Bug Hunter Waters parkrun

Northstowe is a new town about 8 miles to the north of Cambridge. It was conceived in the mid-2000's to meet the demand for additional housing in the South Cambridgeshire local government district of the historic county of Cambridgeshire. The area was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 where it appeared as the 'Hundred of Northstow' which covered a number of villages and settlements including Long Stanton All Saints, Long Stanton St Michael, and Oakington, reaching as far south as the border with Cambridge where it covered Madingley, Girton, Impington, and Milton. The Northstowe name disappeared when the area's administration was changed to the parish of Chesterton following the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. When the new town was created, the historic name was revived.

As of 2024, the development of the town is well underway and is still years away from being completed, but when it is, it will contain around 10,000 homes, housing 25,000 people, and will be the second largest town in the whole of Cambridgeshire. It will fill all of the land between the villages of Longstanton to Oakington. The land it occupies was partly agricultural and archaeological investigations have revealed that the area contained an Iron Age settlement that was inhabited through the late Roman period.

The majority of the land was previously home to a Royal Air Force base called 'RAF Oakington'. Construction of the base began in 1939 and post-Second World War, the RAF used it as an advanced flying training school. When the school closed at the end of 1974, it became a British Army barracks until the late 1990s. Its final use was as Oakington Immigration Reception Centre, which closed in 2010. Work on creating Northstowe started in 2014 and the first residents moved in in 2017.

On the north-eastern border of the town there are three lakes, and in 2022 a competition was held to name them. The two southernmost lakes are owned by Homes England, the non-departmental public body that funds and manages the whole development. They have been named Unity Lake, to reflect the community coming together, and Halcyon Mere, which takes its name from the Halcyon bird and symbolises the lake's natural tranquillity. The northernmost lake was named Bug Hunter Waters, and this reflects the winner's (a mother and her 4-year old son) joy of catching bugs at the lake.

Bug Hunter Waters, also known as Northstowe Waterpark, is owned by Anglian Water and is used as a balancing facility to help to manage surface water run-off and is key to ensuring the local area, including roads and homes are protected from flooding. Even though it looks like a simple lake, there is apparently a fair amount of technology installed beneath the surface. This means the lake itself cannot be used for recreation purposes, and is left purely for wildlife. There is a pathway around the lake that provides a scenic route where residents can enjoy a stroll while admiring the picturesque view.

On 16 June 2024 the waterpark became home to a free, weekly, timed 5 kilometre event called Bug Hunter Waters parkrun. It is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk, and also to wheelchair users. People running or walking with buggies and dogs are also welcome, but dog owners should familiarise themselves with parkrun's policy on participating with a dog. Participants just need to register for free in advance and ensure they have scannable version of their personal barcode (can be used at any parkrun worldwide) available for scanning at the end. It is also an ideal opportunity for anybody that would like to become involved as a regular or occasional volunteer. We visited Northstowe on 24 August 2024 and took part in event number 11.

For the majority of non-locals, travel to the venue will involve the Longstanton Park & Ride which is located to the west of the venue. If using public transport, the only option that gets you all the way to the venue is a bus. However if you are travelling from further afield using national rail, it is possible to head to Cambridge railway station and complete the journey using The Busway Route A, or Cambridge North railway station and use The Busway Route B. For most of its route The Cambridgeshire Guided Busway uses the path of the former Cambridge to St Ives railway line where the buses are guided along the road by using a special kerbed guidance system to steer the bus. With a total length of 25km, it is the longest guided busway in the world. The bus station is also served by the number 5 and 5A buses.

The park & ride contains a car park which can accommodate 350 vehicles and parking is free-of-charge for up-to 18 hours. This is the official place to park for the parkrun and doing so has been fully endorsed by Cambridgeshire County Council. The only request is that those attending parkrun use the part of the car park that is furthest away from the Busway station - there were signs and a car park marshal in place when we visited. There may be other local places where vehicles can be parked, but it is important that parkrun participants stick to the agreed parking arrangement and do not park on the residential streets. The park and ride also has loads of bicycle parking, with some of it being covered, plus there are a further two bicycle racks within the park next to the start/finish area. Lastly, there are also toilet facilities at the park & ride which should be open from 7am, but please note there are no further toilet facilities within the park itself.

The park can be accessed directly from the park & ride car park and when we visited there was a 'Caution Runners' sign placed at the gate - making it easy to identify. The walk from the entry point to the parkrun meeting area is about 850 metres, so it is important to leave enough time to cover the distance. All you need to do is follow the tarmac footpath until reaching the triangular grass area next to the lake's bridge, where you will find all the usual parkrun paraphernalia and plenty of volunteers milling around. I used my Garmin to record the walk from the car to the meeting point via the toilets so please feel free to take a look if you think it would be useful.

The briefings both take place on this triangular piece of grass and the participants are then asked to move across to the start area in small seeded groups. The first to head over are the walkers (along with the tail walker and any official parkwalkers), and they are followed by the rest of the field in time order with those expecting to complete the course in under 20 minutes heading over last. This system appears to work really well and is very useful given that the start area is only the width of a regular footpath with no usable over-spill (the grass next to the path is on a steep bank).

The parkrun takes place over a two-lap hourglass-style course which is negotiated in a clockwise direction. It is mostly pancake flat but there are some very small changes in elevation at some points around the course - my GPS data reported a total of 5 metres of elevation change over the full 5 kilometres. Underfoot is approximately a 50-50 split between ultra smooth tarmac paths and slightly gravelly country park-style paths (it's probably a hoggin path), so I'd say it will be absolutely fine in road shoes in all conditions. The only section that leaves the paths is the finish line which is set up on the adjacent grass area.

From the start the course initially heads north but gradually turns to head towards the western end of the park, which most people would have already walked along during the walk from the Park&Ride. With this whole area being brand new, the tarmac is crisp, flat and simply a pleasure to run, walk or roll on, and at this point the path is mostly bordered by areas of grass with plenty of young trees dotted along the route. Incidentally, this path was home to a large number of slugs (brought out by the rain, no doubt) and the event definitely felt more like 'Slug Hunter Waters parkrun'. At the very end of the path, the course effectively does a u-turn when it reaches the 'Busway Hairpin', and transfers onto the gravelly path which runs alongside the Busway.

You can't really see the guided busway due to the bushes that line the northern border of the park, but every now and then you may hear a bus wooshing along to the left. This path is split into two sections - the first is mostly straight and is basically parallel to the tarmac path, but rises to a slightly higher elevation. The gravelly bit also feels a bit more natural as it is bordered by short bushes and shrubs. The end of the first section of gravel path is where the course's hourglass shape is formed as the path drops down and rejoins the tarmac for a split second. The second section of gravelly footpath continues the nature theme as it meanders its way along the northern side of Bug Hunters Lake itself.

At the most easterly point of the course the gravelly path has a slight climb and the route returns to tarmac. This path leads down to the most southerly point of the course and then back around to the original start area. However the course takes a quick diversion back onto gravel just before reaching the start area (you don't pass back through the start area), and this then completes the lap. Once the second lap has been completed, participants can then enter the finish funnel which is located on the original triangle of grass where the briefings are held. The barcode scanning takes place just after the finish and once the tail walker crosses the line the team heads over to Northstowe Tap and Social for the post-event refreshments and social gathering. As mentioned above, I recorded the course with my Garmin so feel free to take a look at the GPS data on Strava. There is also a Relive course fly-by video that can be viewed on YouTube.

We visited on the day that Storm Lilan hit the UK, and the official results page shows the number of finishers was 187 at event 11, which was considerably lower than the number of attendees present in the few events prior to our visit. At the time of writing the event had been averaging attendances in the mid-to-high 200's, with around 50% of the field being tourists. Considering the event is only 11 weeks old, the percentage of tourists is still high and considering the event's quirky name, I expect this will remain a popular tourist destination. I should mention that the course was very well marked out with signs and cones placed in all the right places. Overall it is generally a pretty straight-forward course to follow and providing you've had a look at the course map it would be fairly simple to navigate even without the signs. There were also a number of marshals (I think there were 7) out on the course meaning it was never too far between friendly faces.

As far as cancellations are concerned, there is an annual event called Northstowe Festival of Running which started in 2020 as a virtual race, but since 2021 has used the park's paths as part of their race routes so this means the parkrun cannot take place. The festival is usually held at the beginning of September, but the 2024 event fell on the last day of August. I'm not currently aware of any other events that would result in the parkrun cancelling, but I will update this write-up should any come to light. Given a large amount of the course is on tarmac, snow and ice are the obvious weather conditions that could cause a last-minute weather-related cancellation.

For post-parkrun activities the obvious one would be to explore the waterpark and try to find some of those wonderful bugs which give the lake its name. Even after only being established for a short period I hear it is home to lots of them including catepillars, beetles, and maybe even some dragonflies. Sadly there's not really anything else to do in Northstowe itself and the town came in for some criticism in 2023 when it was reported in the press that it had no shops, cafes or GPs. There were plans for a heritage centre but my understanding is this idea was scrapped in September 2023 when the contractor went bust.

However the Busway connects directly to the centre of Huntingdon, St. Ives and Cambridge so there are three easy-to-reach places which also give you the perfect reason for taking a ride on the world's longest guided busway. Although we would have loved to have taken a ride into Cambridge, we didn't have the time to do so on this occasion, so that day-out remains on our post-parkrun to-do list for now. Lastly, I'd just like to extend a huge thank you to all of the volunteers that helped to put the event on.

Related Links:

• Bug Hunter Waters parkrun GPS data (24 August 2024 / event 11)
• The Relive course fly-by video (24 August 2024 / event 11)

• The Cambridgeshire parkrun venues (blog7t page)

• Longstanton Park&Ride to the parkrun meeting point GPS data (24 August 2024)

Malling Rec parkrun

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, with a population of just over 17,000 people. The oldest written record of the town is from the 961 Anglo-Saxon charter where it appears as Laewe. It subsequently appeared in the 1086 Domesday Book as Lewes. Archaeological finds suggest the town may have been founded in the sixth century. There are a few theories regarding the source of the name; it could be from the Old English word Hlaew which means a hill or barrow, another theory suggests it could derive from the Old English word Laew which means a wound or an incision, referencing the town's position overlooking the point where the River Ouse cuts through the south downs. There are further theories, but the truth is that we may never know the true origin of the name.

The location of the town has long been of strategic importance as it stands at a narrow gap in the south downs, giving whoever controlled the position power over the main route from the south coast towards the centre of Sussex and beyond. It is thought the earliest fort to stand in the area dates back to the Iron Age. Following the 1066 Norman Conquest a motte and bailey castle was constructed in the town. It originally had the name Bray Castle, but later became known as Lewes Castle. An unusual feature is that it has two mottes (the raised area) and this is one of only two castles, the other being Lincoln Castle, in England to have this feature. In 1081 The Priory of St Pancras was founded in the south of the town, better known as Lewes Priory, it was the first Cluniac monastery in England and contained one of the largest monastic churches in the country.

The Battle of Lewes took place in 1264 and was a one of the main battles that took place during the Second Barons' War where Simon de Montford went to war with King Henry III, defeating him and briefly becoming the 'uncrowned King of England'. The Priory was surrendered to the Crown following the Dissolution of the Monasteries and subsequently partially demolished, as was the standard practice at the time. The manor of Southover was granted to Thomas Cromwell and was subsequently held by Anne of Cleves. In 1846 the railway reached Lewes, and due its location became a major junction with train lines heading in various directions. When the railway was constructed, it cut right through the remains of the Priory, splitting it in two. The remaining fragments of buildings survive in Lewes Priory Park which is fully accessible to the public. The park also contains a memorial to the Battle of Lewes.

Lewes is on the Prime meridian line and has a few references to this within the town including its very own obelisk which can be found on Meridian Road. The town is also well known for its bonfire night celebrations/ceremonies where in addition to the regular Guy Fawkes-related activities, the town also commemorates the 17 Lewes Martyrs who were protestants burned at the stake in the 16th century. The ceremony involves 17 burning crosses which are carried through the town. One of the town's famous residents was Gideon Mantell who is credited as being the first person to identify a dinosaur fossil after his wife found an Iguanadon tooth. He was also thought to be the first person to systematically collect and attempt to reconstruct their bones. A genus of Iguanadon called Mantellisaurus is named after him. In 1836 Lewes was the location of the United Kingdom's deadliest avalanche, where 8 people were killed. 

To the north of Lewes town centre is the suburb of South Malling and this is where you will find a small area of grassland called Malling Recreation Ground. The park contains a children's play area, skate park, marked football pitches and Malling Community Centre. The centre was originally built in the early 1970s and last refurbished in 2020/21. It contains areas which can be hired for events, sports changing facilities, a cafe and also houses a local centre for East Sussex Children's Services. As of 6 July 2024 the recreation ground has been home to a free, weekly, timed 5 kilometre event called Malling Rec parkrun. It takes place at 9am on Saturday mornings and is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk or volunteer. We visited Lewes on 10 August 2024 and took part in the parkrun's sixth event.

As mentioned above, Lewes has a fairly major rail junction so is very well connected. It is on the direct mainline that runs from London Victoria down to Hastings, Eastbourne and Newhaven on the south coast. It can also be reached directly from Brighton station using trains heading towards Eastbourne and Hastings. The onward walk from the station to the recreation ground is approximately 1 mile of hilly narrow streets and twittens. There are also a number of buses that run between Lewes and the neighbouring towns - most of the buses stop in and around the town centre, but some such as the 28 Regency route, the 127 and 132 stop very close to the recreation ground. If you happen to need overnight accommodation there are a number of B&Bs and Inns around the town, and there is also a Premier Inn.

The A26 and A27 roads are the main routes into the town, and there are a number of parking options. The first would be to use the park's free-of-charge parking facilities, however space is extremely limited and consists of two small parking areas. The main one holds around 20 vehicles and the second one holds about 10. The smaller of the two is marked as being a private car park for the use of visitors to the Malling Community Centre only. Access to the car parks is a little convoluted as the main road is elevated as it passes them and has no direct access, meaning you need to drive around other side roads to reach the car parks. As an alternative, many of the residential side roads to the north and east of the park are free of restrictions. Another option is to use the Tesco superstore car park at the south-east corner of the park, which allows three hours of free parking. Cyclists can secure their bikes to the cycle racks outside the community centre.

The meeting point for the parkrun is right next to the community centre and playground at the northern end of the park. Toilet facilities can be found inside the community centre's cafe, which consists of two unisex toilets so bear in mind that it is likely that you'll need to queue. The parkrun briefings take place on the grass just next to the playground, with the first timers' and tourists briefing being held first followed by the full briefing once the participants have assembled at the start line.

The course at Malling Rec parkrun is a double out-and-back configuration. The surface underfoot is a mixture of grass and trail/dirt/mud and trail shoes are the recommended footwear at all times of year (more detail on this below). My GPS data reported an elevation change of just 15 metres, and the course is almost always completely flat.

Those who wish to take part with a buggy are advised to check with the event team in advance of visiting for further information as the course can become 'waterlogged or very muddy'. Given the surfaces underfoot and the potential for very unfavourable course conditions, I'd say that this course is not particularly suitable for wheelchair users. Those who wish to take part with a dog are free to do so but must comply with parkrun's 'parkrunning with a dog' rules.

The parkrun route starts on the grass with the participants heading towards the north east where just under one complete clockwise circuit of the open grass fields is negotiated. It's a relatively small open space and is bordered by trees which separate it from the adjacent roads and there are a couple of places where the south downs can be seen dominating the distant skyline. The last section of this circuit runs parallel to the River Ouse, but sadly not close enough to actually see the river or admire the view along its banks. In fact the trajectory of this section follows the former path of a raised embankment that carried a railway line, and at this point there is absolutely no sign that it ever existed.

The railway line was constructed in 1858 and connected Lewes to Tunbridge Wells via Uckfield. It was known as the Wealden Line and survived until 1969 when the section between Lewes and Uckfield was closed down due to the construction of the Phoenix Causeway, which was part of the Lewes Relief Road project. The Wealden Line's raised embankment was blocking the route of the new road, so instead of coming up with an expensive or unsightly alternative, the railway line was simply closed and removed. A section of the former railway line is now a public footpath and 7 acre nature reserve called the Old Malling Railway Cutting, and this forms the next part of the parkrun's route.

The course leaves the recreation ground when it climbs up a short, sharp bank and enters the start of the Old Malling Railway Cutting, which is now a 7 acre area of woodland, and also a nature reserve. It is here that you can get an idea of the scale of the embankment that would have once existed. There are a few pinch points at the beginning of this section, and the main thing is to remember to keep to the left at all times. The pathway shortly opens up to reveal the path of the former railway, and to the sides there are steep banks lined with trees. The ground is uneven in places and features lots of tree roots, broken twigs, rocks and, as we were advised during the briefing, occasional pieces of glass (I spotted some, so if you like to participate barefoot, watch out).

The actual surface is dirt, but owing to the tree coverage, it doesn't really get much in the way of sunlight, and as a result the terrain is likely to stay damp or muddy even throughout the summer. In the winter I expect this section to be an absolute mud bath. When the cutting was constructed it made a scar in the landscape and in order for people to pass across it, a couple of Victorian-era brick bridges were installed. They are still in use and the course passes under both of them - they are really cool and I think they'll become quite iconic images in the parkrun world. There is a turnaround point just after the second bridge where participants are sent back towards the recreation ground. Incidentally, at the turnaround point the course is roughly 500 metres away from the Prime meridian line.

The return journey is just a case of retracing the course back in the opposite direction all the way back along the cutting and then dropping down into the recreation ground and following the grass anti-clockwise until reaching the north-east corner where there is another turnaround point. The full out-and-back is repeated and when reaching the north-east corner, the finish can be found back at the start line. Barcode scanning takes place on the grass straight after the finish line and after that refreshments can be obtained from the Lewes Brewcafe in the community centre. An interesting fact is that the cafe serves beer from 9.30am. I recorded the course using my Garmin and the GPS data can be viewed on Strava, the same GPS trace was uploaded to the Relive app and used to create a course fly-by video which you can watch on YouTube.

After the parkrun, we headed off to explore Lewes town centre. We started by crossing the small footbridge across the river where the views upstream and downstream were lovely. There is a seasonal open-air swimming pool called Pells Pool which looks like a great place to spend a few post-parkrun hours when the weather is good. We headed on up and down the narrow hilly streets and twittens where we found Lewes Castle, Gideon Mantell's house, the Town Hall, and the Lewes war memorial before taking a quick pit-stop for a snack. Interestingly Lewes is one of only a handful of towns that has its own currency, called the Lewes pound - it is accepted by over 100 local businesses. We resumed by heading over to Lewes Priory Park where we found the Battle of Lewes memorial and spent some time exploring the ruins of the Priory (recommended). 

The results were processed a short while later and 303 people completed the course at event number six with 35 people being credited as volunteers. Although this was a new course attendance record, it was broadly in-line with the previous attendances which were in the mid-high 200's.

However at the time of writing the event is still very new and the figures are distorted by the high number of curious tourists. I imagine the actual average will settle at a lower figure and I'd expect winter attendances to drop further due to the potentially muddy course conditions which may put some people off. As of early 2025 the event is generally attracting around 100 participants each week.

We had a lovely time in Lewes all thanks to the existence of the parkrun, so a big thank you goes to all the volunteers that made the event possible.

Related Links:

• Malling Rec parkrun GPS data (10 August 2024)
• Relive course fly-by video (10 August 2024)

• The Sussex parkrun venues (blog7t page)

• Meridian Line parkruns (blog7t page)

Morden parkrun

Morden is a town which sits within the London Borough of Merton, in south London, with a population of just under 50,000 people. The town's name comes from Saxon times and is said to mean 'hill in a swampy place' or 'town on the moor'. The manor was recorded in the Domesday book as Mordone and was held by Westminster Abbey. In 76AD the Romans built the London-Chichester road called Stane Street straight through what is now Morden, and that was the first significant human mark on the area, however the Romans are not thought to have had any settlements here.

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the manor ended up in the hands of the Garth family, who in the 1770s built their grand mansion, Morden Hall. The estate, which has the river Wandle running right through it, was subsequently sold to a tobacco merchant in the 1870s and the grounds still contain the watermills where tobacco was ground into snuff. An interesting fact is that snuff is still traditionally kept at the entrance to the House of Commons main debating chamber in a wooden container called The Parliamentary Snuff Box. In 1941 Morden Hall and its grounds were left to the National Trust and entry to the park remains free-of-charge, as was stipulated in the former owner's will.

As the adjacent area of Wimbledon was developed, Morden remained primarily a place of agriculture. It was Morden's switch from a rural district to an urban district coupled with the opening of Morden Underground station that eventually led to the mass residential development of the area. This saw the population grow from just over 1,000 in 1921 to 35,000 by the end of the 1940s. Much of the housing was created on former lavender fields as the St Helier Estate, which followed the garden city design principles. The street names were chosen to reflect the area's monastic history and run alphabetically from the north-west to the south-west of the development. Within the development is St Helier Hospital, which was the birthplace of former Prime Minister John Major. Since 2003 Morden has been home to the largest mosque in western Europe.

We visited Morden to take part in the town's parkrun. However, before I move onto that, this is a good time to mention that this is not the first time Morden has hosted a parkrun. On 6 June 2009 a one-off parkrun took place in the grounds of the previously mentioned Morden Hall, as part of the Wandle Valley Festival. The official Morden Hall parkrun event page no longer exists, but 86 people participated and you can see the results on the RunBritain website (login required). The course consisted of two short laps followed by two longer laps, but the National Trust grounds were deemed unsuitable for it to become a weekly event. I managed to find the GPS data of the Morden Hall parkrun course, so if you are interested I have uploaded it to my Strava account.

The focus of this write-up is Morden Park which opened to the public in 1945 and sits in the very centre of the town. The parkland surrounds Morden Park House which was built for the distiller and merchant, John Ewart in the 1770s, and featured landscaped areas as well as a farm called Morden Park Farm. In fact there was still a pig farm present on the site right up until the late 1940s or early 1950s when it was destroyed by a fire. It was left derelict for a number of years until the site was cleared for the building of Merton College, now known as South Thames College, Merton Campus.

The park features beautifully landscaped, undulating terrain which covers 155 acres with some small areas of woodland and groupings of trees along historic field boundaries. Although it is not visible, the Roman road, Stane Street, apparently ran straight through the park and still exists about 30 centimetres below the park's surface. The recently restored house still stands, where it now serves as the local registry office and a wedding / civil ceremony venue. There is also a playground, paddling pool, multi-sport area, tennis courts, outdoor gym, cricket pitch and a pitch and putt golf / disc golf course - both of these can be used free-of-charge providing you can supply the equipment. However, equipment for playing disc golf can be hired from Morden Leisure Centre, which is also within the park's grounds.

In 2024 the town finally became home to its very own permanent free, weekly, timed event called Morden parkrun, held within the grounds of Morden Park. It takes place on Saturday mornings at 9am over a 5 kilometre route and is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk the course or volunteer. The town is fairly well connected travel-wise and can be reached via Thameslink train services to Morden South which is just across the road from the park. The London Underground's Northern Line terminates at Morden tube station and is about a mile from the park. There are also a number of buses (80, 93, 154) that stop on the A24 outside South Thames College.

We travelled by car and parked in the on-site car park which can be accessed from the A24 which runs along the park's eastern border. The car park has 194 spaces and requires a fee to be paid. As of August 2024 the car park had a payment machine which accepts cash and card, but on the day I visited it would not accept payments by either method, causing quite a bit of stress to other parkrunners. According to the Merton Council website the charges apply between 8am and 1pm on Saturdays. The fee is £1.20 per hour (with the option to pay in 30 minute increments). If parking is required for over four hours there is a flat £7 fee. Payment can also be made via the RingGo app using location code 17312. Somehow the three hours of parking that I requested via the app came to a grand total of £2. For anyone looking to avoid messing around with paid-for parking, I would suggest looking at the side streets to the north-west or to the south of the park. Just remember to leave enough time to walk the extra distance.

Once within the park, the toilet facilities can be found within the Morden Leisure Centre - this is also where the bicycle racks can be found. The leisure centre is adjacent to the car park, but in the opposite direction to the parkrun meeting point. To find the meeting point from the car park, I would advise taking the path that leads directly past the playground, and through the trees directly ahead you will be able to see the rear of a brick structure - this, according to the official park map, is the bandstand, however don't look for a traditional park bandstand because this one doesn't look like that. It is actually a proper stage. The audience viewing area is surrounded by a hedge, and this is where everybody meets. The first timers' briefing is held informally on the grass and the main briefing then takes place from the stage itself, which I thought was pretty cool.

Morden parkrun takes place over an undulating three-lap clockwise course with the addition of a 100 metre start and finish tail. The surface underfoot is mostly grass but there is also a stretch of tarmac. Each lap is 1.6 kilometres in length and the split of grass and tarmac is roughly 1 kilometre on grass vs 600 metres on tarmac, so the overall split works out at 3.2 kilometre on grass and 1.8 kilometres on tarmac. When the ground is dry, road shoes are sufficient, but the course will require trail shoes in unfavourable conditions as the grass surface is likely to become muddy and slippery. Those taking part with a buggy are welcome, but take note of the potential for the course to be a little trickier to negotiate during the winter. This course seems like it would be pretty hard work in a wheelchair, even when conditions are perfect. The elevation change according to my GPS data was 58 metres over the full 5 kilometre course.

With the briefings complete, the assembled crowd squeeze through the small gaps in the hedge and form a start line facing towards the west. The opening stretch is gently uphill for the first 100 metres, but once the route joins the main loop, there is a lovely downhill section which eventually leads to the southernmost point of the course. The park feels very much like being in a country park and the views are picturesque. The mowed grass paths are nice and wide, giving a beautifully smooth surface underfoot. However, keep an eye out for the occasional rabbit hole. The route then heads across to its most westerly point, on the way there is a slight rise followed by a second long downhill.

The western tip of the course marks two separate things. Firstly it is the lowest point of the course, and secondly it is where the 600 metre single stretch of tarmac footpath starts. The opening 250 metres-or-so of tarmac features the route's longest and toughest climb which at its steepest hits a gradient of around 6.7%. The course has been designed in the shape of an hourglass and once back onto grass, the route heads towards the point that can be likened to the neck of said hourglass, where participants briefly pass very close to other parkrunners without actually crossing paths. This is of course expertly managed by a couple of marshals. In fact I think I remember there being seven marshals dotted around the course.

The last section of the lap is one last gradual uphill slope on grass which passes the tumulus (possibly a burial mound) and completes the lap. Once all three full laps have been completed, the course heads slightly downhill across the open grass towards the 'bandstand' where the finish line can be found and the finish funnel channels people back through the gap in the hedge and into the bandstand area where the barcode scanning takes place. By the time we finished (over 50 minutes), the barcode scanners had positioned themselves at the end of the shortened finish funnel, now just a few metres in length. I recorded the course using my Garmin, so please feel free to take a look at the data on Strava if you wish to see the route on the map. I used the Relive app to create a course fly-by video so that may be of interest too.

The park is sometimes used for other events and this can lead to the parkrun being cancelled so remember to check for this in advance on the event's main page or their official social media. A likely regular two-week cancellation falls around the end of June and into the early part of July where a large area of the park is used as a park and ride for fans attending the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Also events such as the 2024 Garage Nation outdoor festival, and the annual Fun Fair and Fireworks Display in November will also most-likely lead to cancellation of the parkrun.

The post-parkrun refreshments take place over at the Better Coffee Corner café in the leisure centre, and it's quite a pleasant spot to relax after the morning's exercise. We had brought some breakfast with us so we used our remaining time to hang out in the playground, which to be honest is quite small and basic considering this is the town's main park. I was almost tempted by a spot of disc golf, but there are only so many hours in the morning.

The results for event 6 were published later that morning and 291 people completed the 5k while 26 were credited as volunteers. At time of writing it is still quite a new event, so the average number of participants is slightly skewed by the high number of tourists. I'd imagine that event 6 showed a more representative figure than some of the previous events, but given that 216 people were first timers who had previously taken part elsewhere (tourists) I imagine the true average may be a fair bit lower. Update: As of early 2025 the event seems to be having regular attendances roughly in the 150-200 range.

Overall it's a lovely park, and we enjoyed our visit. A huge thank you goes to all the volunteers that put the event on and made us feel so welcome.

Related Links:

• Morden parkrun GPS data (3 August 2024)
• Morden parkrun Relive course fly-by video (3 August 2024)

• The London parkrun venues

• Morden Hall parkrun GPS data (6 June 2009 - please note, the original data is not mine)