Tag: vegan brunch

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?

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?

Southampton parkrun in the sunshine (a revisit)

We were off to Southampton on the Friday afternoon, ahead of visiting family and going to the football on the Saturday. Originally I had hoped for a new parkrun event, as I’ve been to a fair few in the wider Southampton area (Southampton, Eastleigh, Bartley Park, Netley Abbey, Lee on the Solent, Itchen Valley, Winchester, Portsmouth Lakeside, Queen Elizabeth and even Isle of Wight)- I was hoping for Meon Valley parkrun as it looked lovely (along an old railway line) but the hotels near there turned out to be more expensive, and then we were needed in Southampton to pick up Andy’s aunt on the way to his grandma’s, so staying centrally made sense. I looked up my results and the only time I’d been to Southampton parkrun before was on NYE in 2016, so pretty much ten years ago. Predictably back then I got lost on the way, but also really loved going to such a busy event. This is all relative- back then there were 646 people taking part, and apparently the busiest one I had been to before that was 264 at Wimpole. They had a double funnel operating back then though, as someone behind me was given a card with a letter and sent to the other funnel. The course was definitely different as well, but according to my blog there was a winter and summer course- the one I did had two laps back then but I imagine with the even bigger numbers now they would keep to the pretty much one lap that they have now.

The start and finish areas (two bottom photos taken from the same spot but one pointing towards the pop up and start area, one towards the finish funnel), start sign, pop up and Poddington

So, onto the 2026 edition! As our hotel was about 2 miles away, it was perfect for a parkrun sandwich. Although I set off in the right direction, I got slightly lost but when I looked at the map I was on a road parallel to the road I was aiming for, so that was OK. The parkrun starts in the common, but the common is huge. They do direct you to head near to the Hawthorns centre, and as I entered the park at the south entrance I saw the “to the start” sign, however a few runners up ahead turned right at the next junction after this, so I followed them and ended up way over to the east of the park rather than in the centre where it starts. Never mind, I had plenty of time! The start/finish area is pretty huge as they are in the same field but a long way apart. The finish funnel is so long (I walked by it when I finished and it took 1 minute to walk the length of it), and next to it was a tarpaulin of trust so I left my bag there. The purple pop up was by the start area so I got a quick photo, but all the volunteers were meeting at the finish, so I hung around in the middle as I was not sure where the welcome would be- this turned out to be by the start so I had to jog over there quickly when it began! It turned out that there was also a tree trunk of trust by the start area, and this would be closer to the scanners so I could have left my bag there too.

First timers welcome and pop up photo

The volunteer explained the course and it sounded more like a one lap than a two lap. They did tell us about a hill that lasted 1km, that we would then get to run down (I think the other side of) and asked that we didn’t overtaken in the first km due to it being so busy. Soon after was the main briefing- I think this is the trouble with all huge events now, but despite the volunteers holding up the “quiet in the run brief” signs, there was so much chatting. At one point the RD asked everyone to poke the person next to them and remind them to be quiet- someone next to me did this to people I think they knew, but the people just carried on. I was close enough to hear most of the announcements, but it’s a shame people cannot listen for a few minutes- there could be safety issues to share (in fact there was one asking buggy runners to be careful as there had been many instances of buggies clipping the heels of other participants), but also there were some lovely milestones including a family where the dad was doing his 100th, the two kids were doing their 50th and they had also completed 50 junior parkruns. A local running club were also doing most of the volunteering but I could not catch who that was. They also mentioned pacers, so I tried to spot them in the crowd. I had looked up my previous time (30:22) so decided I should try and get a course pb and pacers are always helpful as I don’t like looking at my watch while I run.

Anyway, the briefing was brief and we started pretty promptly (there was a mobility scooter on the path so they let them go before starting everyone off), but as with any large event it was very stop-start. There didn’t seem to be any seeding (for example at Preston park they have little signs by the start area for sub 20, sub 25 etc) and I kept coming up behind walkers and people running at a slower pace, so it took a long time to settle into a rhythm as I felt like I was constantly changing my pace. I did overtake the walkers (when there was space to do so) as it felt like if I didn’t it would just cause more congestion.

Run briefing and then scenes from the parkrun- so many colourful tops stretched out ahead

It’s such a nice park- the paths are pretty wide but and you go past lots of variety- wildlife areas, wooded areas, open grassland, play parks… and it’s pretty flat. There was a slope you ran up (and here I ended up running faster as there was a dog on a waist harness that was all over the place and kept looking like it would trip people up- I don’t like running near to dogs either as I feel like I am being chased, so I put on a bit of a sprint to get past the dog so I could then relax a bit) thankfully it wasn’t too steep or too long.

I was trying to spot the pacers and I think after about 1km I caught the 33 min pacer (there were little km markers by the side of the path). After about 3km the field thinned out enough that I felt like I could get into a rhythm rather than ducking and weaving and speeding up to overtake. I think around the 4km mark I caught up to the 30 min pacer, and he was absolutely brilliant. He had a little pack of runners with him and he was chatting to them, encouraging them on, and as we ran the final km he started a countdown-telling us we had 800m to go, that we should finish a bit under 30 mins, and really motivating everyone to dig deep. As I got to the finish they had just opened up the next section of the funnel (which I think had 3 or 4 lines rather than just a double funnel)- the person ahead of me kept running, as did the person behind me, so to stay in order we all ran the length of the funnel before finally being able to stop.

Super marshals, and the busy finish funnel

I saw 28-something so I was pretty confident of a course pb unless there was some error with processing the results. I then got to admire the funnel manager- it was such an impressive operation to see, although the number of people who could not follow the instruction of “keep walking, right hand out” was mind boggling. We had to stand there for a few minutes while the funnel next to us had their tokens, and even when they switched between funnels the next token person was ready and counted in before they then jumped into position. There were lots of funnel duckers too, so I saw quite a few people offering to take two tokens because a person in front had left. It’s so impressive that the time you get is even close to your watch time when you take into account all of this happening as well.

Celebrating a course pb! And token 554- this was the place I was credited with too which was very impressive with the amount of people takin part- 1100 that morning so I was pretty much exactly half way!

After I got scanned, I had to then go back along the funnel to get my bag (via a quick pop up pic to celebrate the probable course pb), and then returned back to the city centre (not getting lost- hooray!) where I’d arranged to meet Andy for breakfast at a fab vegan cafe (Cafe Thrive)- he had ordered as we didn’t have a lot of time- we shared scrambled tofu, hash browns and a breakfast bap, and bought a couple of peanut butter croissants to have later.

Heading back to breakfast

So of course, no voronoi update as I’d already been here but below is the course map. You started with a small anti-clockwise loop at the bottom, then headed up the east side of the common, back down the west side all the way to the bottom (where the water is) and then back past the start area into the finish area.

Below is the section of the run from 2016 (as I recorded it as one activity rather than 3 separate ones)- even the direction is different as the main loop here was clockwise. It’s very interesting to see how different routes can be created in the same space.

Another very enjoyable parkrun for my 443rd parkrun

What next? Well, hopefully some more tourism soon although a few things are up in the air right now. Hopefully enjoying more of this spring-like weather!

Brockwell parkrun, Herne Hill

It was time for some more London parkrun tourism with Branka, and this one was going to fill a nice hole in our Voronoi maps. Brockwell parkrun is very close to Herne Hill station, which is on the Thameslink line, so I headed to St Albans to get on a direct train from there, meeting Branka at Herne Hill station.

You can pretty much see the park from the station, so we just had to walk into the park and locate the start, which was very simple. It was great to walk through the park so early- we could see lots of the central London skyline from the park, and on our way to the toilets saw the team wheeling their kit up to the start.

It was very windy so we had to hold the pop up while we took photos, but thankfully after what felt like a week of rain, the morning was fairly bright.

We left our bags on a bench inside a sort of shelter (it looked like an old concrete bus stop but it couldn’t have been as it was a traffic-free park), listened to the first timers welcome and then it was time to head down to the start line. They seemed to have a bit of trouble with people chatting during the run brief, even with their speaker system set up (and some people shouting “quiet!” to try to help), but we could just about hear the warnings against funnel ducking and the reminder to keep right rather than the more common left. They mentioned that they had received complaints from members of the public using the park at the same time, and so the compromise was to ensure that the parkrunners kept to the right so that some of the paths were clear for others.

After a few milestone announcements we realised that everyone was moving and the parkrun had started.

It’s pretty much a two lap course, with a little bit of extra in the first lap, and it’s undulating for sure. It is all on tarmac paths which was partly why we had chosen it (so many local runs to me are muddy and we just fancied finishing a parkrun without muddy socks). It was a really pretty park with lots to see on the way around, although I found the circular nature meant I totally lost my bearings. At one point on the first lap I noticed a lovely carved frog bench, and so on the second lap I got my phone out ready to take a photo, but I was so early I kept thinking I’d missed it.

The finish is pretty tough too, as you think all the hills are done but the short section into the finish funnel slopes uphill too. I was happy when I could stop!

The team had moved the pop up to the top of the hill (by the finish) rather than by the start line, so I got a few photos there as there was a lovely backdrop of London behind, plus some nice autumn colours and even a hint of blue sky.

We walked back to the station and popped into a bakery (there are plenty of very posh looking bakeries and cafes near the station) but nothing was labelled vegan and so I said to Branka that I’d get out the train at Kings Cross and head up to Angel to visit British Patagonia (a bakery and cafe that does the most amazing vegan pastries)- Branka decided to come too so we headed straight there. Angel also houses a Bird and Blend, so of course we popped in there on our way past. I had a matcha latte because I need some caffeine after I stop running.

We got the pastries to go, so luckily I had a cereal bar in my bag which I could have with my matcha for breakfast, and then I had pistachio pastry when I got home. Oh my goodness me they are delicious. (Top tip- they sometimes have bags of mixed pastries that are close to their sell-by date- I got one this time to pop in the freezer but they are always a good deal- the one I got had 3 or 4 pastries and was about £7).

Onto the map update:

It was very pleasing because after going to Dulwich and Peckham Rye, I had a little gap in the map, but going to Brockwell filled that one in. We didn’t get our results through until about 10:30 pm, and my placing was quite different to my token number, so I imagine the poor team had a few things to sort (even though they reminded people in the briefing not to funnel duck…).

That was parkrun 429 and location 146. Obviously with more events, Lon-DONE is one of those where the goal gets ever bigger, but this of course helped and was my 36th London event (out of 66 currently).

It does remind me that apart from getting up early (my St Albans train was about 7:15am) it can be really easy to do some London train tourism.

Up next? Well, who knows basically. I am not keen on making big plans at this time of year in case bad weather means loads of cancellations, although the peas do have a trip pencilled in for before the end of the year.

Stanborough parkrun- Queen Of Herts regained and my Dad’s Cowell!

Stanborough parkrun started around a month ago, but due to various weekends away and parkrun touring, this was the week I managed to head there.

(Dad was keen to do his 100th different event soon, and we had originally planned Wendover Woods as a venue, but he had family coming over at 11am today so could not go far, which is why we went to WW last week and Stanborough this week)

Matching 100 tops for my dad, brother and me to celebrate!

It turned out to be an excellent week to visit, as loads of OH ladies were there, either volunteering or participating, and Branka and Holly could make this weekend so we planned brunch after as a belated birthday celebration for Holly.

As we were going out for brunch after, I took a rucksack with me as I wanted a jumper for after (and I was doing a tea swap with Branka), so the 2 mile run there was a bit of a run-walk where each time the rucksack got too annoying I would stop and walk! But it was lovely weather, not as cold as I was expecting, and I arrived nice and early at around 8:30. I think Stanborough is now marginally closer to home than Panshanger is, but I feel very lucky to have two events within running distance.

OH ladies pre parkrun and the three peas after!

The queue for the pop up was pretty big- I was called over for an OH ladies photo, but the rest of us decided to wait until after where it would be a bit quieter. Dad spoke to Jacqui (the RD) about his Cowell, but his name was already on the list (thanks to lovely Nicola- one of the ED’s -as she had already put his name down)- he was very chuffed to have his name mentioned at the start.

Soon the main briefing started (a big clap for my dad) and then we moved a few metres on to the start line. The course is very simple- 3 laps within the park:

Each lap began on a short slope, and then you were up running along a ridge with views down to the lake. I was regretting no sunglasses as the sun was shining right into my eyes as I ran up – not so easy to see the rabbit holes! You then turn right and have a lovely long gentle downhill, a sharp right (almost a u-turn) near the lake, and then run back along the bottom, finishing each lap with a gentle incline.

It really didn’t feel that the uphill matched the downhills in this route. It is all on grass, so after a few weeks of rain it will be more muddy and slippery, but this week was pretty perfect as it was firm enough that you were not sliding about, but not hard rutted earth that can be sore on the ankles.

I run through this park a lot on my runs anyway, but wasn’t expecting to like the course as much as I did. Of course the weather helped- it was a glorious autumnal day. But what really made it for me was all the people- I saw so many OH ladies (and hangers on e.g. partners/ family members), and it almost reminded me of Ellenbrook Fields as I felt like I was among friends.

I ran with Dad, a little way behind my brother, and had a good catch up. We considering the number of people participating (351) we didn’t see too many people overtaking us on our second (and their third) lap, however that was probably down to us chatting as we knew one of the barcode scanners was running first (hi Tim) and didn’t notice him passing us! If you were being overtaken on the ridge it is a bit narrow there, but we were down in the main part of the park where the paths were very wide so there was plenty of space.

After finishing, we took a few photos to celebrate his 100th location, but then they had to head off. Once the three peas had all finished, we visited the purple pop up together, and the started making our way into town for brunch. After Holly changed her shoes (a good idea- mine were muddy but I didn’t want to carry trainers in the rucksack too), Branka drove into town while Holly and I jogged up there. If you are thinking of visiting, the town centre is around a mile and a half from Stanborough, and after running uphill to the Gosling sports centre it’s a flat route from there and was very enjoyable to run and chat. There were a few potential brunch locations, and we opted for Megan’s. They do delicious vegan pancakes so I was a happy bunny, and they even brought out a birthday brownie for Holly! Holly was keen to see the Knife Angel sculpture (pictured below) as it is touring the country and will be in WGC until the end of October, so there was plenty to do during parkfaff time. A police officer said it would be going into storage after this month (I guess no town centres want it next to their Christmas trees) but would probably be back out touring in the spring.

All in all it was such a happy morning spent with friends and family- the best kind of parkrunday.

Pancakes, the knife angel and the fountain that is pink for breast cancer awareness month.

Voronoi update:

So that was parkrun 424 for me, and location 143. Queen of Herts is again achieved after having a gap when Stanborough started, and I am on event 26 of my tourist streak. I would very happily go back there, so it’s fab to now have two events that are so close. If you are visiting and planning on driving, I would recommend that you look closely at the parking information on the course page, as you need to register in advance via a link on their page or send an email (again the address is listed on the page) to avoid being charged for an entire day.

Up next? Well, I have one more week here before a bit more travelling, so of course now the temptation is to go to another event (not already in the streak)- local ones that are not already within my streak include Stevenage, Westmill, Leavesden, Henlow Bridge Lakes… But I might decide that going to a local one with friends will end up being more enjoyable and easier!

Who knows! Are you good at planning ahead or do you just see what you fancy each week?