Tag: parkrun tourist

Holywell King George V Playing Fields parkrun (Watford)

A new fairly local parkrun popped up recently (in Watford), and to fit in with when my dad was around, we decided to go for event 5. Happily Branka and Holly could make that date too (and possibly one of them wanted an event 5 for Wilson Index reasons?), and lots of OH ladies were keen to come along too, as well as Rory making the trip around. As I’d been to a couple of new events recently (Crystal Palace and Greenwich Peninsula), this meant that Holywell parkrun would be my 150th different event. Is that a Cowell cow?

So, onto the morning. Dad drove and I was quite glad of that as it’s quite central in Watford- I’ve not driven around the ring road in Watford for many years- and the route took us right next to the Watford football ground which again I’ve not been to in years (we used to go there quite a lot)- I got to see the Graham Taylor statue outside the ground as well as the large mural. It was very Watford FC themed as I noticed when we drove out of the car park that the arch that you drove under had a mural with players from the past on it.

Holywell parkrun ( I will call it this as in the first timers welcome the volunteer said “Welcome to Holywell King George V playing fields- it’s a long name so we just call it Holywell”) is very close to both Cassiobury and South Oxhey (both are 1.2 miles away according to the home page). There was a car park that we were directed into by marshals- as the car park had no markings they definitely needed the marshals to make the best of the space. We got there at about 8:40 and there was still plenty of space but I imagine it filled up fairly quickly.

OH ladies crew and Poddington the Wonky Bear

From the car park you could see arrows set out for the course, and a short walk from the car park took us to the start area, outside the Watford Cycle Hub.

Three Peas crew and extended parkrun friends

Here we took many pop up photos (although my dad was missing from all the start photos as he went to use the toilets and ended up in a very long queue as there were only 3 cubicles working- something to consider for the future), and then after hearing the first timers welcome, I walked around to the finish area (again about 2 min walk away) to leave my bag on the tarpaulin of trust. By the time I walked back to the start, the main briefing was going ahead and after looking around for my dad, he managed to find me as the RD said “go”!

The course was described as nearly 4 laps of playing fields on silt/gravel paths. Two of my running club friends had volunteered here previously, so I had asked them what shoes would be best, and they thought road shoes would be OK. To be fair they had marshalled so had not seen the whole course, only a section of the path. However, I would have been happier in trail shoes as some of the path was muddy or puddly, and in some places it was so narrow you ended up on the grass and in mud. It’s pretty flat with a few slopes, so I think it would be a fast course once it’s a bit firmer.

I ran with Dad and we pretty much chatted our way around which always helps to pass the time too. I didn’t find the laps too repetitive, but I can see that you might if you were on your own. As each lap went through two different playing field sections, your view changed a lot (unlike York racecourse where you just see the same view the entire time). The part between the finish and start area was a wooded section with a bit of a twist so your view changed and you couldn’t see the playing fields. You also passed a very cool “mini road” for kids to ride bikes on, which had junctions, markings and even little pretend EV charging points. It was really good to see. At one point I ran past someone with With Me Now gear on, so I called “Dolly or Bev” to them and then had to explain to my dad later on about that and the “arbitrary” reply that I received! It didn’t have too many people there- 209 participants on that morning- and although it felt busy with the laps it didn’t feel too congested.

Tarpaulin of Trust and the finish funnel/ photos taken mid run

Anyway, we kept a pretty good pace (in fact the good old Marathon Talk royal flush negative split was achieved- each mile being faster than the previous one) and after hoping to go sub 30 (after being bang on 30 at Greenwich last week) I was really pleased to get in under 29 mins with a time of 28:51. All that marathon training had meant I had slowed right down, and although I do not focus on times, it’s nice to have a faster one every now and then.

I also really loved being there with lots of people I knew- it was fun to spot people at the finish and chat to lots of friends- definitely a great morning.

My muddy trainers at the end and my finish token

After finishing, we stayed and chatted to people at the finish. We even saw Aqasa (check out his blog- Nuhorizons.uk) who Branka, Holly and I had met at Peckham Rye parkrun back in September last year.

Three Peas with Aqasa/ pop up pic with my dad at the end

We couldn’t stay too long as we had to get back for breakfast (my mum is excellent at making vegan pancakes) before Dad dropped me home, as he was coming back to Watford for the match later. But I am sure I will be back- especially if I am after a flatter route (and one that is less busy than Cassiobury).

Dad, Rory and me with the pop up at the end, and the teapot that my mum gave me for breakfast!

So that was parkrun 439, location 150, and of course Queen of Herts completed yet again.

Holywell parkrun isn’t on the 5k app yet, but it is on the parkrunner app (the black and white one)- the “before” showed it in yellow as it was my NENDY- you can see how close it is to the other Watford parkruns when you look at the map:

Up next? I have no concrete plans, although the three peas do have some pencilled in plans coming up, and I have a trip to Southampton next month so hopefully I can visit a new one in that area too.

Greenwich Peninsula parkrun

The quest for Lon-done continues!

On Friday night we were in London seeing Hercules with family, and had planned to go back in on Saturday for some exhibitions at the British Museum, so after seeing that hotels were reasonably priced, stayed in London for Friday night, which of course for me means a parkrun!

I was aiming for Greenwich Peninsula- Branka had already been here so we wouldn’t tour there together, and it’s probably the most central one left that I’ve not been to. However the forecast looked below freezing, and I had seen that they had cancelled once earlier in the year when it was icy, so I was keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyway, all was well, and I got the Jubilee line there from Southwark, arriving at North Greenwich station at about 8:15am. I had allowed plenty of time as on a few previous London trips even going through the train station has taken a while (going to Burgess I spent so long in London Bridge station getting to the tube that I nearly missed the start of parkrun), and although it looked close at the other end I didn’t know how easy it would be to find once there. In the end the train journey was meant to take 20 mins but I am sure it wasn’t that long, and the parkrun start was so close to the tube station, although I was following google maps which was going to take me around the houses a bit, but I happened to glance to the right and saw the big red sculpture that I recognised from all the pop up signs.

After having so many rainy and cloudy days recently, it was amazing to have such blue skies, but it was so cold- my hands were freezing even with my gloves on (not fun taking them off to take photos).

I think I arrived just in time as there was one person by the sign who took a photo for me, but once I moved away the queue built up and did not go away until the main briefing! There were loads of tourist tops, people with Lon-done t-shirts and so I chatted to a few parkrunners (it took my mind off the cold too!). One person was very taken by my Wonky Bear, and at least this time I could explain it (whereas last week a person took a photo and before I could explain they had walked away). I wandered down to the river to take some photos and admire some of the sculptures.

The blue skies were amazing!

We had the first timers welcome before the main briefing, where the RD explained that there was work going on on the path which meant that the start was narrower than usual. He tried to seed the start, but when he said “any sub 16 runners” a lot of people laughed, so he replied with “well you laugh but some people are that quick!” I waited for the 30 min group to be announced but really I should have gone a little sooner as I was behind quite a few walkers (and not speed walkers, normal pace walkers). There was a place for bags under a little shelter against a wall, so I had taken my jacket off at the last possible moment!

Views from the run as well as the funnel queue at the end

I really enjoyed this- it’s basically an out and back (although you start in the middle- if you looked at it from above you go right, u-turn, back past the finish, u-turn again, back past the finish and then a bit further before the final u-turn) you run past the O2 and then in the other direction have views out to the Thames Barrier. There were various sculptures to see, and loads of tourists arriving for the O2 which made it feel very central to London rather than being in a suburb which they often are.

Just look at the map- very central:

You can see from my pacing that I was stuck for a while behind people not at my pace- I do not mind really but it wasn’t easy to run in a rhythm as there was a lot of stop-starting (people ahead avoiding puddles for example), and as it was narrow and for the most part you had people heading back towards you, you really could only have 2 people side by side, which meant overtaking people was tricky. Although it’s flat and a fast course, it was much harder than say Battersea which had much wider paths. Something to consider if you were heading there and hoping for a specific time.

Token/ token sorting/ photo at the finish

At the finish they had a very long funnel which looped around and around, but it moved quickly which I was thankful of as I had taken my jacket off and left it in my bag at the start, and as soon as I stopped I was feeling chilly. I went to get a photo by the sign with my parkrun top, and then headed back to the tube. I really enjoyed seeing all the paving slabs with facts and quotes linked to GMT. I feel like when I’ve been to the O2 it’s usually been for a concert so I’ve not lingered enough to notice these. There were also trees filled with lanterns for Lunar New Year.

Admiring the GMT themed paving stones/ tea to warm up/ breakfast/ Poddington the Wonky Bear

I got a tea to take on the train with me, and then got off one stop early to get us some breakfast (Ole and Steen do an amazing plant based pastry called a social slice, which is sort of cinnamon bun dough filled with vegan custard and chocolate chips- trust me it’s so good). Then I had to text Andy and ask him to drop a pin because I only remembered the way back to the hotel from Southwark station and I’d got off at London Bridge…

Voronoi update! Sadly now Victoria Dock parkrun is paused the map looks a little different, but still after Greenwich I have joined up a few more sections of the map once again.

That was parkrun 438 and location 149

38/65 for London events

It was definitely an easy one to get to from central London, and one I’d revisit if I was in London and needing to be back quickly too. However, my next London trip will be from home so that will hopefully be a new one (not planned yet).

Next up- some more local tourism with all the people (my dad, the three peas, OH ladies, parkrun friends…)

Crystal Palace parkrun plus a couple of local ones in January

Away from the WDW recaps for a bit and back to parkrun! Since getting home, I had a couple of local weekends with Dad, first to Jersey Farm for Dad’s 400th parkrun (he chose the location) and then the following week at Oaklands College.

Jersey Farm

Jersey Farm was glorious sunshine (yes I should have worn sunglasses!), and it was lovely that some of the OH ladies turned up to celebrate with Dad too, although he was off to football later so we didn’t hang around for too long after.

Oaklands College

I hadn’t been to Oaklands College for ages and when we arrived we thought the first timers welcome was going on and that the rest of the runners must have been around the corner, but no, there were only 49 people taking part. There was a lot of mud and the ground was still so rutted so I am not surprised. Rory came along too so it was good to catch up. Newly acquired Wonky Bear Poddington also came along with me for his first parkrun.

Crystal Palace

Then the first weekend in February I was off to Crystal Palace parkrun with Branka. We are both steadily making a dent on the Lon-done events, so a new London event means leaving a bit earlier now. For me this was a train just before 7am from St Albans, meeting Branka on the train. We went into London Bridge, and then changed to an overground train that went to Crystal Palace station.

It was forecast to be quite rainy, but it wasn’t too bad when we came out of the station. It was about a half a mile walk, but the station is right next to the park, so after a kind dog walker showed us the way, it was very straightforward.

Pop up fence fun

There’s lots of construction work happening in the park at the moment, so there were loads of fences up (some with fun artwork depicting various construction vehicles)- the pop up was attached to a fence but the name was facing inwards so we had fun poking our phones through the fence trying to get some photos.

All the cool artwork plus Poddington seeing the course maps

Rory was also going to travel there, and as we met up with him closer to the start line, we found a second pop up mounted on a fence but facing outwards!

The star/finish area is along an avenue of trees- this would be gorgeous in the summer, but didn’t provide much shelter from the rain. They had the finish area at one end, with a tarpaulin that they tried to fold over to keep bags and tops dry. I have a plastic bag inside my rucksack so I took it out and put my rucksack in it to try and keep the contents dry- it’s a fairly waterproof bag but it was raining pretty hard at times. The first timers welcome was at the finish area too, and they even had a large print out of the two main courses that they use. They were a really friendly team and seemed keen to chat to find out where people had come from. It’s a big event (388 people that day) but felt like part of the community.

The course is two laps, although they are not quite identical as in the first lap you do an extra “dog leg” (the little loop on the lower left of the map). On this day each lap was almost two separate sections- the lower section where you started and finished was muddy and slippery (I am not sure if the construction in the park was making it worse, as it should have been tarmac paths but they were really muddy too), and then the upper section (you ran up a short slope to get there) was fairly dry paths. I wished I had my trail shoes on- I’d worn old road shoes so they didn’t have good grip at all- especially on the slope to get back down to the lower level again I really could have done with better soles. Someone next to me slipped over on one of the slopes, so I took it very gently.

Photos of the course- you can see some of the big puddles on the pavements as well as the slope leading to the upper part of the course

There were lots of points in the course where you saw other runners which I always like- as each lap had a narrow two way section as well as parts like the dog leg. It was definitely a friendly event, and the rain even eased off as we ran.

There’s definitely a lot to see in the park too- the huge TV aerial, a blue plaque commemorating a Bob Marley concert, a swimming pool, a dinosaur trail (sadly they were all covered up due to the renovations), a maze… the list goes on.

After we finished we had a quick chat and changed into dry jumpers before heading back to the train. Branka had some errands to run, and I had decided to go to Angel to get some vegan pastries and visit Bird and Blend, so we said our goodbyes. Rory was getting the same train as me (as I went on the overground to Highbury and Islington) so we had a lovely chat on the train before he got off at his stop. I’d packed a cereal bar in my bag so I had that on the train as I was getting quite hungry by that point.

parkfaff- British Patagonia for the best vegan pastries, Bird and Blend for a matcha and a cereal bar on the train (plus the token sorting tubs)

I then had a very wet walk along Upper Street to get my pastries (to take home rather than eat on the train) and matcha before walking down to St Pancras and getting the train back. I was still home before lunch time and it was a morning well spent, although it was only when I got home that I realised how wet and cold my feet were!

Onto the stats- that was my 437th parkrun and my 148th different event. At the time it was the 37th out of 65 London events (but of course that can change).

Up next is more touring- a London one (which I went to yesterday) and some more plans coming.

Ticking off more of date bingo at Clermont Waterfront parkrun

The beginning of January for me was spent in Florida, ahead of the Walt Disney World marathon weekend (which was a 5k on the Thursday, 10k on the Friday, half marathon on the Saturday and a marathon on the Sunday- more on that in later posts), and so I didn’t get to a parkrun on New Years Day. However, on the 3rd Andy said he’d drive me out to Clermont (it’s a good 50 min drive from the WDW area). The parkrun begins at 7:30am so it’s an early start to get there in time (especially as I like to go to the toilets and walk along to the lake to look at the view).

The sunrise was around 7:20 so as I got to the lake I was treated to the sun coming up- the sky was so orange just before although it wasn’t captured that well in the photos. I was wondering if I’d need a jacket at first (Florida was having a cold front just before we arrived and on NYD there was a thin frost on the car first thing, although it would warm up once the sun was out), but I was fine in t-shirt and shorts even before I started running. It was funny seeing the locals wrapped up in thick joggers and hoodies (with hoods up!) when I was just there in minimal layers!

The sun shining through the trees and moss made it look as if the trees were glowing with fire- it was so beautiful.

This was my 4th time at this parkrun, and my third doing this route (as once they were on the alternative route away from the lake)- I didn’t even listen to the first timers welcome (I did on my third visit!) because it’s such a simple route- out and back along the lake. (If you were visiting, the car park is right by the start, in that as you turn in to the car park you can see the parkrun teardrop flag and all the flags in the finish funnel. You need to exit the car park and cross the road to get to the start but it couldn’t be any closer).

Going back to the course, there is a small section where the paths leads you away from the lake a bit, but it’s clearly marked with signs, and it’s a fairly busy parkrun (150 people this time) so there is someone in sight to follow. There is a turnaround point clearly shown with a cone (and sometimes a marshal) but it’s really very easy, so rather than listen to the welcome I went along the little boardwalk to the edge of the lake to watch the sun come up. The main briefing was prompt and friendly, and then we were off!

This was a few days ahead of the big run challenge and I hadn’t run since the Wednesday before, so I was mindful of taking it easy. I was keen to do a few runs ahead of the challenge to acclimatise a little, as of course Florida is a lot more humid and a lot warmer than any of the training runs, and so I was quite pleased to finish in 30:51 as I felt like I was running quite gently and stopping to take photos (I paused for a while to take a photo of that bird (bottom right in the picture above).

By the time I finished (around 8am) the sun was properly up- such a contrast to when I first arrived. As it’s out and back you get to see everyone on the other side of the path too, and it added to my anticipation of the following weekend as I saw so many Run Disney shirts being worn by parkrunners.

I didn’t hang about too much after finishing- a few quick photos and then I headed back to the car, very relieved that I wasn’t dripping in sweat (after doing this course in the summer and having sweat pour out of every single pore) and happy that I felt like I managed the much warmer weather OK.

They often have a photographer there (although I’ve not looked up the photos from this event yet) and I noticed on the bench by the finish area that they have a special volunteer bib for the photographer to wear, which I thought was a lovely touch. It’s a very scenic parkrun by the water, and it’s so nice that they value the photographer role so much.

I’d seen a recommendation for the vegan bagels and toppings at Jeff’s Bagel Run, and after going there earlier in our trip we found that there was a branch on our way back from parkrun, so we stopped to pick up some bagels for breakfast once back at our hotel.

As I’d been there before, of course there is no Voronoi update, but happily when I looked on the 5k app I had filled in a date bingo slot and if I had missed it it would be a few years before the 3rd would fall on a Saturday again, so hooray!

On the Monday following this parkrun, Andy and I did a run together of about 3-4 miles around a lake by our hotel, but then it was strictly no more running until the WDW marathon weekend began! Although of course there was plenty of walking around theme parks in the meantime.

So, up next will probably be my race recaps- you have been warned!

parkruns of 2025

I don’t always manage to do these posts but I really enjoy looking back over a year of parkrunning to see where I have visited and who I’ve seen.

Stats:

47 parkruns in 2025

26 new events visited

2 new countries visited

2 new special days attended

v100 achieved

Single-ton at Panshanger

2025 was the year I managed most parkruns- 47 in a year (beating 46 in 2024, 2022 and 2019). At the start of the year I was on 386 parkruns, and finished the year on 433. I visited 26 new events in 2025 (and revisited many as well). I celebrated my arbitrary 400th, my V100 and my single ton at Panshanger.

I did some touring alone, and toured with family and friends. I managed to visit parkruns when I was nearby for a trip or weekend away, as well as doing lots of London tourism.

Here are a few highlights:

Local events: Panshanger in the snow, Oaklands College and Stanborough in the sunshine.

Oaklands College and Stanborough both launched and I have enjoyed running at both of them. I can now run to either Panshanger or Stanborough from home as they are a couple of miles away which is the perfect parkrun sandwich distance. I achieved my single-ton at Panshanger (100 times at the same event).

Touring with my family (my dad, brother and mum)

I did lots more touring with my dad, occasionally my brother, and sometimes my mum came along too (here she is at Jubilee, Bedford).

Meet ups with Jan and Rory, plus my favourite marshal spot at Birchwood juniors.

I toured and met up with friends (Jan in Peacehaven in Brighton- she used to run with the OH ladies/ Rory a fellow WMN listened who is often the RD at Harrow Lodge and an excellent fountain of parkrun touring knowledge). I also volunteered at juniors a fair bit, achieving my V100 in March.

I celebrated my 400th (arbitrary) parkrun at Victoria Dock and was so happy that some friends came to join me.

400th! And Ascension Day in Sweden, as well as visiting Finland on that same trip.

I also had a fantastic trip to Finland and Sweden, and completed my first non UK special event of Ascension Day in May 2025.

As well as those events, I went back to Japan and visited two new events there, and revisited Clermont in Florida.

Solo touring in Japan, Germany, USA as well as solo local trips to Panshanger and Stevenage.

Later in the year I completed another special event, this time Unity Day in Germany. Branka and Holly were at Rheinpark with me, and then I was at Lousberg by myself.

It was the year of the Cowells for sure, with Holly celebrating hers in Preston Park (Brighton), Branka at Egham Orbit and then my dad at Stanborough! 100 locations all around!

All the Cowells plus one of many London trips (Dulwich) and Unity Day at Rheinpark.

New events visited in 2025:

Oaklands College, Tooting Common, Thames Path Woolwich, Battersea, Walthamstow, Peacehaven, Dulwich, North Walsham, Victoria Dock, Hackney Marshes, Ben’s Yard Ely, Tokoinranta, Haga, Beckton, Jubilee Bedford, Egham Orbit, Harrow Lodge, Peckham Rye, Rheinpark, Lousberg, Wakehurst, Stanborough, Shibamata koen kadan, Sunshine Beach, Brockwell, Raphael.

New countries visited:

Finland, Sweden.

Countries visited:

USA, Japan, Germany.

So, what’s next?

Well, my 150th different event will be fairly soon (as I am on 147 events). Definitely some more London tourism, particularly on the train. I should get to the arbitrary milestone of 450 parkruns at some point (currently on 433), and there are various friends celebrations that I’m hoping to attend as well. But mainly what I am looking forward to is more of the same- more parkrunning with friends and family, more visiting new locations and more fun on Saturday mornings.

What are you looking forward to about parkrunning next year? Any exciting milestones or arbitraries coming up?