Bexley parkrun

Danson Park is located in-between Welling and Bexleyheath and is in the London borough of Bexley, South East London. This is the home of Bexley parkrun although many locals just refer to it as Danson. The 78 hectare park was designed and laid out between 1761 and 1763. As of September 2022 I have visited this venue three times and this blog has been updated to reflect the latest information as of that last visit.

Danson House is a Georgian mansion which stands at the highest and most central point in the park. It was constructed c.1766. Throughout the 20th century the house was largely uninhabited and fell into a dangerous state of disrepair. It was acquired by English Heritage in 1995 and painstakingly restored over the next 10 years. In 2005 it was reopened by HM Queen Elizabeth II. A visitor book was made especially for the event and she was the first person to sign it.

danson park / bexley parkrun

The mansion overlooks the 7.8 hectare Lake, which covers 10% of the total area of the park. Apart from being extremely picturesque, it is also used by the Danson Park Watersports Centre for their activities and is home to various water based birds including geese and swans.

Around the park you will also find features including tennis courts, a couple of bowls greens, a trim trail, a bog garden nature reserve, various formal gardens, a few cafes and restaurants, and a really good playground. It hosts the Danson Festival every summer which consists of a funfair, various arts and crafts stalls, and musical performances by local artists and is usually headlined by an x-factor-type pop star. It also hosts a large fireworks display in November.

briefings / looking across the water at the mansion

The car park and bicycle racks are located at the top of the park, quite close to Danson House. However, most cycling parkrunners would probably want to secure them a bit closer to the parkrun start/finish - I spotted a fence close by so I imagine that would do the job.

Parking is £3 at weekends and on bank holidays from April until September/October but free at all other times. As of our most recent visit in September 2022, payment was made to a car park attendant stationed on the internal road leading up to the car park (I believe I saw her holding a portable card reader for payment). We arrived at just after 8am and the attendant was not yet on duty, so it appears that if you arrive early enough you may be able to enter the car park without having to pay the fee. Alternatively there are side roads nearby that are free of restrictions.

For those travelling by public transport, there are buses (the 96, 89, 422, B1 or 132) that stop close the park. If you're using a mainline train, you'll be heading for either Welling or Bexleyheath stations - Neither is that close to the park so leave plenty of walking/jogging/waiting for a bus time.

the start

The parkrun start/finish area is directly opposite Danson House, but on the southern side of the lake. So if you have parked in the car park make sure you leave time to walk down the slope and around to the other side of the lake. If you need to visit the toilets beforehand, there are two toilet blocks in the park - some at the entrance to the playground not far from the main car park (you have to go through the small gate as if you were entering the playground - these should be open from 8.30am. There are also some adjacent to Danson House. They are clearly marked on the park maps which you'll find dotted around the park.

It is a two lap course with a couple of fairly gentle inclines and is run in an anti-clockwise direction. It is mostly on tarmac paths, but there are sections on a woodland path, gravel and grass. In the winter, trail shoes would be a good choice as there are places that get muddy. You will also find the course is marked with permanent course markers on the paths (but please note that when the leaves fall in the autumn or if it snows, you may not be able to see them).

the first half of the lap

Thinking back to my first visit here in 2013. Just before the start of the run, the event director, Mel, spotted that I wasn't a regular and came over to say hello which was incredibly kind of him. I got to know Mel a little during the years that followed as he regularly visited my home venue of Dartford and then set up Lesnes Abbey Woods junior parkrun. Sadly he passed away a few years later. He was such a well known and respected man and I know he is very much missed by many other parkrunners who were fortunate enough to meet or know him.

The parkrun meeting point, start and finish are adjacent to the lake, and once the briefings have taken place the participants head east with the lake on their left. Upon reaching the end of the lake, the course takes the natural path around the eastern border of the lake. This path crosses the entry road for vehicles entering the watersports centre, so stay aware here. The course then rises slightly as runners progress along this path, it's pretty gentle and doesn't last too long. At the end of this path there is another left-hand turn into the tree-lined 'Diana Avenue' which leads towards the house. It then offers up a quick left-right which leads onto the path that runs right past the front of Danson House.

woo hoo hill

At this point, participants have a lovely view back across the lake. While glancing back down towards the lake it's worth noting the magnificent 200 year old Oak Tree which stands alone in the middle of the grass between the house and lake - It is the Bexley Charter Oak and is this very tree that features on the borough's coat of arms. The fence and logs have been placed around the tree to protect its delicate root structure.

From here the path drops ever-so-slightly downhill, until reaching a private access road. Here there's a marshal and a right turn right to run on the gravel path up the steeper of the two inclines, this hill has been affectionately named 'Woo Hoo Hill' and you may even be lucky enough to get a 'woo hoo' from the marshal at the corner. There's a slightly narrow point as the course passes around a wooden gate just before reaching the top.

bexley charter oak / woodland section

There is a double left hand turn at the top. Firstly turning onto the cycle lane and past the 'no entry' gate and then left through the second gap in the wooden fence (there was a marshal and another permanent parkrun arrow to show which one) which takes you into the woodland section. This entire section features a gentle downhill. Please note that towards the bottom there are a couple of steps to negotiate.

Once at the bottom, participants bare slightly left and travel diagonally across the grass aiming for a point between the tree and a bin known as Joe's Corner. Here the course rejoins the tarmac path and it is a case of simply following the path and passing through the gate until reaching the start/finish area. Lap two is identical with the finish funnel just off the main path as you return to the start/finish area.

joe's corner and onto the finish

It's another great venue for parkrun and I really enjoyed the course. The only downside for me was the large number of dogs I encountered around the course. Some people are not bothered by them but I feel very uncomfortable running near them, and even more so when they are unleashed (which they all were). I can confirm that in 2022 the park was still very popular with dog walkers. Buggy runners would generally be ok here but I would make a special point to watch out for the steps during the downhill section in the woods.

Once through the finish line there is a line of volunteers scanning barcodes and once that is done the post-parkrun activities can begin. If you are looking for refreshments, there are, I believe, four options within the park. There is a kiosk at the boathouse and this is the main spot for parkrunners and volunteers. There is also another kiosk up at the playground which sells hot drinks, sweets and not much else. Then there are the nicer options - Fleur de The which is located in Danson House or there's a pub called Danson Stables which is located within the Grade II Listed 18th century stable block.

danson house, the stables and the visitor book

I recorded the course with my Garmin and uploaded the file to Strava, where you can view the GPS data in greater detail. I also uploaded that GPS data to the Relive app which created a fly-by video and this can be viewed on my YouTube channel. It's such a brilliant event. The team noticed that we weren't regulars and just like Mel had done nine years earlier, they welcomed us and made us feel very much at home, it's very warming to see that the ethos that he brought to the event is still going strong.

Our most-recent visit (September 2022) was mostly dictated by the death of Queen Elizabeth II just two days earlier and we wanted to go somewhere that had a link to her. So after we'd spent some time in the playground with the kids we had a wander around the Old English Garden before popping into the mansion where the staff were kind enough to let me look at some of their beautiful rooms. I was also fortunate enough to see Queen Elizabeth II's signature in the visitor book, which of course made the morning especially poignant.

Related links:

My GPS data from September 2022

The Relive course fly-by

The London parkrun venues

Dartford Crossing by bicycle

The road that passes through/over the Dartford crossing is the M25 in all but name (officially it's the A282), and as such only suitable for motorway traffic. However, if you are cycling and need to cross the river at this point, they do have a solution. Arrive at one of the crossing control points and you can be transported free of charge across to the other side of the Thames.

Kent - Essex

When approaching the crossing from the southern side of the bridge, cyclists need to head for 'Crossing Control'. The roads leading up to the crossing are not really that cycle friendly, but there are plenty of shared use pavements which will keep you away from the dual-carriageways and motorways. There are a few points where cyclists can join this path and it will take you right down to the crossing.

the start of the shared use cycle path

Upon arrival (10.30am) at crossing control, there is a 'Cyclists wait here' sign. What it doesn't tell you is that just waiting there will not get you a ride across the Thames. For this, you will have to walk around to the back of the crossing control building and pick up the telephone to ask to be collected. After finding this out, I dialled the 'cycle transport' extension number and I was collected within 5 minutes.

the path running adjacent to the motorway

The bike goes onto a rack on the back of a Highways Agency vehicle and is secured with a few straps and a clamp. It all felt nice and secure. Going into Essex, the crossing uses the tunnel and once through the other side, the vehicle takes a private road to get you to the Essex crossing control booth. Here you'll simply jump out, release your bike and continue your journey. 

crossing control (kent side)

I had a great driver and we chatted the whole way. I was very impressed and could not fault anything about the service offered on this occasion.

all secure and ready to go

On the Essex side, there is a cycle path that runs along the edge of the motorway, but I would seriously think twice about using it as it is full of all kinds of random debris, including shards of broken glass. It seems that whoever is supposed to maintain/clean this path clearly doesn't.

Essex - Kent

Arrival (approx 11.55am) at the Essex crossing control booth is via the extremely badly maintained cycle path. However, there is another route which involves going through the adjacent retail park, and while the roads aren't the greatest, they are certainly not filled with the amount of debris that I found on the main route.

the cycle path on the Essex side (full of debris, I'm afraid)

I used the phone to request the vehicle and waited. And waited. And waited. After about 25 minutes I picked the phone up again to remind them that I was still waiting. Again I was assured that someone would be there soon. Another 10-15 minutes went by and a fellow cyclist arrived. He uses this crossing daily to travel between home and work and told me that it is not uncommon to have to wait 40 minutes or longer to be picked up.

the signs opposite crossing control (Essex side)

After a third phone call to the Cycle transport people, they finally sent someone over to collect us. This time the service was a little less friendly, with no real enthusiasm and no chatting. For the journey back across into Kent, I felt like I was a passenger in a racing car rather than in an official highways agency vehicle. I expected a calmer, more relaxed kind of drive from a representative of a motoring agency.

crossing control (Essex)

Something that I did not know about beforehand was that this service is not available at all times of day - fortunately I avoided the times with 'no service'. I found the following trial notice posted at the waiting points (I would draw your attention to where it says 'for the benefit of cyclists' - I think someone will need to explain the benefit of not being able to use the crossing at certain times of the day from Monday to Friday), but I am told that it is now permanent due to them receiving no negative feedback at the end of the trial. This is despite the fellow user of the service telling me that he did give them some well written negative feedback - this is someone that has to use this crossing twice-per-day to get to and from work and he sometimes has to leave home 3 hours before starting work to get to work on time despite only living a few kilometres away.

the revised timings of operation

Despite my initial positive impression of the service, I have been left with on overall feeling that cyclists aren't really welcome here and are an annoyance to some of the staff that have to deal with our requests to cross. Plus, it is clear to me that whoever is in charge has no problem with cyclists that arrive at 9am waiting for 90 minutes before they'll even get a chance to cross - Could you imagine the outrage if they tried to treat motorists this way? And, if the restricted timings mean that cyclists have a more efficient service, how is it that I had to sit in the cold for an hour waiting to be picked up?

This was never intended to be a review of the service, but rather a guide of what to do if you want to use the crossing. The fact that it got sidetracked by a bad experience is unfortunate but something that I can't just ignore.

Beckton parkrun

Please note: There is an updated version of this venue's write-up here - Beckton parkrun 2023

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Beckton District Park is split into north and south sections by a road. The northern section contains a lake with an island, children's playground, basketball court, and areas of natural woodland. Crossing the road and into the north-west corner of Beckton District Park South you will find a 'hilly area managed for nature conservation with wildflower meadow and woods' (thanks, wikipedia).

welcome to beckton district park south

Moving to the south-east corner of Beckton District Park South we find the sports pitches, another children's playground and a small pond. This is the part of the park that has become home to Beckton parkrun. The two parts of the southern section of the park are divided by a car park (free parking for up to 3 hours) and the Will Thorne Pavilion. For cyclists, I'm sorry to report that I didn't see any bike racks, but there is a fence around the playground that would provide a secure position for your bike. The parkrunners meet outside the pavilion and the start of the run is just a few metres away. I couldn't find any toilets, but I have since been made aware (see comments section) that they are in the pavilion and are opened when the run director arrives on the morning.

off to recce the course together

Mainline trains do not pass within a reasonable walking distance to the venue so would only be able to form part of a journey here with the Docklands Light Railway most likely picking up the rest of the journey. The DLR has numerous stations within walking distance of the park with 'Royal Albert' being the closest to the start/finish area. There is also a bus stop right next to the start/finish which is served by the 300 and 376 buses. The park is also within walking distance of London City Airport and every now and then the roar of a plane taking off momentarily demands your attention - I wonder if anyone has ever flown in to run the course.

... and they're off

This is quite a small, close-knit community of runners. The number of runners attending each week usually falls within the 20-40 range and you get the feeling that everyone knows each other here - unlike some of the larger venues where you could attend every week and easily remain quite anonymous. The pre-run briefing was quite a relaxed affair (more of a community discussion, which was nice) but all of the main points were covered. As I was a first-timer, the run director gave me a more detailed overview before we set off.

you pass through here

The course is flat and consists of two slightly different anti-clockwise laps on a mixture of grass and tarmac around the south-east section of the park with each lap having an out and back section along the Beckton Corridor - This is a public foot and cycle path that used to be part of a railway line which served Beckton Gas Works via Beckton Railway Station. The name Beckton was given to the plant and the surrounding area in honour of the company's (Gas Light and Coke Company - GLCC) governor/chairman Simon Adams Beck.

just one of the paths

So. Starting at the pavilion, runners head south on the path adjacent to the road, they cross the Beckton corridor and head onto the grass and past the football pitches to run around the southern perimeter of the park hugging the tree-line. There is a section that passes through some trees, the route then continues along the southern border (but not always still hugging the tree line - see the course map to see what I mean) until it reaches the tarmac path.

the 'out and back' section along the beckton corridor

Upon leaving the grass, runners turn left and follow the meandering tarmac path until it reaches the Beckton Corridor - It is at this point that runners start the out-and-back section which uses a lamp post at the first intersection as the marker for the 180 degree turning point. I was glad to see there was a marshal here because it would be very easy to simply run straight past.

coming back past the pavilion and playground on lap 1

As the 'back' section returns to the park it is a case of turning right and crossing a bridge (it was a bit slippery on the day I visited, but this was highlighted in the briefing and a marshal was on hand to remind us) across the pond before following the path around the northern perimeter which leads towards the pavilion. The runners then follow the left hand path where it splits at the playground, a few metres later the first lap is complete.

the avenue through the park (part of the beckton corridor)

Lap 2 is the same until runners come back from their out-and-back section. This time, instead of turning right at the pond, they head straight on through the centre of the park along the avenue of trees that line the corridor. Once runners reach the main road there is a hard right hand turn onto the grass (take care here - I almost slipped on the mud) and runners now have a straight run towards the finish funnel - bear in mind, the straight line to the finish does not follow the trodden path across the grass!

approaching the finish line

Due to part of the run being on grass I was unsure whether there would be any muddy sections, so I decided to wear my trail shoes to be on the safe side (I didn't want my road shoes soaking up too much water or getting muddy). As it happens I made the right choice as the grass sections were very soft with muddy and slippery sections every now and then. In the summer, road shoes would be fine. I'd also point out that the tarmac isn't always smooth - there are some very uneven surfaces with bumps and ridges, so take care! And for the record, the course is fine for buggy runners.

the finish line on a cold november morning

My run was a strange one. I knew that with it being a small event that I was likely to be near the front, but was nervous about the prospect of leading the field on an unfamiliar course (especially on the grass section which is less easy to follow than a tarmac path). So I stayed behind the initial pack leader (a regular at this venue, I believe) until I was sure that I wouldn't run the wrong way. As I took over at the front, I just hoped that I was running the right way. As it happens, the direction signs and marshals were all wonderfully placed and I didn't get lost. However I never really got into the swing of things and my overall pace was a bit slower than I had hoped to run.

my finishing token

Post-parkrun we decided to head across the road and have a look around Newham City Farm  - it opens at 10am, entry is free and we had a really nice time meeting all of the animals and playing in the playground. (Update: Sadly the farm never reopened after the Covid lockdown, and was formally shut down in February 2022). 

Battersea Park Morunning 5k 2013

The Battersea Park Morunning 5k is now in its fourth year and I have run at every one of them. This time of year the park is looking fantastic as the trees are showing off their autumn colours.

battersea park - the pond and trees

As this is a flat and very fast 5k course, I set myself multiple time goals, with each one progressing a little from the previous.

Goal 1 was the very achievable: Sub-20

Goal 2 was the hopefully in good enough shape for: New course best ( currently 19.37)

Goal 3 was the top end of realistic goals: New personal best (currently 19.18)

Goal 4 was the dream goal should the day turn out perfect: Sub-19

a section of the run

Morunning is part of the whole Movember thing and raises awareness for mens health issues - it is also a time where we are encouraged to grow a moustache, or to use the trendy version - a mo! Something that as I'm not the hairiest of people doesn't come easy to me. Anyway, I tried.

terry collecting his race pack

My friend Terry accompanied me to run this race for the third time, we (me and the ladies) picked him up at 8am and continued on fairly traffic free roads over to Battersea and we were in the car park at about 8.50am. Car parking on Sundays is £2.50 for up to three hours.

my race pack

We had arrived so early because the race packs are not sent out in advance and we had to leave enough time to queue to pick them up and then to attach our bibs and timing chips, then to warm up and have time to visit the toilets. Finally we needed to get near the front of the pack as I didn't fancy starting in the middle of 758 runners, especially as I knew that I'd be finishing quite close to the front.

morunner7t?

This year, as part of the entry fee the runners were all given Morunning headbands and these were given out along with the race pack. I had been looking forward to getting mine so once I had my hands on it, I unwrapped it and popped it on.

mo-tilda

The nice ladies at the registration desk gave my daughter her own race number to wear, so she promptly had it attached to her coat and loved it! Thank you, nice ladies! After the photo was taken we did add here name to the white box, so for the morning so she became Mo-tilda! The marshals out on the course were great and even had some fun signs to hold up!

yes. we do!

The conditions were really good and actually very similar to 2012's race. It was dry with no wind and the temperature was around 7 or 8 degrees - not bad for mid-November when the forecast for the following weeks was for sub-zero temperatures and sensationalist headlines claiming the worst snow in the history of the world was on its way. The bottom line is that everything was in place for a good run.

on my way to the front of the pack

As 10 o'clock approached I hovered around the start pen entrance so I could get right to the front - just after 9.50 we were all allowed to move into the pen, and I'm happy to report that I made it right to the front. By the way, I used my New Balance 1080v3 shoes, which I love.

i'm in there making a funny face

The course that this event uses is a very simple two laps of the park starting and finishing at the band stand. The only part that requires any thought or adjustment of pace is a short (30 metres or so) out-and-back with a 180-degree turn around some cones that you do once on each lap in order to make up the full five kilometres.

another section of the course (cones to separate runners from vehicles)

After a countdown, the horn was sounded and we were on our way. I took off at a strong pace down the opening straight section and was happy to have started without being held up. I could focus on just running as hard as possible. I didn't check my stopwatch until I got to the 2km mark, but I know from my GPS data that my first km was run in a little over three-and-a-half-minutes - this is much faster than the pace that I could maintain for the entire run.

half-way

Fortunately my pace settled after the opening section and I reached the 2km mark in, I think, 7.21, the 180 turn slowed my pace slightly and I hit half-way in about 9.28. After this, I didn't check my stopwatch again until I passed the 2km marker again (so I was at 4.5k-ish) - I knew from here that I'd have about 2 minutes to reach the end...

the end

... the time on my watch at that point showed 17.08 so I knew I'd be finishing close to 19.00 minutes but I would really have to work hard to break into the 18's. I pushed as hard as I could without pushing myself into the vomit zone, as I reached the final 20 metre section I glanced at my watch and saw that I could just about squeeze under 19 minutes so I did everything I could to sprint but there wasn't really much left in the tank.

morunners!

After the race the organisers gave me my participation medal, this year it was shaped like a moustache. I staggered out of the finish area and picked up some water. Post-run bacon sandwiches were given out to all runners, but as I'm vegetarian I passed and carried on over to the timing computer to find out my official time. All you do is type in your race number and your official finishing time comes up on the screen. It also gives you a print-out that's like a little receipt. It was brilliant having my result just minutes after finishing!

result print out

My official chip time was 18.54 and I finished in 14th place out of 758 runners. That puts me in the top 1.8 percent of the runners on the day. According to the running app Strava, I also set new personal bests for 400 metres (1.19), 1/2 mile (2.49), 1km (3.34), 1 mile (5.54) and 2 miles (12.06) during the run. It really couldn't have gone any better. After checking some age grading websites it seems that this finish time means I have broken the 70% age grade. The running for fitness website calculates it as 70.2% and the runners world website gives me 70.16. This means that I am possibly fit enough to run a sub-40 10k.

The full official results can be found here.

the medal deserves its own close up

As usual - a huge thank you to the wife for taking most of these photos to help me tell the story of the day and for agreeing to get up so early to accompany me to races almost every weekend over the last few months. It's a fun little event and I expect we'll be back next year too!

Ally Pally parkrun

There is a newer version of the write-up for this parkrun venue. Pleas see here: Ally Pally parkrun 2024 write-up

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Completed in 1873, Alexandra Palace sits at the highest point of the 196 acre Alexandra Park in North London which were named to commemorate the new Princess of Wales - Alexandra of Denmark, who had recently married Prince Edward. Also known as The People's Palace, it wasn't long before the nickname 'Ally Pally' caught on, and this playful name has been adopted by the parkrun that calls the southern slope of the park home.

ally pally

Ally Pally is a well known entertainment venue and I have visited it a few times over the years. I went to a motor bike exhibition (200?) and a performance by The Strokes (2003) both with my friend Terry ( @rencestar ) and most recently to see Sigur Ros (2008) with my brother and wife. The Palace has had two large fires in its history. The first was just 16 days after it opened in 1873 and the second was in 1980.

view across the old racetrack and cricket ground

So it was fitting that as Terry had a rare Saturday off of work, he decided to accompany me to Ally Pally parkrun for a warm up before the following day's Mo Running 5k race in Battersea Park, which I'd be running for the fourth consecutive year and Terry running his third.

the boating lake

We were in the car and heading along the A2 just before 7am, and despite a half-an-hour delay at Blackwall tunnel following a serious crash, we arrived at the venue with bags of time to spare. There are 1,500 free car parking spaces across six different car parks within park. We headed to the Paddock car park, which seems to have the most straightforward route over to the start/finish area.

yay!

For public transport users, the London Underground will get you as far as Wood Green and the mainline trains take you to Alexandra Palace station - both require a short uphill walk to reach the start/finish area. Like all parts of London, the area is also served by buses but I won't even attempt to outline what goes where. Cyclists looking to secure their bikes will find a few racks in the car park adjacent to the palace but securing it to a tree at the start/finish area would be my preference. The only toilets that I spotted were at the cafe by the boating lake at the top of the park, but I'm not sure what time they open. There doesn't seem to be any information available on toilet facilities in the park.

slightly hazy, but you can still see the city

One of the big draws to the park are its panoramic views over London. You can see into, and beyond, the centre of London, I managed to pick out Canary Wharf and The Shard with ease. Around the park, you'll find a pub and restaurant, ice rink, boating lake, pitch and putt course, deer enclosure and a few cafes.

pre-run briefing

The parkrun course is made up of an 'out' section, two anti-clockwise laps, and finally a 'back' section. It starts on the main avenue that runs across the park. The park is made up of both hilly terrain and flat ground. It's best to think of this run as being on three split levels - The start is on the middle level, you first drop down to the bottom, and then climb right up to the top before doing it all again and finally finish back on the middle level.

the main avenue

The middle level is where you'll find the start/finish area and the main avenue, which is apparently lined with Lime Trees. Watch out for the white gate and metal posts shortly after the start - I was almost taken out by one of the posts because I wasn't concentrating! This section is used as the initial 'out' section and at the end as the 'back' section. Straight after the first left hand turn you'll run past a helipad (look out for the 'H' marked into the grass) - one of the locals that we bumped into had no idea it was here despite living here for years.

helipad!

At the bottom of the course you'll go around the perimeter of the Alexandra Park Cricket Club playing fields, which are housed in the centre of what used to be a horse racing racecourse. It was known as the 'frying pan' on account of its shape. Horse racing took place here from 1868 until 1970 when the track closed down. The racecourse is still easily to identify and a small section now forms part of the parkrun route.

conservation area

There's only one way to get from the bottom level to the top level - Yes, it is time for the climb. After leaving the former racetrack, the route turns into the conservation area and this is where things get interesting. It starts off gentle enough, running along trail paths and across a small bridge. Then it gets a bit steeper, twists found a few corners and then you cross the main avenue. After this point there is a short. sharp, slippery climb that brings you out onto a stony orange path which continues to ascend as you run along the top level of the course.

the bottom of the steep downhill section

Dropping back down, the slope is incredibly steep. So steep that I was constantly braking and couldn't use it to make up for time lost on the up-hills. You'll soon reach the middle level and start lap two. After running two hilly/undulating laps of the park, you'll no doubt be delighted to run back along the flat main avenue towards the cheering bunch of volunteers at the finish line.

ta-da!

To give you an idea of the course speed, as of event 96 (November 2013) no female has ever run sub-20 here and there have only been four sub-17 male runners. The first finisher quite often comes home in somewhere between 18 and 20 minutes. Buggy runners will get round but will find the uphill muddy sections tough.

part of the steep, muddy, slippery up-hill section

Worth mentioning are the conditions you'll find underfoot - there are a mixture of surfaces and some of those surfaces get quite muddy in the wetter conditions. Whilst in the summer you'll be fine in road shoes, in the winter I'd go for trail shoes every time. The organisers could easily have designed a course that stays on tarmac the whole time, but I think they've made a great decision here by using some of lesser trodden paths around the park instead.

the top section

The post-run social takes place in the Alexandra Palace Garden Centre, but me and Terry wandered off to take some photos and didn't make it to the garden centre in time, so we stopped off at the boating lake cafe for a quick cup of Roiboos tea before heading back to our side of the river.

Another great parkrun venue!