Orpington is a town in the London Borough of Bromley with a population of about 15,000 people. Up until 1965 it was part of the adjacent county of Kent, and is still often referred to as Orpington, Kent. The area was once occupied by the Romans and the remains of Crofton Roman Villa, which was at the centre of a farming estate, have been protected and can be visited. The first recorded name of Orpington was as 'Orpedingtune' in 1038, it remained a small farming village until the railways came and made commuting into Central London possible, which ultimately lead to it growing into the town we see today.
As an interesting note, the All Saints Church churchyard has a burial area called Canadian Corner. This contains a war memorial and is unique in the UK for being laid out on the style of the French and Belgian First World War cemeteries. Worth a visit, I think. Over the years, Orpington had a number of manors, and one of these was Goddington. This manor was first recorded during the 13th century. It was owned by Simon de Godyngton whose family held the Manor of Great Chart with the family home a Godinton, near Ashford.
As an interesting note, the All Saints Church churchyard has a burial area called Canadian Corner. This contains a war memorial and is unique in the UK for being laid out on the style of the French and Belgian First World War cemeteries. Worth a visit, I think. Over the years, Orpington had a number of manors, and one of these was Goddington. This manor was first recorded during the 13th century. It was owned by Simon de Godyngton whose family held the Manor of Great Chart with the family home a Godinton, near Ashford.
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| note: photos from old course |
The manor at Goddington was once large enough to cover areas beyond Orpington. In 1893 Goddington House was built and this still stands, but was converted into flats during the 1930s. It has now been renamed Goddington Manor - I wanted to take a photo but it is behind a locked gate. Part of the grounds of the estate now form Goddington Park which is mostly open grass with some clusters of trees. Football and rugby pitches are laid out, and there are a couple of children's playgrounds. On 15 September 2012 it became home to a free, weekly, timed 5k event called Orpington parkrun. It is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk the course.
I first visited this parkrun for the inaugural event and you can read my write-up here; Orpington parkrun event 1. However that original write-up is a little dated and this one supersedes it. I have always driven to the venue and there is a free-of-charge on-site car park which can be accessed from Goddington Lane, which is just off the A224 Orpington By-Pass main road. The car park has a limited number of spaces, so should an alternative parking spot be required the suggested alternatives are Berrylands or Chelsfield Lane - they are both a little further away from the meeting point so allow extra time to walk through the park.
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| note: photos from old course |
Travel by train is possible by using Southeastern trains running between London and Hastings which also call at Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells stations. The natural place to alight would be Orpington station which is approximately two kilometres away from the park, however Chelsfield station is technically a little bit closer. If alighting at Chelsfield, the most direct walking route includes a section of Goddington Lane with no footpath, so it is probably safer to use the slightly longer route entering the lane opposite the Volvo dealership. If travelling by bus, it looks like the closest bus stops on the A224 main road (Orpington By-Pass) are served by the 654, R7, S32 and 654 routes. In addition to those, the north side of the park is served by the R9.
The meeting point for the parkrun is at the Orpington Football Club pavilion and this is located on the southern side of the park about 200 metres away from the car park. This building has toilets and refreshments are available here post-event. The fence around the pavilion is perfectly suitable for locking up your bike if you have cycled over, but there are also a few bicycle racks over at the car park. The briefings take place just before 9am and the parkrun itself starts just on the other side of the treeline, in the open rugby field just to the east of the pavilion.
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| note: photos from old course |
The original route took place over an almost-three-lap course and this was used from 2012 until 2021 when it was changed to a two-lap course which has an additional section at the start to help to make up the full 5k. The surface underfoot is almost entirely grass or dirt paths with just a short section on tarmac, so the most appropriate footwear choice would usually be trail shoes. There are a few sections with tree roots and the course can get quite muddy during unfavourable conditions. As far as the course profile goes, it is not entirely flat, so mildly undulating would probably be the best description. Taking part with a buggy would generally be fine, but if doing so in the winter please note the above regarding tree roots and mud. I would say that overall this course is not suited to wheelchair users.
As mentioned above the parkrun starts in the field just behind the pavilion where there is an initial small lap around the rugby field. With this complete this leaves two identical clockwise laps which take in the full park. The course passes through the gap in-between the pavilion and the trees before heading straight across the grass heading to the east where the participants can enjoy the pleasant vista across the park as they head ever-so-gently downhill. Those with an especially keen eye may spot the tiny glimpse of the olde english, timber framed front of Goddington House through the trees at the far end.
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| note: photos from old course |
Once across the field, the course goes straight across the tarmac path - this path was part of the original course and featured some posts in the middle of the path, so overall from a safety point of view it is probably good that it is no longer used. The route continues across the grass where it turns towards the north and then transfers to the tarmac path section of the course which heads along the northern border of the park and last for about 200 metres (so 400 metres or 8% of the course is on tarmac). Once reaching the small children's playground (next to the Berrylands entrance) the surface changes to the dirt path which heads through a tree-lined section for the next 400 metres - this is where you will encounter some exposed tree roots.
As the course emerges from the tree-lined section the pavilion comes back into view and the loop of this large section of the park is complete. The route then swings through a short single file section which leads back onto the rugby field where the course passes along the northern border and then into another field for a three-quarter loop. This one was a lot more natural and uneven underfoot having quite a cross-country feel, and I expect this to be particularly muddy in the winter. It then re-enters the rugby field taking in the southern side which then completes the full lap. At the end of the second lap the finish funnel can be entered and the 5k is complete.
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| note: photos from old course |
Barcode scanning takes place at the finish and as I mentioned earlier, informal refreshments are available at the pavilion. For the record there is not a proper cafe in the park. I recorded the course using my Garmin and you can find the GPS data for the new course on my Strava account. I also used the Relive app to create a course fly-by video which can be viewed on YouTube. The GPS data and Relive video for the old 2012-2020 course can be viewed via the links at the bottom of this page.
The results are usually processed and published shortly after the event. The current (2024) attendances generally hover around the 120-170 mark, but can dip down into double figures when the conditions are poor during the winter months.
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| note: photos from old course |
An interesting fact about Orpington parkrun is that it is very unlikely to be cancelled so is a safe bet during extreme weather conditions such as snow or ice. As of June 2024 I believe the event has only been cancelled three times (2018, 2019 and 2021), and this was due to a Mini-Soccer pre-season tournament which is held in early September. The tournament still appears to take place, but the parkrun no longer seems to suffer from cancellation.
As always please remember to check if visiting around this time of year. Each time I visit Orpington parkrun I find that I like it a little more, which is a nice way to have things. A huge thank you goes to the volunteers that put the event on.
Related links:
London Borough of Bromley parkrun write-ups:
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| note: photos from old course |
A final important note: The photos currently used in this post were taken in 2018 and are from the old 2012-2020 course. While many of the photos still show sections of the current course, some of them show outdated elements. I plan to revisit in 2024 where I will update the photos to better reflect the new course.
Related links:
- My GPS course data from December 2021 (new course from 2021)
- Relive course fly-by video (new course from 2021)
- My GPS course data (Old course 2012-2020)
- Relive course fly-by video (Old course 2012-2020)
London Borough of Bromley parkrun write-ups:
- Bethlem Royal Hospital parkrun (2019)
- Bromley parkrun (2023)
- Crystal Palace parkrun (2019)
- Hoblingwell parkrun (2017 with 2024 update)
- Orpington parkrun (2024)
