Highbury Fields revisit for Plan C

The plan for this weekend had always been for some parkrun tourism with Branka, and originally we were going to head to Stockley Country parkrun (not Stockwell as I kept telling Andy- he was very confused when he couldn’t find it, and could find a Stockwell park elsewhere in London while I was insisting it was close to Heathrow…). Anyway, the weather was not forecast to be great, and we didn’t fancy driving around the M25 in torrential rain, so looked at a few other options. Branka mentioned Raphael, but looking at journey times it was going to be similar, so we decided to look at train options. I am happy to repeat venues, and Branka hadn’t done Highbury Fields yet, so we decided to head there. We could both get trains to Finsbury Park, and from there it was one stop on the Victoria Line to Highbury and Islington station, and the parkrun is so close to the station (just across the road) it seemed ideal.

Plus, as a bonus, the Angel branch of Bird and Blend is about half a mile along Upper Street (and the walk passes British Patagonia who make amazing vegan pastries)- parkfaff would be sorted too!

My train was due to leave at 7:55, and with the rain I decided to drive to Hatfield rather than run to WGC, so I didn’t need to leave home until 7:30. (Branka had called me as she had a slight issue with her train ticket but she had plenty of time to sort it thankfully) My train was running a few minutes late but even with that (and me having a slight panic as I got off the train that I couldn’t find my car keys and worrying that they had fallen out- they were actually just deeper into my pocket than I had felt when I first checked), a visit to the station toilets and then getting the underground, we were at H&I for 8:30 -plenty of time!

My improving selfie, a photo mid-run, token photo and our pop up picture

We took our purple pop up photos before, and Branka continued with tutoring me on my selfies- I am getting better!

The first timers welcome was very amusing- I would not be surprised if the person ended up doing stand up comedy. She was very engaging and it really made the event feel welcoming. There did seem to be a lot of tourists- of course if you hang around the sign for a bit you end up taking photos for other people and then them taking your photo. One couple had come from north Wales! We said we should look up in case it was a specific event number (but it was 609- that’s not a prime and I can’t see what the fascination would be)- maybe just the proximity to the tube means they get lots each week.

I’d packed a t-shirt, jumper and waterproof in an old race bag to leave on the tarpaulin of trust, but thankfully the torrential rain that was forecast didn’t arrive, just a few spots of rain here and there.

The main run briefing was a bit disappointing as we just could not hear a thing- people all around us were talking, and I think I heard a few milestones announced, but it was one of those briefings when you just clap when other people clap. At least in the first timers welcome they mentioned some of the course hazards such as the uneven pavement and the muddy slippery puddle.

Now, if you don’t know, Highbury Fields is 5 laps. The only other 5 lapper I’ve done is Heslington in York, around a bike track. Here, you start in the middle on the grass, head out to the perimeter of the park (and really it is the perimeter as it is on pavements outside the park- it feels very un-parkrun in that respect as you are by houses and roads and parked cars and all sorts), and then run 5 laps before heading back in to finish on the grass. I decided that to keep count, I would try and have a different song in my head for each lap. I was hoping for songs with numbers, but the first lap was to the tune of Frère Jacques (this is the first lap, this is the first lap, around we go, around we go, run around the park, run around the park, keep on going, keep on going), and I realised that I could easily change the number for each lap and then I’d get muddled. For Lap 2I wanted a song with 2 in it (not sure why I didn’t choose Song 2 by Blur) but I ended up with Bones by The Killers in my head then. Not sure why. Lap 3 was the turn of Three is a Magic Number by Embrace (good for learning that 3x table backwards), Lap 4 was All For One from High School Musical, and then lap 5 was the theme tune from Girls 5 Eva (‘what are you waiting five?’).

I felt like I was running well, and was overtaking people towards the end, but I don’t usually look at my watch. As I crossed the finish line I stopped my watch and saw that the course had measured short- 2.8 miles. I briefly panicked that I hadn’t run the full 5 laps, but I knew I had, and the people around me had finished at the same time. If I had gone for an additional lap it would have been way over. I say all the time not to rely on GPS, and particularly on twisty routes it isn’t 100% reliable. Looking on Strava later, I could see the 5 laps (and the 5 bumps for the slope in each lap), and I could also see that it had cut off the corner each time as the route takes you out of the park at the bottom.

After I finished, I changed my top as it was still on and off raining and I didn’t want to get cold. Branka finished soon after me, and we chatted to a few tourists before walking along to our parkfaff locations. Just after we commented on how lucky we were with the weather, it rained quite hard, but thankfully we were soon in Bird and Blend, getting matcha lattes and topping up our tea collections.

Purple pop up “after” photo, the matcha wall of dreams, heavenly vegan pastries and a matcha latte.

We popped into British Patagonia on the way back, although I saved mine for when I got home as I didn’t think I could eat one of those pistachio pastries without getting in a bit of a mess! I had packed a cereal bar and water, and remembered to drink my water before I changed my t-shirt, but I really should have had the cereal bar too, as walking to B&B and back took time and so I was really hungry and tired by that point. I had it on the platform while I waited for the train home.

Once home I got the text saying it was a course pb too! Granted it was only my second time there, but I’ll take it! I was hoping for sub 30 and I ended up with 28:59 so I was pleased to squeeze in under 29. One of my few faster times this year (I’m never running that fast at Panshanger or Jersey Farm so I will make the most of tarmac).

Do you like lapped courses? Which London parkruns are good to visit by train?

Willows 10k 2024

I’ve not done this race in years, but it was one of the events chosen by my club to celebrate their 10 years, and as I was free I signed up. You can choose from either 10k or 5k, and they both started at 11. The number (and t-shirt) was posted out before, so there was no need to get there too early, so I ended up handing out tokens at junior parkrun beforehand- a bonus of a late starting race!

It was sunny when I left which is why I had on sunglasses! The only time I get to handle the number 1 token- that and token sorting of course!

I picked up Nicola and we drove to Hatfield House (where the race was held) together. I opted to take layers with me rather than leave them in the car, as I got really cold at junior parkrun. In the “before” photo I was wearing 4 layers! However I knew I would warm up as I started running. The race raises money for the Willow foundation, started by Bob Wilson, creating days out for terminally ill young adults. He did a lovely speech at the start, as did David Seaman who is one of the main patrons. Annie the high sheriff was also there of course, although sadly none of them were around to hand out medals by the time I finished, whereas in orevious years they have stayed for this.

The “after” picture of some of us (I am back in 3 layers and a hat), two people who ran the 10k as a person riding a horse, the best cheering station, and heading to the finish in a blur!

Nicola was running the 5k, but handily the 10k followed the same route for the first 5k, so we ran together and chatted, and then I only had a parkrun to go- perfect!

In previous years the course has been quite hilly, but they had changed the course this year and it was far less hilly than I anticipated. The grounds of Hatfield House are so beautiful (but don’t get me started on the owners attitude to allowing access), and it was turning into a beautiful autumn day, so running through the woods and fields with loads of other runners was great. Weirdly at times it reminded me of the New Forest race I did years ago (2018 I think?).

Mid-run views and the mini doughnut I had at the end

The marshal stations were all excellent, with all the runners being thanked and cheered- I think the people on them had probably been helped by the foundation. The OH ladies were on one of the marshal stations before one of the hills (or slope of love that they called it) and they really helped to spur me on.

The second lap was not the same as the first, heading off to a slightly different part of the park further north and crossing the river, before crossing back over and rejoining the route and repeating the same few kilometres.

Medal selfie, photo by a giant postbox and a few more run scenes

As I finished I was cheered on by the OH ladies who had run the 5k, and those that had finished ahead of me in the 10k. We were offered doughnuts at the finish line, as Simmons (a bakery with lots of chains in Herts) were sponsoring, but the trays had no ingredients listed and when I googled, their doughnuts aren’t vegan. I had bought a mini one from Crosstown the day before (as we’d been into London) so i knew I could look forward to that. I picked up my bag, put on my layers and joined the others as we cheered in the rest of the runners. It was a really fun occasion.

Once everyone had finished we got a few more photos- medals in front of Hatfield House, and then as we were walking back to the car park I saw a huge postbox, so I had a photo by it. (Apparently the tickets have seeds in them, so you can plant them at home, or if not you can post them in there and then the staff will plant them in the grounds)

Anyway, definitely an event I would do again- it was so close, nice and low key, and the event village, parking and even real toilets to use.

Have you done this event before? How do you choose events to do?

Vegan food in Japan August 2024

As mentioned before, this was one of the main questions I have been asked since going to Japan, so I thought I’d put a post together with some recommendations.

Lots of places tended to be independent and would have small menus, and items would run out during the day so they would put a “sold out” sign over that item on the menu. We tended to go to mainly vegan places, but we also visited some places that had clearly marked vegan options on the menu, and these places I had seen on You Tube videos or recommendations elsewhere. I would not want to rock up to any restaurant and expect there to be a vegan option (or even vegetarian) but if you are prepared it will be fine.

I had researched convenience stores beforehand, and they were meant to have some vegan options, but even though we went to one Natural Lawson branch (meant to have more vegan options than typical ones) I couldn’t find anything apart from fresh fruit. I used google translate on my phone which was very helpful, but even things that you would assume to be vegan (eg Soy protein bars), some flavours would have dairy or other animal products so I just didn’t risk anything apart from fruit.

Starbucks ended up being a really good option for breakfast, lunch or snacks. They had clearly marked plant based items including a blueberry cream cheese bagel, a vegan cheese and tomato pizza bread slice, lemon cube cake, rice flour banana cake swirl and some crisps. Plus if you ordered alt milk you got a little receipt which said “soy milk” and you had to hand it to the server, and when your drink came it had a little sticker on it showing the type of milk- this really reassured me as I am always paranoid that I will be given the wrong type. We did bring with us cereal bars (I bought a lot of Clif bars from Food Circle Supermarket) and I bought some vegan croissants to take as I had read breakfast wasn’t really a thing, but we did get the blueberry bagel a few times.

Tokyo

We were in Tokyo for 5 days at the start of the holiday and then one afternoon at the end. We stayed in the Shibuya area which was fab for vegan options, but as we travelled around a bit to sightsee we also visited various other precincts. I’d made some notes of various places and had followed a few places on Instagram to keep up to date with menus and opening times and so on.

I was really keen to find a vegan version of the fruit and cream sandwiches that seem to be sold everywhere, and on our day in Asakusa we visited Hatoya’s Vegan Fruit Sandwiches- delicious! They did some fruit ones and a special with red bean paste (the little eyes in those – see below) so we shared one of each and from a person who is not a cream fan this was just perfect in the heat- a cool and creamy filling with fresh strawberries and other fruits. The bean paste was really good too.

Vegan fruit sandwich, falafel bowl, waffle fries and pecan pie from Falafel Bros.

Falafel brothers – a fully vegan place with several locations. They do falafels, pitta, salads, pizza and various desserts. The falafel was so light and crispy and delicious. We went to the one in the Parco shopping centre (also had the Nintendo store in it). The salad had different options, I think I had the Mediterranean one with pickles and various veggies in there too, as well as loads of hummus.

One day we went out to Team Lab Planets (an interactive art exhibition) and they had a vegan ramen place outside. It was so hot so in the end we just had some of their vegan matcha ice cream, but the ramen did look good.

Vegan matcha ice cream from the vegan ramen place, matcha latte and a plant based blueberry bagel from Starbucks.

Tokyo also had a branch of Island Vintage Coffee (which we loved when we were in Hawaii) so an acai bowl from there for breakfast one day was amazing.

Acai bowl, falafel bowl and soy matcha lattes with the cute soy milk sticker just about in the pic!

2 Foods- located inside Loft which is a department store. Fully vegan with Japanese foods like omurice (Japanese omlette rice using vegan egg, topped with tomato sauce), as well as burgers, vegan nuggets and doughnuts.

2 Foods nuggets, omurice and doughnuts

We had some vegan ramen from Jikasei Mensho in the Parco building. They did vegan as well as non-vegan, and they were very careful to point out it was soy meat when handing out the vegan ramen. It was tasty, but the meal was slightly spoilt by our phones going off with an “earthquake imminent” warning which made me have a bit of a panic attack.

Vegan ramen, more nuggets from 2 Foods, matcha from The Matcha Tokyo and lemon/ raspberry and pistachio doughnuts from 2 Foods.

The Matcha Tokyo had several branches and did plant milks for their lattes as well as selling a vegan matcha cookie – I tried it once and it was more like a biscuit, but it was tasty.

Ain Soph- vegan with a few branches across Japan- we went to the Kyoto one as well as the Tokyo one. Their fluffy Japanese pancakes were amazing, and we got to try karaage (a frying technique that is used for nuggets and things like that).

We had a fun hunt on our final day as I wanted to try melon bread and had seen that within a department store there was a bakery that did a vegan version. We hunted for a looooong time in the store but eventually found it! It was in the Shinjuku Isetan store in the basement, the stand was called Maison Landemaine Store.

Lemon pancakes, vegan nuggets from Ain Soph and the vegan melon bread.

En route to Kyoto we visited the Ghibli park. They shut at 5 so we only needed to get lunch, and the grand warehouse had a restaurant attached that did a few vegan sandwiches (clearly marked with allergens displayed)- we both had the avocado sandwich which was absolutely crammed with avocado and fresh tomato- delicious (see below).

Avocado sandwich and iced tea from Ghibli park, vegan matcha doughnut from Nicotto & Mam’s doughnut cafe, and the cute alt milk stickers from Starbucks plus the pot where they put your reciept once you collected your drink

Kyoto

Kyoto had a more alternative vibe than Tokyo and there were lots of little indie businesses. We went to the Ain Soph branch one day, and then discovered a few other gems including one of my favourite meals of the trip.

Gion Soy Milk Ramen Uno Yokiko was amazing. I had seen soy milk ramen on the internet and could not quite imagine how it would be, particularly as I’m not a big fan of white sauces. Anyway, this fully vegan place did amazing soy milk ramen. This was another day that we both overheated a bit, wandering around the Gion district of Kyoto where the buildings are all low (no shade) and open fronted (no A/C)- sitting in the cool and having salty flavourful broth with fresh veggies, tofu and gyoza was just heavenly. Also they did vegan matcha ice cream for dessert that came in little hedgehog dishes- the cutest!

Soy milk ramen and matcha ice cream

Burger and pancakes (shared for dessert) from the Kyoto Ain Soph.

Vegginy in Kyoto was another teeny place- it was in the basement of a building (there was a sign at street level) and it only had 4 tables. They were full so I had to message them on Instagram and they messaged back when there was a table free, so we had a nice wander around the nearby streets. There were two members of staff and we sat at the counter watching them prep the food, they did a couple of options, we both opted for the veggie and hummus sandwich which was totally stacked and full of delicious things like miso mushrooms, shredded veggies and loads of fresh hummus. They did a side of rosemary potatoes which were so much more than just that- there were three types of potatoes and the server explained to use each variety- they were crispy and salty and again just what you needed after sweating buckets!

Veggie sandwich and rosemary potatoes, the streets in Kyoto and the sign outside Vegginy

Osaka

We only had a few days in Osaka and one of those was at Universal.

Universal was pretty good with vegan options with a few clearly marked on their menus- they even had plant based butter beer! We had a salad with loads of fruit for lunch, and then a stew with veggies, salad and potatoes for dinner (just what you want in the heat!).

Stew, salad and plant based butterbeer at Universal

Osaka also had one of our most memorable meals. I was keen to try okonomiyaki  which is a sort of frittata/pancake thing. Oko okonomiyaki  made a vegan version so we sat outside in the queue, and once inside gave our order (you chose 5 vegetables to have with it) then went upstairs to find a table on one of several floors. We noticed a TV screen in the room and could see the person who had taken our order, now busy in the kitchen, and it then transpired that she was the single member of staff, letting in people in batches and then cooking their food. She would call out your number for you to come and collect, and then once she had cooked all the orders she’d let in another batch of people. It was pretty amazing. You could actually speak to her through a microphone in each room but we didn’t do that. Just watching her race around was exhausting but amazing and we could see why that food was a sort of post-drink favourite.

Okonomiyaki and gyoza

Canelita Sweets was another gem- a fully vegan bakery with not only delicious foods but cute foods too- carrot cake with little rabbits made of frosting… we may have visited there twice!

A few of the cakes from there

Things to look out for

A few general words of warning- I had read that Starbucks almond milk wasn’t vegan, so I stuck to soy milk (tried the oat milk once but the soy was nicer), and our first night in Osaka we got in late and were totally exhausted after being out in the heat all day, so Andy suggested McDonalds (which I do not think I have been to since our first trip to Florida in 2002!)- well I googled it and they use beef dripping so the fries aren’t vegan there. Luckily the hotel had a few bits in their chiller cabinet so I could have a little picnic in the room. Lots of the vending machines sold drinks and despite packing rehydration tabs, a few times we were out in the heat and wanted something. Pocari Sweat was vegan, but the version sold at Universal (I can’t remember the brand name) wasn’t, so always double check as animal products seem to make their way into lots of things you wouldn’t expect.

But, I totally loved Japan, we had the most delicious food and I would absolutely love to go again! If you are vegan (or veggie) do a bit of research first, use the Happy Cow app as well as searching google maps, and enjoy all the wonderful food.

Would you like to go to Japan? How do you go about finding places to eat when you are on holiday?

Vegan food in Tokyo Disney August 2024

One of the main questions that pretty much everyone has asked me about the trip to Japan was “what did you eat?”, and it was something I was a bit apprehensive about before going there. I did a lot of research beforehand, watching lots of You Tube and following various accounts on Instagram, so I did have an idea of what to expect. When I was at Futakotamagawa parkrun, one of the runners I was chatting to noticed my Vegan Runners visor and asked me about it, and said he was vegan but was not going to be vegan for the trip as he didn’t think it was possible. (I know everyone has different reasons for being vegan, so I am not judging at all, but the thought of accidentally eating meat/fish/dairy makes me feel sick so that was not an option for me. It did make me feel sad that he thought that though, and I think it does put some people off travelling there). Anyway, I thought I’d put a couple of posts together about it as I found the things I had read very useful.

First up, Disney! We were in Tokyo for a few days before heading to Tokyo Disney, but I’ll keep it separate as otherwise it will be a super long post!

The Insta account Vegan TDR was the most useful resource, as they have listed all the vegan options in both parks.

Tokyo Disneyland

There were no vegan breakfast options in the park (I knew about this in advance- there used to be a bone shaped bread filled with sweet bean paste but that had stopped being sold before we travelled there), so I had brought with me some cereal bars and vegan croissants.

The vegan stew, the mixed green salad, the Baymax stew again and the Korean rice bowl with the Mickey carrot!

We booked one table service place, the Center Street Coffee House, to have the BayMax curry. I had to ask for the low allergen stew (not curry) and the cast member brought out an i-pad and I ticked all the allergens I wouldn’t eat (including abalone which I had to google as I had no idea what it was- it’s fish) and once I had ticked them all they confirmed that it would be suitable. They were so lovely, and the food was tasty as well as looking amazing. It’s not often that the food on the plate looks as amazing as the food on the menu!

One of our favourite dishes was a quick service meal at Plazma Ray’s Diner- a Korean rice bowl with veggies, rice, soy meat and even a Mickey shaped carrot! They do like their Mickey shaped food in Tokyo!

I had the mixed green salad from La Taverne De Gaston a few times. I like a salad and this one was full of different ingredients- seasoned beans, quinoa, sundried tomatoes, squash- it was really tasty and didn’t feel like an afterthought (looking at you Disneyland California with your lettuce and lemon juice as a “dessert”…).

Mickey and Minnie ice pops were the best! Especially when it was high 30’s the entire time!

Snacks wise the caramel popcorn was vegan so I had that a few times (so was the salt and the black pepper but I didn’t fancy trying those), as were the Mickey and Minnie ice pops. Some places did one flavour and some did both so I got to sample several over the holiday! Mickey was tropical fruit and Minnie was peach and raspberry, and they tasted like frozen fruit puree, really refreshing in the heat. A few places did fresh fruit, but we had bought some bananas from a convenience store before going there, and there were some vegan packaged snacks like potato chips and dried fruit but I didn’t get any of those.

Tokyo Disney Sea

Our first day we had a bit of a shocker as I liked the look of the tortilla sandwich, but by the time we wandered back to the restaurant, it had closed- we had failed to check the opening times! We didn’t make that mistake again- it was more like DLP rather than WDW in that respect in that food places were not open as long or as late. Although unlike DLP they did publish the times on the boards outside, we just failed to notice! So I ended up going to Cafe Portofino and having “Plant-Based Dish with Orzo, Involtini Style”- soy meat and orzo wrapped in rice paper, covered in tomato sauce and oven baked, then topped with salad. It was actually pretty good when I am not a fan of alt meats usually.

The tortilla sandwich in the Duffy packaging and also a special cup holder so your hands don’t get cold when drinking icy drinks (a Lina Bell one)– for the Duffy and friends theming of Disney Sea!

After that first day we tended to go to Miguel’s El Dorado Cantina and having the tortilla sandwich for a late lunch (a tortilla wrap filled with chilli beans, salad, tortilla chips, guacamole and crunchy cabbage)- it was spicy but good! One day I got the chips and guac but it was the teeniest amount of guac so not really worth it. Also, this came in Duffy and Friends packaging so that makes it even better!

The Casbah Food Court did a vegetable curry with naan (which was vegan) and we had that once and it was really good- not too spicy but really flavourful. The bread was so fluffy too, definitely a good option.

Sadly the plant based burger in the Snuggly Duckling was not actually vegan as the bun contained milk, so Andy had that while I just had fries plus a cereal bar (I had to eat something in the Rapunzel restaurant!). It is not easy to modify dishes and I am not sure I would have trusted that there was not milk in the sauce or burger too, so I was happy to go without (plus – see below, I had eaten a huge breakfast on that day!).

There were loads of cute snacks that were not vegan, eg the Mike melon bread, but at least there were Mickey ice pops and Baymax curry!

Tokyo Disney hotels

Due to buying a vacation package (check out TDR Explorer for info on that) we ended up in a few different Disney hotels- the Toy Story one, MiraCosta and the Disneyland hotel. MiraCosta was the only one that included breakfast, and it was a buffet and nothing was marked. So, before we went I emailed them and requested if it was possible to have a vegan breakfast. They confirmed that I would have a separate plate given to me, and when I got there they checked the allergens with me, and then I ended up with a huge amount of food- salad with olive oil, lemon and balsamic, vegetable soup, chargrilled veggies, fresh fruit and then one day vegetable pasta, and another day mushrooms in tomato sauce. They also gave me the allergen guide of the food in the buffet (but basically only more fresh fruit was suitable), so I was glad I had emailed ahead of time as it was included in our stay.

My breakfasts over the two mornings- so many delicious veggies and all freshly prepared.

Clearly there were not as many options as WDW, Disneyland or even Paris, but they were clearly marked on the menu. The menus were in English as well as Japanese, and you could order via the app which we did most of the time. I do not mind having the same thing each day (eg I had the mixed greens salad for dinner each time we were in the main park) but there was variety and a few different options. It definitely is doable and the food I had was really tasty, so if that is the one thing holding you back then I’d say go for it!

How do you manage with food when travelling if you have restrictions?

Bug Hunter Waters parkrun

I mean, with a name like that, who doesn’t want to go there?

Bug Hunter Waters is just outside Cambridge, so just about within driving distance. This was a fun little parkrun road trip, with me picking up Branka and meeting Holly and her friend Lou (and baby) there.

This is a relatively new parkrun, with my visit being the 12th event. That was the reason why we went that day, as Holly wanted to do event number 12, a fact she only remembered when they announced the number in the run brief!

The website directs you to park at the park and ride, although I used the postcode and got us slightly lost. I was following the park and ride signs, but they were a bit sporadic and so I turned off (where google maps told me to) and we ended up in a section of the housing estate. Thankfully we turned around and although the maps were not loading we saw a park and ride bus and followed that until we saw signs again (we were only about 2 minutes away). There was a parkrun car park marshal directing us to a section of the park and ride car park, there were toilets by the bus stop, and then it was around a km walk along a path which was part of the route, to get to the start. Very easy to find.

It reminded me a lot of Great Denham, with the parkrun course right by a new housing estate. The lake made it very scenic, and it was a very flat course too. It was narrow in places, and we were warned to slow down at certain pinch points on the course.

The start line by the water, some of the houses and of course the pop up. Branka and I were accidently twinning with our black shorts and green tops!

We took the obligatory pop up photos (Branka is teaching me how to line up the sign in my selfies too!), listened to the first timers welcome and then the main run briefing which was hilarious as the RD had managed to fit in a lot of Oasis quotes (they were off the previous Saturday for something else but he mentioned that everyone was trying to get Oasis tickets that morning instead).

Then we walked to the start. As it was narrow, they asked people to seed themselves which I always think works well but I ended up being a bit too far back- it’s always hard to tell!

A few photos taken while running, plus the token and solo pop up photo

I was going to run, Branka was run/walking intervals and Holly and Lou were walking so we spread out, and then we were off. It is two laps, with a sort of out and back section and then a lap of the lake. I really enjoyed the scenery, although at the moment there isn’t much shade so on a sunny day it would be quite tough in that respect. There were 249 parkrunners that day and it felt quite busy due to the paths being narrow in places, but it did thin out. I didn’t get lapped which surprised me, I thought I would at the end of my first lap. I did pass Holly and Lou walking towards the end of my second lap but by then there were not that many people running around me so it was fine to have people passing at that point.

Once I finished I made sure I stretched and had some water, and then not long after Branka finished. I really liked their token sorting board (see photo below)- I do love it when you visit different parkruns and they have their own way of doing things.

We walked to the cafe (of course we ended up getting lost going there too) and found a table so that Holly and Lou could join us when they finished. The cafe was really nice (Northstowe Tap & Social), with lots of outdoor seating. They had the most enormous pastries that I have ever seen, but the only vegan option was banana bread (which was tasty- I had packed an emergency cereal bar in case they didn’t do anything), and of course oat milk for tea. We sat in the sunshine for ages- I regretted leaving my sunglasses in the car as it was quite overcast during parkrun but the cloud really burned away after.

Banana bread and Earl Grey with oat milk, the token sorting board and the finish area by the water

So that was location 119 for me, and my 373rd parkrun in total. I’ve not been to many Cambridgeshire events, just Pocket and Wimpole before this one. It did get me a nice big purple chunk on the Voronoi map!

Before the after- look at that big purple chunk!

How do you choose new events to visit?