Greenwich Peninsula parkrun

The Greenwich Peninsula is a 150 acre, tongue-shaped area of land which is surrounded on three sides by the River Thames. It sits in the north-east corner of Greenwich, which is of course in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, south east London. The peninsula was once marshland and at various points in history was known as Bugsby's Marsh and Greenwich Marshes. While the area was marshland, it regularly flooded at high tide and was not particularly useful for human endeavours such as farming. However, during the 16th century the land was drained; this created the perfect conditions for the grazing of animals.

The northern tip of the peninsula is known as Blackwall Point, and it is here in the 17th century that the bodies of executed pirates were once hung in cages as a warning to would-be pirates on passing ships. By the 1690s a gunpowder magazine had been established where freshly milled gunpowder was stored before being shipped elsewhere. This was closed down in the 18th century after local residents petitioned parliament for its removal.

By the 19th century the peninsula had become home to a wide selection of industrial complexes including chemical works, steel and iron works, cement works, an iron boat building yard, the Blakeley Ordnance works and Blackwall Point Power Station. It was home to rope making, soap and linoleum production, and cable making, including the production of the first transatlantic cable. Amazingly undersea cables are still produced here. Dwarfing all of these was the East Greenwich Gas Works which occupied the central and eastern sections of the land. In 1965 the gas works produced 400,000,000 cubic feet of gas, making it the most produced at any single site in the entire world.

In 1897 the Blackwall Tunnel opened, giving the peninsula its first significant transport connection to the centre of London. As the 20th century progressed, the industrial premises gradually started to close down until all that was left was a contaminated, barren wasteland.

In the 1990s the redevelopment of the peninsula began with the headline feature being the Millennium Dome (The Dome) which originally contained an exhibition called The Millenium Experience. Since 2005 it has been known as 'The O2' and this will continue until at least 2027 when the current naming arrangement is up for renewal. Inside the dome you will find The O2 Arena which was the first purpose-built music arena to be constructed in London since The Royal Albert Hall, in 1871. Although not the largest, it is apparently the busiest music venue in the world. Those with a head for heights can buy a ticket for 'Up at the O2' which allows people to walk up to the top of the dome and experience the wonderful panoramic view.

A new riverside footpath was created and a large tube station constructed to provide a top quality transport link to the rest of London. Further development has continued with the construction of parkland, homes, offices, hotels and retail spaces. Permission has been granted for the construction of a new theatre, which at 3000 seats will be London's largest. The area became home to the southern terminal of the cable car in 2012 (currently called the IFS Cloud Cable Car) which links the peninsula to Royal Victoria Dock in East London. A second road tunnel, the Silvertown Tunnel, was opened in April 2025 and with its opening came the introduction of tolls for using it and, for the first time in its 129 year history, this now also applies to the Blackwall Tunnel. 

29 November 2025 saw the peninsula become home to Greenwich Peninsula parkrun. This is a free, weekly, timed, 5km event which is organised by volunteers and is open to all abilities, including those who wish to walk the course, and to wheelchair users. The peninsula is pretty well-connected as far as public transport is concerned, however it does not have its own national rail station. Anyone using national rail would most-likely need to alight and change to a bus or tube to complete the journey. Saying that, the closest national rail station is Westcombe Park and the onward journey in a smidgen under 2 miles. This station is served by Thameslink trains which run between Luton and Rainham (Kent), and Southeastern trains which typically run from London Cannon Street via London Bridge, or from Chatham and Rainham in Kent towards London.

The main public transport option for most would be the London Underground's North Greenwich Station where the peninsula is served by trains running on the Jubilee Line - this of course offers good connections to other tube lines and to Stratford and London Bridge national rail stations. There are occasional line closures at the weekends for maintenance but you can check the London Underground's planned track closures webpage to make sure you don't get caught out. Right next to the station is the main bus hub and this is served by a generous number of buses which include the 108. 129, 132, 161, 188, 422, 472 and the 486. There is also a riverboat service which stops at North Greenwich Pier - the timetable on the Thames Clippers Uber Boat website shows that the RB6 service from Barking, calling at Woolwich and Royal Wharf docks at North Greenwich Pier at 08:13 and 08:43. The first service from the west (Central London) arrives at 09:39, so not a viable option for arrival, but could be used after. It is also worth noting that the IFS Cloud cable car services start from 9am, so again is not a viable option for arrival.

For those wishing to travel by vehicle, there are no on-street parking options for visitors. There are however a few car parks. The most obvious option is to use one of the main O2 car parks (official O2 parking webpage). If going for this option, Car Park 3 is closest to the parkrun meeting point, with car parks 2 and 4 also being decent alternatives. At time of writing (February 2026) these car parks have a fee of £7 for 0-2 hours, rising to £11 for 2-4 hours (and so on). If you spend over £35 in the O2's outlet shopping stores, you can get four hours free parking in car parks 2, 3 or 4 (full details can be found on the link above).

Although it may sound tempting, it is best to avoid Car Park 1 as this is the main event car park and has a completely different pricing structure to the others. At time of writing it can be pre-booked or has a pay-on-the-day flat all-day fee of £40 and is mainly aimed at people attending events in the O2. There is also an official North Greenwich Station car park and this has a flat all-day fee of £17 for people that arrive before 6pm. If you happen to be arriving by coach, there is a bespoke coach parking area with current prices starting from £23. 

The final local car parking option is one that may appeal to anyone that likes free parking. There is a retail park called 'Millennium Leisure Park' which contains an IKEA, B&Q, Odeon Cinema and a few restaurants. You can park here for up-to 5 hours for free, however it is about 2km from the parkrun meeting point. I used this car park and brought a scooter which I used to complete the journey. To be as close as possible to the parkrun, park at the cinema end of the car park. Finally, if cycling, the Thames Path is an official cycle route so the venue can be easily reached from both directions. There are also plenty of cycle racks dotted around with the closest being within Tide Square just behind the red 'Head in Wind' public work of art.

Should an overnight stay be required, Greenwich Peninsula has a few options. The obvious budget option would be to stay in the Holiday Inn Express, and there is also a Radisson RED. There is a pub / hotel called The Pilot which is very likely to be the oldest surviving building on the peninsula which is another option. It sits as part of a row of older houses which were featured as the backdrop in Blur's Parklife music video. For anyone looking for a top-notch experience, there is a five-star InterContinental Hotel right next to the O2. For fans of the purple palace, the Premier Inn Docklands (Canning Town) is just one stop away via the Jubilee Line. There is also a Premier Inn in Woolwich and the 180 bus is the quickest public transport option, however the 161 and 422 will also get you there (albeit via a slightly longer route).

The main public toilets can be found in North Greenwich Station, but other options are in Caspino Cafe (which is the official post-event coffee venue), and in the O2, however it is possible that the O2 toilets may not be open before 9am. The parkrun meeting area is located at Tide Square which is right next to North Greenwich Pier on the eastern side of the peninsula. The area underneath the raised walkway is used as a bag drop, but bear in mind this is at your own risk. Just before 9am a first-timers briefing is held within the square and shortly after this, the main briefing is held. Once the briefings have finished everyone moves onto the main riverside path facing to the south-east in preparation for the start.

The parkrun takes place entirely on the Thames Path which is 100% tarmac underfoot and is completely flat. It is suitable for all types of participants including those with buggies and wheelchair users. As for footwear, standard road type running shoes are perfect for the course all year round. The route is made up of three out-and-back legs taking in the whole of this riverside section of the Thames Path. parkrunners need to keep left at all times and also be aware that the route sometimes uses the bicycle lane, so caution is needed.

The first out-and-back is the shortest where the participants head off from the start line heading in a south-easterly direction with the river on their left-hand-side. This section of the path is split into an upper and lower path, and keeping to the left means the course uses the lower path on the way out. There was significant congestion here during my first visit, so be prepared to potentially have your rhythm interrupted. After 400 metres the first turnaround point is reached and the route switches to the upper path where the participants head back towards the start area.

Once back at the start line, the second out-and-back begins with the participants continuing straight ahead towards the O2. The route very simply follows the Thames Path as it works its way around to the northern and then western side of the O2, passing through the area known as Blackwall Point. For the entire 'out' section the parkrunners are technically in the bicycle lane. It is during this section that the course actually crosses the Meridian Line four times (twice in each direction). At time of writing this is one of only two parkruns whose course crosses the meridian line.

Towards the end of this section the course reaches the drawdock and the path turns to the left which is where the turnaround point is found. This is at the 1.8km point of the course and the route then heads back along the path but now not in the cycle lane. In total the second out-and-back is 2km in length and by the time this section finishes the parkrunners have negotiated 2.8km of the course.

The 3rd and final out-and-back is 1.1km in each direction making it the longest of the three. It starts by following the same lower path as the first out-and-back, but continues all the way along the Thames Path until reaching the Greenwich Yacht Club where the final turnaround point can be found. An interesting feature about the yacht club is that its clubhouse is the only building in the River Thames that is raised on stilts above the water. Again there are sections where the course uses the bicycle lane. Once back at the original start area the finish line can be found on the left-hand-side. The post-finish-line funnel works its way up a ramp and into Tide Square where finish tokens are handed out and the barcode scanners can be found.

There were of course marshals out on the course, notably at the turnaround points with others positioned where the upper and lower paths merge. They did a fine job managing such a large number of people. The course is also quite sociable as you get to greet fellow parkrunners as you pass. I recorded the course using my Garmin and the GPS data can be found on my Strava account. That data was also used to create a Relive fly-by video which can be viewed on YouTube. 

There are a few public works of art to look out for on the way round. The biggest and most striking is Damien Hirst's 'Demon with Bowl' which stands at 60ft (18.2 metres) tall which along with 'Hydra and Kali' and 'The Mermaid' form part of his 'Treasures of the Wreck of the Unbelievable' series. The series are the finds from a fictitious shipwreck and there is a mockumentary on it which can be watched on YouTube. Another one to look out for is Anthony Gormley's Quantum Cloud. I also quite like the quirky artwork called 'Here'. It takes the form of a standard UK road sign with the distance 24,829 miles written on it, which is the exact distance you would have to travel around the globe to return to this exact point. It is definitely worth taking some time to view them and all the others on the Art Trail. 

The course also passes under the cable car plus there are views of the Thames Barrier, Canary Wharf, and even the ArcelorMittal Orbit at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sadly, due to being so close to the O2 you don't get to take in a proper view of the entire thing, but it's pretty cool parkrunning past it anyway! If you are feeling nostalgic you may even be able to spot the roofs of the ExCel Exhibition Centre and City Hall (aka The Crystal) which are of course familiar landmarks for anyone that visited Victoria Dock parkrun before its closure was confirmed in early 2026. It is also on the flight path for London City Airport so low flying aircraft are a common sight. 

In terms of numbers of attendees to expect here, this is shaping up to be one of London's destination venues so is likely to attract a fair number of tourists. This event was well-publicised long before it started and that led to event 1 setting a new UK parkrun inaugural record of 925 people (this record was taken by Nottingham's Holme Pierrepont parkrun seven weeks later). I first took part here at event number 8 which had a total of 760 finishers. Once the number of attendees settles I will update this section to better reflect the numbers.

As far as potential cancellations are concerned, I would imagine that the biggest risk is probably ice or snow creating a slippery surface during the winter, or some kind of closure of the path for maintenance or something similar. The event's first cancellation was on 3 January 2026 and the reason given was indeed icy patches, so be sure to keep an eye on the event's social media when icy conditions are forecast.

The official post-event refreshments venue is Caspino which is just next to the meeting area in Tide Square. However there are a large number of other options for a post-event breakfast including most of the major coffee shop franchises. The O2 itself opens at 10am and has a Wetherspoons (The Stargazer) which of course gives the option of a reasonably priced breakfast. It also now contains a selection of retail outlet stores, so that may be of interest to some. I will also note that the cable car is free-of-charge for parkrunners who present their barcode before 10.30am, so it's worth taking advantage of that if that sort of thing is your cup of tea. 

I think it is safe to say that Greenwich Peninsula parkrun will remain a very popular parkrun venue. A big thanks goes out to all the volunteers who continue to support the event and made all the visitors feel so welcome on the day. 

Related links:

• Greenwich Peninsula parkrun GPS data (event 8 / 31 January 2026)
• Relive course fly-by Video (event 8 / 31 January 2026)

• The full results history page

• Millennium Leisure Park car park to the parkrun meeting area GPS data (scootering)

• Meridian Line parkruns (blog7t page)

• The London parkrun venues (blog7t page)

Whitecliffe Lake parkrun

The area of Ebbsfleet sits in the north-west corner of Kent. It's history as a settlement goes back to the stone age. The area takes its name from a small river, called the Ebbsfleet River (formerly known as the River Fleet) which rises at Springhead, where there are eight springs. This unusually high number of springs led to the site becoming sacred to the Celts who settled here c. 100BC. It was also the site of the Roman settlement of Vagniacis which featured a number of temples. In 1808 the river became Britain's first centre of the commercial cultivation of watercress.

Ebbsfleet and its immediate neighbours, Swanscombe and Northfleet have a long history of being quarried for gravel and chalk, which led to a large cement industry being established in this part of Kent. Once the excavations had finished a number of vast pits remained and these are slowly being redeveloped. The one that most people will be familiar with is now home to Bluewater Shopping Centre, while another is called Barnfield pit, where the famous Swanscombe skull and numerous other artefacts, such as hand axes, were found.

In 2014 the Government announced that the first new Garden City in 100 years would be built in the area of Ebbsfleet, expanding on the Ebbsfleet Valley development from 2005. The project, which is still ongoing and due for completion in 2033, is redeveloping a patchwork of 2,500 acres of previously used brownfield land which includes some of the former pits, notably the Eastern Quarry, which has been renamed as Whitecliffe. Within the quarry are three new villages called Castle Hill, Ashmere and Alkerden. In total 6,250 new homes are being built in Whitecliffe as well as schools and all the other usual amenities. 30% of the land has been set aside as open space, featuring playing fields, allotments, sports pitches and a brand new natural space called Whitecliffe Lakes.

In November 2025 the development became home to a free, weekly, timed, 5 kilometre event called Whitecliffe Lake parkrun. Like all parkruns it is a volunteer-led community event and is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk the course. The event is nestled within the Castle Hill area of the development and the lake is flanked by chalk cliffs to the south. Beyond the cliff is the A2 motorway but the terrain and trees block the vehicle noise completely, leaving the park as a peaceful, scenic place to spend some time.

Ebbsfleet does of course have its own 'international' train station, but the international trains, ie Eurostar, have been suspended since the 2020 pandemic and although there is talk of services returning, it is yet to happen. The station is still served by Southeastern High Speed trains running between London St. Pancras and Faversham, Ramsgate and Margate. The onward walk is around 1.3 miles or it is possible to take the E Fastrack bus and have a 0.3 mile walk at the end. I would note that the high speed services are more expensive than the standard trains.

There are also two more train stations fairly close to the venue which are served by regular Southeastern trains (not the expensive high speed ones), namely Northfleet and Swanscombe which could be used as alternatives. Northfleet is a tad closer as the crow flies, but the onward walking route is an indirect 1.9 mile long route. If using a train on this line, I would alight at Swanscombe which is an approximate 1.5 mile walk. Both of these stations are served by the 480 bus and stop roughly 0.9 miles away from the venue. 

When it comes to driving, there are permit-only parking restrictions in place across the entire development so you can't just park on the side roads or in residents' spaces. The official car parking option is to use the Castle Hill Community Centre car park which is free-of-charge and has a three-hour time limit. It contains around 70 spaces so is likely to reach its capacity every week. There are a few marked roadside spaces dotted around the area where parking is possible, but these also have restrictions which may be even more restrictive than the main car park including no parking after 10am, so I would advise carefully reading the information signs if considering these options.

Further away car parking alternatives would be to park to the north in Swanscombe and walk (approx 0.6-1 mile) but please note that the Swanscombe streets are generally quite narrow and there is barely enough space for residents to park. Ebbsfleet International Station has a large car park which can be used for a fee. You also have the option of parking in Bluewater Shopping Centre for free but the onward walk is likely to be over 2 miles (it may be shorter once the building work has been completed). The E Fastrack bus is also an option from Bluewater.

There are no general toilet facilities in the vicinity. The local cafe which is used for the post-event social does have a toilet but it is for customer use only and should not be relied on pre-event. I have also been made aware of some toilets in the community centre, but again should not be relied on. A sensible option if a toilet is required beforehand would be to pop into Bluewater Shopping Centre on the way. Also, Ebbsfleet International Station has toilets in the main booking hall and these are advertised as being open 'during staffing hours'.

The meeting point for the event is at the southern end of the development, just next to the lake at the Platinum Jubilee Lakeside Park, where there are ten bicycle racks, a couple of table tennis tables and also a small children's play area. There is a raised step adjacent to the lake which is ideal for leaving jumpers and water bottles (at your own risk of course). The first timers' briefing takes place at the meeting area and the participants then cross the bridge where the start line can be found. The main briefing takes place at the start area.

The parkrun takes place on a mixture of surfaces including tarmac/brick and gravel paths. Road shoes should suffice at all times but it is possible that during the winter some people may prefer to use trail shoes. Overall the course is flat but there is an incline to negotiate at the end of each lap. The laps are effectively clockwise and participants generally need to keep to the left at all times. It is suitable for participants with buggies and it seems to be OK for wheelchair users too, but please note the incline/decline and the loose ground surfaces which may add to the challenge.

The path that goes around the lake is not currently finished so the current almost-two-lap route features a couple of out-and-back sections instead of a full loop. However once the building works have been completed there will be a fully connected loop and my understanding is that the parkrun course will be adjusted to make full use of this. It is possible that a proper looped course may end up being three laps, but that is purely speculation on my part based on a bit of investigation using online mapping tools.

From the start the parkrunners head to the west along the first out-and-back which is directly beneath the cliff. There are warning signs for falling rocks, but the path is (hopefully) far enough away from the cliff for this not to be a major risk. The surface on this path is quite loose gravel where you will most likely hear the 'schh schh' sound of your footsteps displacing the small stones, some of which managed to get inside both mine and my son's shoes. The path is lined with trees and bushes, and it simply meanders gently until reaching the first turnaround point. The return section is not 100% the same as the 'out' as there is a small diversion onto a separate path with heads directly along the side of the lake for a short stretch.

Once back at the original start area the course turns to the left and crosses the bridge. The surface of the bridge appears to be made from a decking type of wood which feels like it could become slippery when wet. The second out-and-back section starts once the bridge has been crossed, where underfoot is another type of loose surface, possibly hoggin. This surface is not quite as loose as the first path. There is another small diversion to take on this side of the lake which involves leaving the path and doing a small loop on a pier/jetty type structure which has the same surface as the bridge - as this features a turn the risk of having a slip is a little higher than on the main bridge.

Returning to the main hoggin path, the course simply continues until the turn-around point is reached, and the return journey stays on the path (no diversion this time). Once back at the main meeting point, the surface changes to hard standing, largely laid bricks and the course takes a turn to the left where the incline can be found. It is fairly short and the entire 'up across and down' section can't be much more than 100 metres in total. Once back at the bottom the course passes through the meeting area and heads back across the bridge where the second, identical lap begins. At the end of the second lap the finish funnel can be found at the main meeting area immediately after reaching the bottom of the hill for the second time.

Barcode scanning takes place at the main meeting point just after exiting the finish funnel and once everyone has finished, the post-event refreshments are at the Blue Bean Coffee Co. which is next to the community centre and the car park. An interesting fact is that it was the owner of the cafe that submitted the initial proposal to parkrun HQ for an event at this location, so I'm sure they'd be over the moon to welcome as many parkrunners as possible. The Blue Bean Coffee Co. is more than just a cafe, it often stays open late in the evening and hosts live music and quiz nights, so is a really important hub for the newly formed (and expanding) local community.

In terms of expected numbers of attendees, this write-up is from event 3 so the attendance figures are still quite inflated due to curious tourists. I'll update this once things have settled down. There were 309 finishers and 38 volunteers on this occasion, but you can of course check the weekly figures on the main event's results history webpage. I recorded the course using my Garmin so feel free to take a look at the data on Strava. I also used that data to create a course fly-by video using the Relive app. 

As far as possible cancellations go, I would expect the biggest risk will be the surface of the bridge and pier/jetty becoming slippery when the conditions are frosty or icy. In fact this was the reason behind the event's first cancellation (20 Dec 2025). The only events I am aware of that may affect parkrun are the Ebbsfleet Fusion Festival which has previously taken place in July and the Magical Winter Festival which was held in February 2025, both have been held on Saturdays in the Platinum Jubilee Lakeside Park, but I have no idea if they will take place in future years.

As for things to do post-parkrun, the immediate area is mostly residential but there are a few public works of art dotted around. The ones that are easiest to find are The Ghost Follies of Castle Hill, which are next to the lake and are a nod to Castle Hill's past as the site of an Iron Age hillfort. All the art pieces tell part of the story of the area so look out for the Foraging Pigs, The Chalk Stack, The Homecoming, and my favourite, The Straight Tusked Elephants, which commemorates the discovery of prehistoric Mammoth remains in the Ebbsfleet Valley.

Overall Whitecliffe Lake parkrun is another fine addition to the collection of parkruns in Kent. I'm fairly local and as I already spend a fair amount of time in the Swanscombe area (volunteering at Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun) I imagine this will become a venue I visit regularly. I'm especially looking forward to the lakeside path opening fully and I think a revised course using the full looped path will be even better than the current one.

Finally, a huge thanks to all the volunteers.

Related Links:

• Whitecliffe Lake parkrun GPS data (the course - event 3)
• Whitecliffe Lake parkrun fly-by video (the course - event 3)

• The Kent parkrun venues

Also...

• Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun (blog7t write-up)

Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun... in Minecraft!

So, yeah. I sometimes play Minecraft with the kids, With the kids!! haha! Who am I kidding???? Yeah, the kids sometimes play Minecraft with me. Anyway, I did a Minecraft/parkrun thing and here is a little video I knocked together to share it. Sadly it is not on a Realm or anything fancy like that.

Now you'll have to come over and see it in real life to judge whether I did a good job of recreating the park in Minecraft!

Remember to LIKE, COMMENT and SUBSCRIBE, and RING THAT BELL!!

(I don't really mind about all that stuff, but the kids say it and I thought it sounded fun).

Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun reports

Links to all of the reports I have written for Swanscombe Heritage Park junior parkrun


June 2024

• 09/06/2024 - Event 14 report

July 2024

• 07/07/2024 - Event 18 report

February 2025

• 09/02/2025 - Event 45 report

March 2025

• 09/03/2025 - Event 49 report (1 year anniversary)
• 23/03/2025 - Event 51 report

April 2025

• 06/04/2025 - Event 53 report
• 20/04/2025 - Event 55 report

May 2025

• 04/05/2025 - Event 57 report (Star Wars Day)
• 11/05/2025 - Event 58 report

June 2025

• 01/06/2025 - Event 61 report
• 08/06/2025 - Event 62 report
• 22/06/2025 - Event 64 report
• 29/06/2025 - Event 65 report

July 2025

• 06/07/2025 - Event 66 report
• 13/07/2025 - Event 67 report
• 20/07/2025 - Event 68 report
• 27/07/2025 - Event 69 report (Oasis, Black Sabbath, Wimbledon tennis and F1)

August 2025

• 03/08/2025 - Event 70 report
• 10/08/2025 - Event 71 report
• 17/08/2025 - Event 72 report
• 31/08/2025 - Event 74 report (Kpop Demon Hunters)

September 2025

• 07/09/2025 - Event 75 report (co-written with my daughter)
• 14/09/2025 - Event 76 report
• 28/09/2025 - Event 78 report (co-written with my son)

October 2025

• 05/10/2025 - Event 79 report
• 12/10/2025 - Event 80 report

January 2026

• 09/01/2026 - 2025 Stats Round-up

Thurrock parkrun, Orsett Heath

Thurrock is a unitary authority area with borough status within the ceremonial county of Essex, with a population of around 176,000 people. The word 'Thurrock' is either from the Saxon or Middle English word Thurrok (þurruc) and means 'the hold of a ship'. It can also mean a 'dung heap' which is of course a large pile of dung (or the solid waste from animals such as horses or cows). Its use as a local place name can be traced back to an Anglo-Saxon estate called Turroc.

When most people hear the name Thurrock, they would probably associate it with one of two things; its famous shopping centre and retail park Lakeside, which is the eleventh largest shopping centre in the country, or the Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing (commonly known as Dartford Crossing), which forms part of the London orbital road.

The southern border of Thurrock is defined by the path of the River Thames, and this is the most-densely developed part of the borough where its largest town, Grays can be found along with a large number of industrial premises and distribution centres. In fact there are two oil refineries and one of the country's largest refuse disposal sites here. Its proximity to the River Thames and the M25 means the chemicals and products produced here can be easily transported around the country or indeed the world. It is also home to the famous Port of Tilbury which serves as the principal shipping port for London.

Thurrock also has quite a surprising connection to the film industry, with 'Four Weddings and a Funeral', '28 Days Later', 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade', 'Batman Begins', and 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' all having scenes filmed at various locations within the borough. Purfleet, which is in the far west of Thurrock, is where Bram Stoker's Dracula had an estate and was shipped there in 50 boxes of earth from his Transylvanian castle. Its attractions include Tilbury Fort and Coalhouse Fort, which are former artillery forts on the Thames and Grays Beach.

The borough also contains a large amount of green space including parks such as Thameside Nature Park, Langdon Hills Country Park and Belhus Wood Country Park, a few villages and farmland. The villages that are of most interest to this write-up are Orsett Heath and Chadwell St Mary. What are now residential areas were once part of a large area of farmland, heathland and woodland which included Orsett Heath, Chadwell Heath, Hangman's Wood and Terrel's Heath. Parts of Orsett Heath were also used for gravel extraction around the turn of the 20th century.

The land around the villages that has not been developed is largely still in use as farmland, however there is a section of Orsett Heath and Terrel's Heath which is known as Chadwell Recreation Ground. This open grass area with some remaining elements of heathland features a number of different sections which sit nestled between the adjacent sections of housing. Its western border is flanked by the A1089 (Dock Approach Road) trunk road. There are some marked sports pitches, a small unenclosed children's play area and an unenclosed basketball court plus another large flat concrete section which I can only assume is the remains of a c.1960's sports facility.

On 10 October 2015 the recreation ground became home to Thurrock parkrun, Orsett Heath which is a free, weekly, timed 5 kilometre event that takes place on Saturday mornings at 9am and is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk. Like all parkruns it is run entirely by volunteers and as such offers opportunities to lend a hand in a variety of roles on a regular or ad-hoc basis. This write-up is from my second visit to the event which was on 11 January 2025 at a cold and beautifully frosty event 416. My first visit was on 26 March 2016 where I took part in event 24. The original write-up felt a little dated, so this one supersedes it.

When visiting to take part in the parkrun you need to head towards the northern section of the recreation ground which is just off Heath Road. The best marker to look out for is the building with the pyramid-shaped roof which is known as The Pyramid Centre or The Pyramid Resource Centre and Scrap Store, it is home to and run by the Thurrock Play Network. There is a free-of-charge car park adjacent to the building which I estimate can hold around 80-100 vehicles. Marshals are present within the car park before the event and they ensure vehicles are parked in the most efficient manner.

For those travelling via public transport the closest National Rail station is Grays which is about 2.8 miles away. The station is served by c2c trains on the London to Tilbury and Southend line. It looks like the easiest way to complete the journey would be by taking the 83 bus to Heath Lane (alighting at the Loewen Road stop) and this leaves a 0.3 mile walk to reach the parkrun meeting point. Other bus services that stop nearby are the 100, 200 and 475 but these stop further away and will require a longer walk of around 0.6 miles. I didn't see any proper bicycle racks but there is a small metal fence around the car park which you could secure a bike to.

Should an overnight stay be required there are some hotels dotted around the local vicinity. If you fancy a treat there is the 4-star Orsett Hall Boutique Spa Hotel which is approximately 2.5 miles away by road. The original Orsett Hall was completely destroyed by a fire in 2007 and replaced with an almost identical replica in 2009. There are of course a few other independent local options. Those who prefer the familiar setting of the chain hotels have a few nearby options. The closest cluster can be found in Thurrock near Lakeside Shopping Centre. This is home to two Premier Inns, two Travelodges, a Best Western and an Ibis.

There are toilets located in the Pyramid Centre which are available to those attending the parkrun and they were open well in advance of the parkrun start time. They are fairly basic, and although they (the gents, at least) had sinks with soap, the only hand drying facilities were some towels which I couldn't bring myself to touch. The meeting point along with a tarpaulin bag drop and the start/finish area are all located next to the car park immediately adjacent to the main road. The briefings take place here shortly before the event gets underway.

The parkrun takes place over a two-lap clockwise course and the surface underfoot is 100% off-road with the majority being grass. Trail shoes are my preferred footwear at this venue, but road shoes will suffice during the drier times of year. It's a flat course, but be aware that the ground is a little bumpy in a few places. The course is essentially flat and my 2025 GPS data recorded just 9 metres of elevation gain over the 5 kilometre course. Participants with buggies should be absolutely fine here, but I'd say it's not the ideal course for wheelchair users. The recreation ground is quite exposed and offers little to no respite during poor weather conditions.

The course is very easy to follow as it largely sticks to the perimeter of the recreation ground and I can't imagine any point where you could take a wrong turn or get lost. From the start the course heads in a southwesterly direction where it passes over some slightly bumpy ground on the way to the first corner where it turns to head directly south. Up ahead is a brick building which marks the next corner and upon reaching it the course turns to head east. The basketball court can be seen to the right and a random scattering of children's play facilities follows shortly after. The only point where the course leaves the perimeter is when it cuts across the grass field and heads across to the opposite side.

Through the trees it is possible to see St Mary's Cemetery which is notable for containing 36 War Graves Commission graves from the Second World War and the grave of a local resident who died in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York. The course runs alongside the cemetery and then continues heading to the west as it passes the back gardens of the adjacent houses. Turning to head northwards, the general theme of the course changes as it heads through a passageway between outcrops of trees and then through another bumpy section which feels more like heathland.

The points where the course changes direction are generally marked with small colourful saucer cones and there are marshals strategically positioned on some of the corners. You may also notice that the route has permanent direction signs. They were installed by Thurrock Council and feature the Active Thurrock branding. One of the signs has a map of the course and a link to the parkrun website. Very handy for anyone planning to complete a freedom run/walk on the course.

The final part of the lap follows the natural dirt and grass path alongside the adjacent Farm Road and then Heath Road which is lined with evenly spaced trees. This leads back towards the start area which completes the lap and this is followed by a second, identical lap. At the end of the second one the finish line can be crossed. Barcode scanning takes place at the meeting point and finish tokens are then placed in the event's bespoke wooden token holder. The Pyramid Centre is the location for the post-event refreshments. Options are limited but the prices are extremely reasonable and any money spent here goes towards the Thurrock Play Network's community work.

The results for event 416 were published later that morning and 180 people took part, with approximately 10% of the finishers (including us) having largely walked the course. 20 people were recorded as having volunteered in some capacity. The weekly attendances are usually in the region of around 150 participants, but that figure appears to be on the rise as, at the time of writing, the top four most-attended weeks had all occurred within the last few months. The attendance record stands at 195 and this was set in October 2024. I recorded the course using my Garmin and the GPS data can be viewed on Strava. The same data was used to create a course fly-by video using the Relive app. For the record the course is identical to the one used during my first visit in 2016.

As far as cancellations are concerned, the event tends to be fairly hardy. The off-road surface means that frosty and icy conditions do not tend to cause the same problems as they would for a tarmac course. There are very few trees so the risk of one falling during stormy conditions and causing a problem is minimal. I can only find one occasion where the event has been cancelled and this was 3 March 2018, which was during the Beast from the East snowstorm where the temperatures were -11 and the lying snow made it difficult to judge the ground beneath, especially on those bumpy sections. So overall it is a pretty safe bet during extreme weather conditions.

Thurrock parkrun is one of those events where a no-frills venue comes to life thanks to the efforts of the local community. There's a wonderful close-knit community feel and everyone we spoke to was extremely welcoming. It's an off-the-radar kind of event, but it's certainly one worth visiting. I'd like to end by adding my thanks to all of the volunteers that made the event possible.

Related Links:

• My Thurrock parkrun GPS data (11 January 2025 / Event 416)
• The Relive course fly-by video (11 January 2025 / Event 416)

• The Essex parkrun venues

• My original 2016 Thurrock parkrun write-up

Roundshaw Downs parkrun

Roundshaw Downs is an area of chalk down located mostly within the suburb of South Beddington, which is part of the town of Wallington, in the London Borough of Sutton. It sits to the west of the busy A23 road which links London to Brighton. Historically the area was used as farmland but at the beginning of the 20th century it became home to Beddington Aerodrome, which was established in order to protect London during the First World War. In 1917 National Aircraft Factory No.1 was constructed and the Airco DH.9 (known as the de Havilland DH.9 from 1920) biplane was produced here. Waddon Aerodrome was established adjacent to the factory, primarily as a place to test new aircraft.

Winston Churchill, who at the time held the positions of Secretary of State for War and Secretary of State for Air, visited regularly and also took flying lessons here in 1919. He had a pretty nasty crash onsite when the plane he was flying had a malfunction causing it to crash into the downs at around 50mph, luckily he and his instructor both survived.

In 1920 Beddington and Waddon Aerodromes were handed over for use in civil aviation where the newly combined site operated under the name London Terminal Aerodrome, Croydon. At this time the airport became home to the world's first Air Traffic Control Tower. In 1923 the 'Mayday, Mayday, Mayday' distress signal was first used after it was created by the airport's Senior Radio Officer, Frederick Mockford. Following the passing of the Croydon Aerodrome Extension Act 1925, the airport was enlarged and many state-of-the-art features were installed. This included the world's first purpose-built airport terminal and airport hotel, plus an upgraded Air Traffic Control Tower and hangars.

Being at the forefront of aviation meant that the airport played a role in many record breaking flights. Among these were Alan Cobham's 15-day return flight to Cape Town, South Africa, in 1926 which earned him a knighthood, and Bert Hinkler's 1928 flight to Darwin, Australia which took 15.5 days. The record for flying between Australia and England was lowered to 12 days when Charles Kingsford-Smith landed at Croydon in July 1929. Charles Lindbergh visited the airport in his plane a few days after becoming the first person to fly from New York to Paris - he was greeted by 100,000 people. The most-famous of all the record breaking pilots was Amy Johnson who, in 1930 took off from Croydon on her way to becoming the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. It took her 19.5 days. She stayed in the airport's hotel the night before where she reported an awful night's sleep due to the sound of all the traffic on Purley Way.

The airport was again used by the military during the Second World War where it was renamed RAF Croydon. It also became home to RAF Transport Command whose main role was to transport thousands of troops to and from mainland Europe. The aerodrome apparently used eight different names throughout its existence, and once the Second World War was over its use reverted to civil aviation where it was known as Croydon Airport. It served as London's main airport until the lack of expansion opportunities meant that Heathrow took over this role shortly after the war. Croydon Airport finally closed down in 1959. During the 1960s part of the land in the northwest corner of the airport was redeveloped into the residential area and park called Roundshaw.

The rest of the former airport's land to the east and south was left unattended for the next 30 years, and in this time nature thrived. In 1993 the area was formally renamed Roundshaw Downs and declared a Local Nature Reserve the following year. The name Roundshaw is noted on old maps as 'Round Shaw' with the 'shaw' being a natural strip of woodland that is often used as a boundary. In fact the area featured quite a number of 'shaws'. The one that the area and parkland takes their name from was a circular outcrop of trees, hence the 'round' part of the name. A berm, constructed in 2011, runs through the parkland and this marks the boundary between Sutton and Croydon. It follows the former path of a much larger section of raised ground known as the Mere Bank which was flattened during the construction of the airport. It is thought that it may have originally been a Roman Road.

Roundshaw Downs covers an area of 38 hectares of land located mostly within the London Borough of Sutton, but the grassland on the eastern side of the berm is technically located within the London Borough of Croydon. The downs are largely left in their natural state, and apart from the grass and dirt footpaths there are no on-site facilities at all. In 2012 a large central area was enclosed and this is reserved for the five Sussex Cattle that permanently live on-site. Their grazing allows the land to be managed in a very natural way and assists in providing habitats for the wide range of wildlife that resides there. This includes ground-nesting birds such as Skylarks and Meadow Pipits. There are voles present on the downs and these are the perfect food source for the local Kestrels. Finally the chalk downs provide the perfect home for Roman Snails which are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

On 18 July 2009, almost 50 years to the day after the airport closed, the downs became home to a free, weekly, timed 5 kilometre event called Roundshaw Downs parkrun - it is the 15th oldest UK parkrun still in operation. Like all parkruns it is a community event run entirely by volunteers and is open to all abilities including those who wish to walk the course. I have visited this parkrun on multiple occasions but never on the same day of the week. My first and second visits were as part of my New Year's Day doubles in 2012 (Sunday) and 2013 (Tuesday). It wasn't until my third visit in December 2017 that I actually participated on a Saturday. My fourth visit was on New Year's Day 2025 (Wednesday) and it was from that fourth visit that this expanded write-up was produced. I added a fifth visit on New Year's Day 2026 (Thursday). 

There are plenty of travel options. If driving, the venue is easily accessed by road from the A23 (Purley Way). Free on-street parking can be found within the adjacent industrial and commercial area. The best road to head for is Imperial Way which is named after Imperial Airways, the forerunner of British Airways. There is an entrance to the downs at the southern end of the road. Alternatively you could leave the vehicle in The Colonnades retail area car park, which is free-of-charge but limited to a maximum of three hours. If cycling there are no bicycle racks within the venue, however there are some on the opposite side of the A23 in Purley Way Playing Fields and within The Colonnades retail area. However I think most people would probably try to find a tree or fence near the Imperial Way entrance to the downs.

The nearest railway stations are Purley and Purley Oaks. They are both served by Southern Railways trains running between London Bridge and Tattenham Corner or Caterham. Purley is also served by trains from London Victoria and by Thameslink services running between Bedford and Redhill via London Bridge. The onward walk is around 1.6 miles (2.6 kilometres). If alighting at Purley station it is possible to use the 289 bus to complete the journey. There is also the option of alighting at South Croydon or East Croydon stations which both offer the option of using the 119 bus to reach the venue. West Croydon Station is also served by national rail, Croydon Tramlink, and by the London Overground, where the journey to Roundshaw Downs can be completed by using the 289 bus.

The closest London Underground station is six miles away in Morden which is the terminus of the Northern Line, and while using the tube is probably not the most efficient route, the 154 bus provides a direct connection to Roundshaw where you can alight on Spitfire Road. This bus stop is also served by the S4 bus which connects the area to Sutton. The venue's main bus stops are on Purley Way adjacent to the Battle of Britain War memorial which stands at the northeast corner of the downs. The 289 and the 439 buses stop here while the 119 stops a little further along the road.

In the vicinity of the downs you will find many large, modern superstores and warehouses. However if you take a closer look you may spot some of the original airport buildings - most notably on the main A23 Purley Way is the former terminal building, Airport House. In front of this is the unmissable sight of an aeroplane raised on struts - it is a de Havilland Heron, which is the type of plane that made the last passenger flight from the airport in 1959. Coincidentally it was almost certainly built at the de Havilland factory in Hatfield whose former land was home to the now closed Ellenbrook Fields parkrun.

Amongst the above are four hotels, all within walking distance of the downs. The closest is the Grand Sapphire which is on Imperial Way. The London Croydon Aerodrome Hotel is just around the corner and occupies the original 1920s Croydon Airport hotel building. The opposite side of the A23 is home to the Hilton London Croydon and purple palace fans will be delighted to read that the London Croydon (Purley A23) Premier Inn is just next door. Adjacent to the last two is The Colonnades retail area which contains a McDonalds and a Costa Coffee and this is where you will find the closest toilets. Note, there are no toilet facilities within Roundshaw Downs.

The parkrun meeting area and the finish can be found next to the entry point at the end of Imperial Way. It is also where the briefings are held. Roundshaw parkrun takes place over two identical anti-clockwise laps which takes in most of the areas that make up the Local Nature Reserve. The surface underfoot is 100% off-road on a mixture of grass and dirt paths which can become quite muddy in the winter. The good news is that the chalk downs drain very well so the course can recover quickly from wet conditions. Given the nature of the course I would always wear trail shoes when visiting, but in good conditions road shoes are fine. My January 2025 GPS data recorded a total of 60 metres of incline over the full 5 kilometres, so it is not a flat course. People pushing regular-width buggies will generally be fine on the course, but double-width buggies will not fit through two points on the course. Muddy conditions will make it more of a challenge. Overall I would say that this is not a suitable course for wheelchair users.

The main briefing takes place and the participants move over to the start line which is just on the other side of the berm, to the west of the meeting area. The general theme of the lap is that the first 1.8 kilometres are spent ever-so-slowly edging uphill. There are flat sections in between the inclines and most of the uphill bits tend to feature a gradient change of around 4.5%. At just over a kilometre in, the view across to the centre of Croydon opens up and for a moment it feels like the climbing is done. However, the course weaves around and through a small patch of woodland where the elevation continues to rise. Upon exiting the woodland, there is a short section which in winter can get a bit boggy.

The route then reaches the previously-mentioned berm which runs north-south through this part of the downs and it is crossed via a tight turn through a small opening, crossing the border into the London Borough of Croydon. Shortly after this, about three quarters of the way around the lap, the route finally reaches its highest point and the lap's final 700 metres or so are all downhill. Although it is possible to largely let gravity do the work here, some attention is required as the ground underfoot tends to be a bit lumpy which could lead to a stumble or twisted ankle. Keen-eyed participants may spot the small remaining section of the old airport tarmac to their left. Once at the bottom of the downhill the route simply passes through another narrow gap in the berm, returning to the London Borough of Sutton, and onwards to start the second lap, which is identical to the first.

With two laps complete the finish line can be crossed where each finisher is given a position token. This can then be taken across to the barcode scanners who will scan it along with the personal barcode. I recorded the course using my Garmin and the resulting GPS data can be viewed on my Strava account. The data was used to create a course fly-by video using the Relive app and it can be viewed on YouTube. Once all the participants have completed the course, the team heads off for the weekly post-parkrun social gathering. The course page does not state the venue but it was confirmed that the team generally go to Mellows Pavillion Cafe which is about 1.5 miles away. The other fairly close option is to pop over to The Colonnades retail park which has a McDonalds and Costa Coffee which both open early, plus there is also a KFC, Pizza Hut and a Nando's which open a little later. 

The results were processed and published on the event's results page shortly after the event. In terms of expected number of participants, Roundshaw Downs parkrun has traditionally remained quite an intimate event where a normal week would usually be attended by around 150 people. Occasionally this may break into the low 200s. The course attendance record is 508 which was set at event 666, and very clearly a one-off. The second and third highest attended events were in 2017 and both attracted 271 people. For the record there were 153 participants on my last visit which was New Year's Day 2025.

As far as cancellations are concerned, the venue seems to cope very well in all weather conditions so is unlikely to cancel even during strong winds or periods of ice and snow. From what I can see the main reason that has led to cancellations in the past is when travellers' vehicles gain access to the Croydon part of the downs, east of the berm and set up camp, blocking that section of the route. However the event now has a B course which sticks entirely to the west (Sutton) side of the berm, meaning as long as the vehicles remain on the east (Croydon) side, the event should still be able to go ahead. 

Post-event it's worth having a look around the immediate vicinity where you can find the former airport buildings and the de Havilland plane. The Air Traffic Control Tower is part of the rear of the Airport House building, so it is worth having a nose around to see if you can see it. Another interesting, and slightly unusual, feature can be found near The Colonnades retail area. In 1935 the site became home to the Purley Way Lido and although the pool itself was closed in 1979 and filled-in in 1981, the Grade II Listed Diving Stage remains in place in the grounds of a former garden centre. It's worth popping over to the area behind Wickes to take a look.

top right photo credit: Ian pullen

I'll no doubt head back over to Roundshaw Downs parkrun a few more times over the next few years to try to take part seven times on all seven days of the week. Until then I'd like to add a huge thank you to all the volunteers that made the event possible and made us feel so welcome.

Related Links:

• My most recent Roundshaw Downs parkrun GPS data (January 2025)
• The Roundshaw Downs parkrun Relive course fly-by video (January 2025)

• The Roundshaw Downs parkrun B course GPS data (7 October 2023 - Original data not mine)
• The Roundshaw Downs parkrun B course Relive course fly-by video

• The London parkrun venues

Previous blogs featuring Roundshaw Downs parkrun

• New Years Day 2012
• New Years Day 2013
• Roundshaw Downs parkrun write-up 2017