After running at
the inaugural Ashford parkrun, I thought it would be fun to stop off just down the road at Tonbridge to have a little run around the planned
Tonbridge parkrun course. I will save the detailed course description and venue information for my blog post after the inaugural event. However, as a teaser....
.... on the course you'll run under the main railway line into London, cross a number of narrow bridges (I think you cross seven different water channels on the way out, and come back across them on the way back - so fourteen crossings in total), and you'll run a lap around the stunning Barden Lake in Haysden Country Park.
The course covers a mixture of surfaces - grass, tarmac, trail, wood, and stony paths are all represented. You could quite easily run this course in your normal road shoes, but I decided to go with trail shoes purely because I like my road shoes to stay looking nice and shiny.
I had a very leisurely run and did my best to dance around the puddles and avoid the mud, but as you can see in the photo, it still managed to get me! Change of shoes and socks are recommended - especially if the wet weather continues. The inaugural event is on the 9th of November and starts on the grass next to the Tonbridge Juddians Rugby Club House - not far from the swimming pool and miniature railway.
There are a few car parks close by (Tonbridge Castle / Swimming Pool) but you will have to pay - I know that the Castle car park charges £1 for an hour, £1.70 for two hours and £2.30 for three hours so I imagine the others are similarly priced.
I did of course log the run as a freedom run so it appears on my official parkrun log.
