parkrun

parkrun:

'parkrun organise free, timed, 5k runs in pleasant parkland surroundings around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in'.

Despite the name, it is perfectly acceptable to walk or use a wheelchair. Just register on the parkrun website, print out your personal barcode and away you go. The barcode is valid at all parkruns worldwide. For more information, visit the parkrun website - from here you can access the web page that applies to your country/region.

about parkrun
parkrun uk
parkrun uk registration page
parkrun events

general:

I ran my first parkrun in May 2011 at Banstead Woods with the intention of visiting different venues, then when Riddlesdown parkrun started, it became my parkrun home. I put the idea of touring on hold and stuck to this one venue for the next year. In the latter part of 2012 I reverted to my original plan of visiting different parkruns around London and the South East of England. In addition to participating at the events, I love to write blog posts (profiles on the venues, I suppose) about each venue in the hope that these will be of interest and helpful to other parkrunners. My closest un-visited venues are now all over an hour away from home, so it's becoming more likely that I will be re-visiting venues more often.

current parkrun goals:
  • to continue to tour and write about the venues on this blog
  • to complete the parkrun uk alphabet (as many letters as are available in the uk [X, Z not possible])
  • to visit all the venues in London and the home counties (I'm using the definition of all counties that border London (plus East and West Sussex))
  • to complete an official parkrun on all 366 calendar dates of the year (see my parkrun bingo page). I missed 29/2/2020 so this makes things a little tricky - I may have to revise it to the standard 365 days for now.
  • to revisit and re-write older venue write-ups to bring them up to date and in line with the current standard. Largely this will be venues I originally visited around 2013 or so.
  • to help my family with their parkrun goals (living vicariously here)
  • to get my re-index up to 100
  • to be double Londone

parkrun achievements:
  • awarded the Sweatshop runner of the month prize for August 2011 at Riddlesdown
  • member of the 50 club (Achieved on 5 May 2012. 344 days from my first parkrun)
  • ran at every one of the first 56 events at Riddlesdown (The full first year)
  • completed a streak of 59 parkruns over 53 consecutive weeks (including 50 in 302 days)
  • won the first mens points competition at Riddlesdown (2011-12) 
  • featured as parkrunner of the week ( 6 Feb 2013 )
  • member of the 100 club (achieved on 13 July 2013)
  • ran at fifty different venues [half-cowell / cow] (achieved on 30 Nov 2013)
  • completed the #sevenweeksofparkrun challenge (achieved on 10 May 2014)
  • helped to get a parkrun set up in Dartford (2014)
  • won the first mens points competition at Dartford (2014-15)
  • member of the v25 club (backdated to aug 2012)
  • credited as volunteer on 200 different occasions (26 July 2015)
  • have run official parkruns on every single day of the week (25 December 2015) [list below]
  • member of the Cowell Club (100 different events) (16 April 2016)
  • member of the 250 club (achieved on 11 June 2016. 263 weeks from my first parkrun)
  • credited as volunteer on 250 different occasions (31 Dec 2016)
  • ran my 100th Dartford parkrun (11 Nov 2017)
  • completed parkrun bingo [seconds] (18 Nov 2017 / 324th parkrun)
  • awarded 'order of the cow' by the uk parkrun tourist group (Nov 2017)
  • visited my 150th different venue / event (achieved on 19 May 2018)
  • visited my 150th different UK venue / event (26 May 2018)
  • completed my 350th parkrun (9 June 2018)
  • member of the v25 club (backdated to 22 September 2012)
  • member of the v50 club (backdated to 16 February 2013)
  • member of the v100 club (backdated to 21 December 2013)
  • member of the v250 club (backdated to 31 December 2016)
  • completed my 400th parkrun (13 November 2021)
  • credited as a volunteer on 300 different occasions (13 November 2021)
  • ran or volunteered (combined count) at 200 different venues (3 September 2022)
  • completed my 450th parkrun (7 January 2023)
  • participated (ran/walked) at 200 different venues (25 February 2023)
  • have multiple visits at 50 different venues (50 revisits) (re-index) (6 May 2023)
  • recorded a genuine 59:59 (tail walker at lloyd) (22 July 2023)
  • completed a tourist streak of 50 different venues (4 Nov 2023)(streak ongoing)
  • member of the 500 club (achieved on 23 december 2023)
  • completed my 'no repeat 2023' challenge (54 runs/walks at 54 different venues in 2023)


my map:

My main focus is to complete and then maintain venues within Kent, London, Essex, East Sussex, West Sussex, Surrey and Hertfordshire, but I've now expanded it to include Bedfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire which I'll slowly chip away at. Venues in Hampshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk and Norfolk are also covered but not on my immediate to-do list. The map below covers the following regions; South East, the East of England and London along with any other venues outside of this area that I have visited. Please note that parkruns within prisons or any other non-public venues are excluded from this map.

Green: Visited
Red: Not visited but on the to-do list
Purple: Venue not yet active [also covers rumoured venues]


View parkrun7t in a larger map


Current unvisited venues in the South East, East of England, and London Regions

(does not include venues not open to the general public)
(this list is mostly for my own records and to help me plan future visits)

London(Londone) ✔

Essex: (PIED - parkruns in essex done) ✔

Bedfordshire:
Henlow Bridge Lakes
Millennium Country

Hertfordshire(Queen / King of Herts) ✔

Kent: (100perKent or A Total Kent) ✔

Surrey

East Sussex

West Sussex

Buckinghamshire:
Bury Field

Berkshire:
California Country
Prospect
Reading

Suffolk:
Bury St Edmunds
Chilton Fields
Haverhill
Kesgrave
Lowestoft
Thomas Mills
Thornham Walks
Coldham's Common
Huntingdon
Littleport
Manor Field
March
Milton Country parkrun (2023) (formerly Cambridge)
Pocket
Soham Village College
Storeys Field
Wisbech

Norfolk:
Blickling
Brundall
Catton
Colney Lane
Downham Market Academy
Flegg High
Fritton Lake (CLOSED)
Gorleston Cliffs
Great Yarmouth North Beach
Holkham
Hunstanton Promenade
Lingwood
Loch Neaton
Mulbarton (CLOSED)
North Walsham
Norwich
Sandringham
Sheringham
Sloughbottom
Swaffham
Thetford

Oxfordshire:
Abingdon
Banbury
Bicester
Didcot
Harcourt Hill
Henley-on-Thames (not suitable for buggies)
Oxford
University Parks
Witney

Hampshire and Isle of Wight: (cHampshire)
Andover
Basingstoke
Brockenhurst
Eastleigh
Fareham
Ganger Farm
Great Salterns
Havant
Lee-on-the-Solent
Lymington Woodside
Medina IOW (Isle of Wight)
Netley Abbey
Portsmouth Lakeside
Southampton
Southsea
Whiteley
Winchester


Other venues under 1.5hrs drive (not up to date)
Cambridge: 61 miles / 1 hour, 9 minutes
Reading: 74 miles / 1 hour, 29 minutes
Huntingdon: 76 miles / 1 hour, 23 minutes
Basingstoke: 77 miles / 1 hour, 23 minutes
Bury St Edmunds: 82 miles / 1 hour, 24 minutes


Over 1.5hrs drive from Dartford (not up to date)

Thetford: 88 miles / 1 hour 39 minutes
Havant: 90 miles / 1 hour 41 minutes
Winchester: 93 miles / 1 hour, 40 minutes
Andover: 96 miles / 1 hour 44 minutes
Southsea: 96 miles / 1 hour 50 minutes
Eastleigh: 101 miles / 1 hour 47 minutes
Oxford: 102 miles / 1 hour 53 minutes
Abingdon: 102 miles / 1 hour 57 minutes
Southampton: 106 miles / 1 hour 55 minutes
Netley Abbey: 111 miles / 1 hour 59 minutes
Mulbarton: 114 / 2 hours 6 minutes
Norwich: 117 / 2 hours 13 minutes
Brockenhurst: 118 miles / 2 hours 6 minutes
Fritton Lake: 118 / 2 hours 25 minutes
Catton: 120 miles / 2 hours 18 minutes
Blickling: 130 miles / 2 hours 34 minutes
Sheringham: 136 miles / 2 hours 46 minutes
Gorleston: 137 miles / 2 hours 33 minutes

Yeovil Montacute: 155 miles / 2 hours 50 minutes (no longer in operation) (I have left this here to remind myself to just get on and visit different venues while the opportunity to do so is there)

Further afield venues that I'd like to visit:
Lanhydrock (NT)
Tamar Trails
Trentham Gardens (hopefully 2024)
Quakers Walk (Devizes) (near the Caen Locks)
Severn Bridge
Faskally Forest (Scotland)


My non-Saturday official parkruns: (31)

Sunday:
25/12/2011 Riddlesdown
01/01/2012 Riddlesdown
01/01/2012 Roundshaw Downs
25/12/2016 Greenwich
01/01/2017 Maidenhead
01/01/2017 Woodley
25/12/2022 Sutcliffe
01/01/2023 Maidstone

Monday:
07/05/2012 Frimley Lodge (Bank Holiday Run)
04/06/2012 Riddlesdown (Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday - Monday)
25/12/2017 Riddlesdown
01/01/2018 Bedford
01/01/2018 Rushmere
25/12/2023 Bexley
01/01/2024 Swanley

Tuesday:
05/06/2012 Nonsuch (Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday - Tuesday)
25/12/2012 Hilly Fields (when xmas day doubles were permitted)
25/12/2012 Dulwich (when xmas day doubles were permitted)
01/01/2013 Riddlesdown
01/01/2013 Roundshaw Downs
01/01/2019 Hoblingwell

Wednesday:
25/12/2013 Great Lines
01/01/2014 Lloyd
01/01/2014 Banstead

Thursday:
26/07/2012 Bespoke (Olympics event at Highbury Fields)
25/12/2014 Bexley
01/01/2015 Dartford
01/01/2015 Shorne

Friday:
25/12/2015 Harlow
01/01/2016 Hatfield Forest
01/01/2016 Barclay


Venues visited more than once: (69) (re-index)

Banstead Woods
Barking
Beckenham Place
Beckton
Bexley
Bethlem Royal Hospital
Brockwell
Bromley
Burgess
Bushy
Canons Park
Catford
Charlton
Clapham Common
Crystal Palace
Cyclopark
Dartford
Dartford Heath
Dulwich
Finsbury
Foots Cray Meadows
Great Lines
Greenwich
Gunpowder
Hackney Marshes
Harrow
Harrow Lodge
Hilly Fields
Hoblingwell
Hockley Woods
Homewood
Ifield Mill Pond
Kingdom
Kingston
Lloyd
Lullingstone
Maidstone
Malling
Margate
Mile End
Mole Valley
Mote Park
Nonsuch
Oak Hill
Old Deer Park
Orpington
Peckham Rye
Pegwell Bay
Pymmes
Raphael
Richmond
Riddlesdown
Roundshaw Downs
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Shorne Woods
Southwark
Squerryes Winery
Sunny Hill
Sutcliffe
Swanley
The Leas, Minster
Tonbridge
Tooting Common
Valentines
Victoria Dock
Walthamstow
Wanstead Flats
Wimbledon Common
Wormwood Scrubs


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For information on parkrun UK please visit the website - here
To view the list of UK venues please click - here
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