fairly quick succession in the middle of the parkrun- however the park is really pretty and you run through various parts including a tiny wooded area. You also go past the start/finish area and the volunteers were out in force- one marshal even had a tambourine that she was shaking as she cheered us- it did have a great atmosphere.

In the run brief they mentioned that they had extended the finish funnel as it backed up a bit the previous week (not a surprise with over 600 people)- as we finished we just about got to the funnel before stopping, but again I am not bothered by this. The scanners were right by the end of the funnel, and lots of people were stood about cheering everyone in and catching up.

Views from the parkrun- so many colourful people up ahead!

After scanning I went to get my bag before meeting up with the various groups of people who were coming for coffee, and I had a funny request. As I walked past the pop up a woman asked me if I could do her a favour that I probably hadn’t heard before, and I was thinking “yes, I’ll take your photo in exchange for you taking my photo”, but she asked if I could take a photo of her with my phone and whatsapp it to her as she had left her phone at home- the horror! Of course I was happy to do this and so after taking photos I added her number and sent them over. And she was correct, I had not been asked to do that before!

Then it was onto the parkfaff. Harpenden is absolutely full of coffee shops and restaurants (may I recommend The Waffle House if you want something substantial especially as you can book a table)- the cafe in the park was rammed so we opted to walk down the high street for a bit- we passed Caffe Nero (and a Costa over the road) which were both super busy, so opted for Harris and Hoole- they had plenty of seats as there were about 15 of us I think, and they did various pastries as well as cooked items so it suited everyone as people could either get a drink or something more substantial. The cup of tea was huge- it gets my approval- and they did a few vegan items so I could have something there rather than relying on my emergency cereal bar in my bag.

After a lengthy parkfaff it was time to head back to the car, but I will definitely be back (on more than one occasion) as it was really enjoyable and the post parkrun options are great there too.

The finish area/ finish token/ parkfaff- check out the big mug of tea!

So that was parkrun 447 and location 154, and of course as that was a new event in Herts, Queen of Herts is achieved yet again.

Voronoi update:

It actually was quite a big chunk of map.

(Also my app was not correct as it gave me a new NENDY but this isn’t right- it did update since then with the correct one, not sure what was going on as I was at home)

Have you ever had any funny requests at parkrun or at running events?