Great Denham parkrun

In the county of Bedfordshire, roughly two miles to the west of Bedford town centre is the historic village of Biddenham. The area to the south of the village is nestled within a natural curve of the River Great Ouse that has been known for centuries as The Biddenham Loop. The area has evidence of Neolithic, Roman and Saxon presence and sat right on the border of Danelaw and the Saxons during the 7th century. Apart from that it has been exclusively used as farmland with no further development...

great denham

... until The Bedford Golf Club came along and built its 18 hole golf course on part of the Biddenham Loop. The development also included a small number of detached houses known as the golf village - a fair amount of this housing is actually set within the golf course itself and the roads are named after the famous golf courses such as Carnoustie, St. Mellion, and Prestwick.

The Loop has now been renamed Great Denham, and despite trawling the internet for information I cannot find the exact reason for this name being used. I can see that the word Denham could have been extracted from Biddenham and the Great may have been borrowed from the adjacent river and added to distinguish itself from the historic village of Denham in Buckinghamshire. I'm going with that possibility for now, but if I manage to find any further information, I'll update this post.

country park / briefing

Great Denham was initially part of the Biddenham parish, but became a village and parish in its own right in April 2007. The continued development of the land includes in excess of a thousand new homes, a school, shops, doctor's surgery, a community hall and a sports pavilion complete with a series of pitches. During an archeological dig before the developments took place, archaeologists discovered the remains of a 5000 year old archer complete with an almost perfectly preserved ceramic striking plate.

The reason I had visited Great Denham was to visit the brand new Great Denham Country Park which like the rest of the village still has elements which are under construction.

start

The country park covers an area of 150 acres in the south east corner of the loop. It features open meadows as well as lakes and ponds, all designed to encourage biodiversity. So far the only completed amenities are the two playgrounds. A sports pavilion containing a cafe and toilets, and an onsite car park will follow in due course, so it is very much a work-in-progress. However, it does already have another fully-functioning feature and that is a free, weekly, timed 5km event called Great Denham parkrun.

I drove over to Great Denham on the first weekend in June 2018 and followed the parking instructions on Great Denham parkrun's course page, which meant I left the car in the Park and Ride car park just off Kingswood Way and jogged the remaining 800m or so over to the country park. There has been some conflict around parking as some people have not been following the instructions and have instead been parking on King Alfred Way - this has been causing problems for locals, so it is important that the instructions are adhered to.

ouse valley way

For anyone travelling by public transport, you'll find the nearest train station is in the centre of Bedford approximately 2 miles away - not bad for a warm-up jog, or if you don't fancy doing it on foot, buses 8, 11 and 24 will get you into Great Denham. At present there are no bespoke cycle racks in the country park, but I imagine there will be when the facilities are finished.

As I mentioned before, the toilets haven't been built yet, so I stopped off at a service station in Marston Moretaine, just 10 minutes outside Great Denham, to use their facilities. The meeting point for the parkrun is right next to the large playground in the grass amphitheatre. As far as the course goes, this is a flat, anti-clockwise, two-lapper with a combination of a compact sand/gravel and tarmac paths underfoot. Road shoes are the order of the day and the course is perfectly fine for a spot of buggy running.

ouse valley way

From the start the participants head south along the perfectly straight sandy/gravelly path for 200 metres until reaching the first corner which features quite a sharp left-hand turn.

The course now heads generally to the north with the open meadows of the country park on the left and a line of trees which form the boundary of the park on their right. This path is also part of the Ouse Valley Way, a 229 kilometre (142 miles) walking route between Syresham in Northamptonshire to Kings Lynn (my blog) in Norfolk.

second half of lap on tarmac

Towards the end of the path, those with a keen eye may spot the river through the trees. At the northern tip of the course, the route leaves the Ouse Valley Way and cuts through the centre of the park via a tarmac path before meandering along its northern border which eventually returns the participants to the playground and the long straight path where lap two begins.

At the end of lap two the finishing funnel along with a great team of volunteers will be set up on the grass. Barcode scanning takes place right next to the finish line and it's now time for a well-earned rest while cheering in the rest of the crowd, of course.

construction is still very much ongoing

I recorded the run with the Strava app on my phone (I forgot my Garmin) and uploaded the course. I also used this data to make a relive course flyby video. The results were processed and available online shortly after the run and I see that event 14 attracted 195 participants which was a little higher than the current average - this may have been due to Milton Keynes parkrun (my blog) being cancelled.

At the moment the team head over to The Eatery for the post-run social, but I imagine the onsite cafe will replace this venue once it is open. This is another fab parkrun venue, and along with Bedford parkrun (my blog), gives the residents of the Bedford area a second flat and fast option for local parkrunning. A huge thanks to the team of volunteers that made/make it all possible.

the final stretch

Related links:

• Great Denham parkrun #14 results page
• GPS data on Strava
• Relive course flyby video
• My Bedford parkrun blog
• The Bedfordshire parkrun venues

Houghton Hall parkrun

The town of Houghton Regis, in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire, has a population of around 17,000 people. The town has a long history and was recorded in the Domesday book as Houstone. For many years the town was a royal manor and the royal suffix 'Regis' became part of the town's name.

In the post-war years, the town was chosen as one suitable for the 'London Overspill' project (essentially the creation of New Towns and new housing estates in existing towns outside of London in order to relocate large numbers of people). The town is contiguous with Dunstable and Luton.

houghton regis

Between the years 1654-1700, a large country house, Houghton Hall, was built and this sat within its magnificent grounds. The southern portion of the grounds have now been developed into housing and industrial units. If you're a fan of motoring TV shows you'll be interested to know the adjacent Houghton Hall Business Park was used in an episode of The Grand Tour (S2,E3). The house, while still standing, is now used as offices. The remaining land has not been developed and this survives as Houghton Hall Park.

The park covers an area of 17 hectares and is a mix of open grassland, outcrops of trees and sections of woodland. A new visitor centre has been built and opened in October 2017 - this contains a cafe and toilets as well as bookable spaces for the local community to use. The park is popular with dog walkers and from what I could see, they don't seem to be very good at picking up their dog's waste - the grass areas in particular were strewn with the stuff.

houghton hall park

The reason I had visited was, of course, to take part in Houghton Hall parkrun. The event had it's inaugural running on 23 December 2017 and was an instant hit with attendance figures hovering at just under 200 even after just five events. The event had been due to start a week earlier on 16 December 2017 but icy conditions lead to the planned-inaugural being cancelled.

I drove to Houghton Regis and parked in the onsite car park just off Park Road North. The car park has a three hour parking limit, but is free-of-charge for all users of the park. By the time 9am came around it was bursting at the seams with cars - some were squeezed in non-spaces, so if driving, arrive early or just use a town centre car park and jog/walk the rest of the way.

the cycle network path / chicane

Houghton Regis, Dunstable and Luton have a pretty good cycling network so makes cycling a viable option for many. There are cycle racks just next to the visitor centre. As for public transport, the nearest train stations look to be Leagrave, which is a suburb of Luton a few miles away. There are some buses which stop in Houghton Regis, and the details are covered on the event's official course page.

The course here takes place over two-and-a-half laps, mostly around the perimeter of the park. It's a flat course and underfoot you will mostly find man-made hard surfaces. Some sections go through the woods, but even here the surface underfoot is solid.

woodland walk

At time of writing (Jan 2018) the course page says that the course takes place on grass and trail (the only grass is about 10 metres at the very end) - this lead to me wearing my trail shoes, but road shoes would've been the better option.

The lap of the park itself is pretty decent. The paths tend to have a meandery feel about them and the views across the former Houghton Hall Estate are pleasant. The sections through the wooden area are twisty and lots of fun.

houghton hall park

There is a section on the west side of the park where the run leaves the park and joins the main National Cycle Network - route 6 (watch out for cyclists). The points where you exit and re-enter the park have those anti-cyclist chicane thingys in place, so you may have to slow down briefly and mind you don't bash yourself on them.

With the two-and-a-half laps complete, the finish funnel is found on the grass by the side of the path - it is not in the same spot as indicated on the official course page (as of Jan 2018), but you can see it if you check my GPS file of the route. Please note, the start point on the day I ran seems to have been in a different position to what is shown on the course page, and to what had been used during some previous events.

the last section / visitor centre

Barcode scanning takes place at the finish line and the volunteers and participants have their post-event social gathering in the cafe in the visitor centre. The results for event 5 were processed and available to view online by the time I arrived back home. I had recorded the run using my Garmin and you can see my GPS data on Strava. You can also view my Relive course fly-by on YouTube, here: Houghton Hall parkrun Relive Course Fly-by. The volunteers had been fab, so big thanks to them all.

Related links:

• Bedfordshire parkrun venues

Rushmere parkrun

On the Buckinghamshire / Bedfordshire border, just to the north of Leighton Buzzard, you will find a vast area of woodland which covers many differently named areas. Historically, parts of this woodland would have been part of the Stockgrove Estate or the Bragenham Manor Estate.

The area known as Stockgrove Country Park was opened up to the public in 1972, and then in 2011 this was joined by the adjacent Rushmere Country Park. The two are now effectively managed as one park by The Greensand Trust. The entire chain of woods, which also includes King's Wood and others, cover a total of 400 acres, with Rushmere making up just over half of this.

rushmere country park

I drove over to Rushmere Country Park to take part in Rushmere parkrun as part of my New Year's Day 2018 double with Bedford parkrun which I had ran about an hour earlier (blog here). The main entrance to the woods is just off Linslade Road, which is in Bedfordshire.

To enter the park in a vehicle you must pass through a barrier and drive along a fairly long, winding road which leads all the way to the car park and visitor centre. As of January 2018 there is a flat £3 charge for parking and this must be paid at the barrier machine when you exit the park (remember to have some change handy).

start / opening section / giant's chair

As I understand it, the land that Rushmere Country Park sits on is owned by Central Bedfordshire Council. However, the majority of this land does not lie within Bedfordshire at all - in fact the car park, visitor centre and the entire parkrun course are entirely within the adjacent county of Buckinghamshire. Interestingly, parkrun HQ have this venue listed in the South East of England region, which means that they understand it to be within Buckinghamshire (Bedfordshire falls within the East of England region).

Travel by any method other than a vehicle is a tad tricky. Cyclists can of course use the roads and there are a couple of covered bicycle stands where they can be safely secured. If attempting travel by train then Leighton Buzzard is the station to aim for - it's three miles away and it doesn't look like there are any buses to use for the onward journey.

around the course - early to mid-lap

Upon arrival you will find toilets in the visitor centre just next to the car park. The main meeting point for the parkrun is on the open grass field adjacent to the car park. This is also where the first-timers briefing and then the main briefing are held. The participants are then ushered a hundred metres or so along the path to the starting point.

The course for this parkrun consists of running a shade under two, undulating (some would say hilly), anti-clockwise laps around the forest trail paths. Underfoot you will find a mixture of dirt and mud. In the winter there is a significant amount of mud to trudge through but given the nature of the course, I would swear trail shoes year-round here.

around the course - mid-lap

So from the very beginning, the participants head along the generally firm, easy access path that provides links to all of the exciting, every day family fun things within the woods. Runners pass a few sculptured benches and then the Giant's Chair which is great fun for kids and adults alike. There are also other sculptures (including a giant spider) and fairy doors to seek out with the family post-run.

However the parkrun course soon leaves the family friendly areas, the paths get muddier (seriously, it's a mud bath at times) and tree roots lie in wait, just waiting the grab an ankle. A runner in front of me twisted his ankle and it sounded pretty painful - fortunately he was right next to one of the wonderful marshals when it happened so help was at hand. Even though some runners may prefer to wear spikes on this type of course, the venue management have requested that spikes are not worn.

around the course - mid-lap

The country park is made up of conifer plantations, deciduous woodland, lowland heath and meadows. Most of the trees are fir, pine and spruce which were planted in the 1940s while the area was still part of the aforementioned estate. There are also pockets of ancient forest. It's also significant for wildlife which includes bats, adders, lizards, rare butterfly species, and topping the bill are the ten pairs of Grey Herons that breed in the heronry which you can see from the visitor centre.

Part of the lap is run on a bridleway which is popular with horse riders, so participants are not permitted to run with a dog at this venue. Also, I'd think twice before running with a buggy here, especially in the winter and/or if you're not experienced with off-road buggy running. Towards the end of the lap, participants can enjoy the view across the Buckinghamshire countryside as the route follows the western boundary of the woods.

towards the end of the lap

The last section of the lap brings the runners back past the car park and onto the grass field where the briefing took place. At the end of the first lap, participants simply follow the route back around. Upon reaching this point at the end of the second lap, the finish line will be a welcome sight! Barcodes are scanned right next to the finish line and then it's time for something really special...

If you think you've run a personal best, you can pick up the mallet and strike the PB Gong! Seriously, this thing is incredible and as it was my first run here, it was technically a course best. So I grabbed the mallet and let the gong ring out. Afterwards I headed back onto the course to take some photos and I could hear the gong resonating through the woods everytime it rang. Brilliant!

towards the end of the lap (more)

Once all of the participants have finished, the team head to the Tree Tops Cafe at the visitor centre for coffee. The results for event #113 were soon processed and a total of 150 people had completed the course - this is almost bang-on the average for this venue (currently 144.7).

I recorded my run with my Garmin and you can see the course data, here: Rushmere parkrun GPS data. I also created a course fly-by video with the relive app, and you can view that, here: Rushmere parkrun course fly-by video.

finish / pb gong / my mud tan lines

There's a very strong possibility that I'll swing back past Rushmere parkrun one day - I love off-road courses plus I think it would be a fun day out for the family. But my main reason will, of course, be to beat my previous time and truly earn the right to strike the PB gong!


Related Links:

• The Buckinghamshire parkrun venues
• The Bedfordshire parkrun venues
• The results page for event 113
• My GPS course data
• Relive course fly-by video

Bedford parkrun

Bedford is, perhaps unsurprisingly, the county town of Bedfordshire. The name comes from a Saxon Chief called Beda combined with the ford that crossed the River Great Ouse. Over the years, the town's main industries were wool, lace and then brewing.

The town of Bedford has a population of around 80,000. However the wider area, the Borough of Bedford, is home to a total of around 166,000 people. As the town expanded northwards during the 19th century, a park was designed and constructed. It is called Bedford Park and is the largest urban park with the town.

bedford park

The land that forms the park along with much of the surrounded residential areas, once belonged to the Hospital of St John the Baptist having been donated to the church by Robert de Parys. Towards the end of the 19th century, the local council promoted a bill in Parliament which sought to remove the church's control of the land. In 1881 the council eventually took over responsibility for the land.

Initially the council had trouble finding the necessary funds to finance the creation of the park, but were incentivised following Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee and the park was finally opened on 11 July 1888. The formal opening was conducted by The Marquess of Tavistock who used a golden key to ceremoniously unlock the main gates. There is a commemorative plaque on the gates noting the occasion.

bedford parkrun start

Inside this typical Victorian park you will find a meandering perimeter path, an ornamental lake with fountain, formal planting including many mature trees and herbaceous borders, a bandstand, and the pavilion building. Sports facilities include tennis courts, a bowling green, marked pitches for football, cricket, rounders and basketball. There are two children's playgrounds and also an indoor swimming pool, the Robinson Pool.

On 11 June 2011 the park became home to Bedford parkrun. Over the years the event has grown from just under 100 attendees per week to its current average of around 400. The attendees meet just before 9am every Saturday at the original glorious Victorian bandstand, which was refurbished in 1995 after fire and vandalism almost lead to its demolition. It is located at the central point of the southern border of the park, adjacent to Park Avenue which incidentally has free on-street parking.

opening stretch

I drove to the venue on New Years Day 2018 as the first of my NYD double with Rushmere parkrun (blog here). I parked on Park Avenue, but there is also a free car park on the west side of the park just off of Foster Hill Road. I hear that there used to be iron railings running along the border with Park Avenue, but these were removed in the 1970s which means you can easily nip through the trees and into the park.

For cyclists I spotted quite a few bike racks dotted around the park, so you'll have no trouble on that front. Travelling by train would mean alighting at Bedford mainline train station. This is located just over a mile south-west of the park, so is a decent distance for a brisk warm-up walk or jog to the venue.

around the western end of the park

Once in the park, I checked out the on-site park information map - it indicates one set of toilets just next to the lake in the south east corner. The toilet is one of those pay-to-enter blocks with the automatic door, so you would need some loose change for this. The Bedford parkrun course page indicates two other sets of toilets, one at the Pavilion and another next to the car park.

The first-timers and main briefings take place at the bandstand and the participants then wander down to the start line which is next to the lake at the eastern end of the park. The 5k course takes place over two-and-a-half clockwise laps of the main perimeter path with a finishing straight right through the lush north-south central avenue which breaks off of the main loop added on at the end.

the northern section of path

Underfoot is 100% tarmac and the paths are well maintained - it is ideal for buggy runners and wheelchair athletes. The profile of the course is almost completely flat, but if you are running at your maximum effort you may find you notice an ever-so-gentle rise in elevation around the north west corner of the park. In reality, this is a flat and fast course.

As I ran here at 9am on New Year's Day, the attendance figures were understandably lower than the Saturday average. In the end, 239 people ran, jogged and walked their way around the course at event #339. The regular post-run coffee social takes place in The Pavilion. I ,of course, had a second parkrun to get to so after a short cool-down jog and taking some photos, headed off in the direction of Rushmere parkrun.

finish area / bandstand / the pavilion

I had, as always, recorded my run using my Garmin and you can see the course data on Strava, here: Bedford parkrun #339 GPS Data. I also used that data to create a fly-by video using the Relive app on my phone, and you can view that video on youtube, here: Bedford parkrun Relive Course Fly-by. It's a great course for trying for a fast time and the park itself is pleasant and scenic. Finally, a big thanks to the volunteers that made it all possible.


Related links:

• The Bedfordshire parkrun venues
• Bedford parkrun GPS data
• Bedford parkrun relive course fly-by video
• Great Denham parkrun blog

Luton Wardown parkrun

Luton is a town in the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire with a population of around 216,000 people. Believed to have been founded by the Anglo-Saxons during the 6th century, over the years it has been recorded as Lointone and Lintone, before moving on to be called Leueton until finally settling with its current name.

For many years the town was famous for hat making, and it has also been home to the Vauxhall Motors car company since 1905. In the centre of town you'll find the University of Bedfordshire campus, and to the east is Luton International Airport. Just to the north of the town centre is 'the jewel in the crown' of Luton's seven district parks - Wardown Park.

wardown park

The land that now forms the park was formerly part of the grounds of a country residence called Bramington Shott. The estate changed hands a few times before the current house was built (1877) and around 1893, the estate was renamed Wardown. When the house and 11 acres of grounds went up for sale in 1903, it did not sell.

However, in 1904, Luton Council purchased the estate and after some extensive landscaping it opened to the public as Wardown Park. The house suffered from a period of neglect followed by short term use as a military convalescent hospital and council offices / tea room. However in 1931 it finally became home to Luton's first museum, which exists to this day.

luton wardown parkrun

On 18 April 2015, the park became home to Luton Wardown parkrun. The free, 5km event takes place on Saturday mornings at 9am. I visited the venue on 18 November 2017 and took part in event 134 which attracted a total of 371 participants which was the event's second ever highest attendance to date. The current average attendance would be somewhere around the 300 mark.

I travelled by car and parked in the modest-sized, free, car park adjacent to the house via the entrance on New Bedford Road [A6]. There is a second onsite car park which is accessed via Old Bedford Road. Luton has a mainline train station which is in the centre of town - it's not in the immediate vicinity of the park, but should be easily run/walkable from the station.

wardown park

For those who cycle, I spotted some cycle racks adjacent to Wardown House. Toilet facilities are available for use in the adjacent Luton Town and Indians Cricket Club, but please note that the groundsman does not open this facility until 8.30am. I'm told there are some additional toilets in the park, but I didn't check them out.

So.. Once in the park, you'll need to head towards the centre/southern area of the park to find the meeting area and start point. It is right outside the old boathouse, but a more distinctive feature to head for is the pedestrian suspension bridge which spans the park's main feature - the lake. The lake was formed by widening the River Lea which runs through the park.

the grassy section

The run briefings take place outside the boathouse and the participants are then ushered a bit further south to the start point which is on the western side of the lake. The parkrun itself takes place over three-and-a-bit laps of the park.

The course is largely flat but the northern end of the course does have a bit of an incline to negotiate. Underfoot is mostly tarmac but there is a short stretch on grass that is encountered 4 times (the grass section is also part of the incline and is run 4 times due to it being part of the 'and-a-bit' part of the course).

around the house

The start line is on a spur which joins the main loop upon reaching the suspension bridge after about 150 metres. The main loop is run in a clockwise direction and heads along the edge of the lake before heading onto the grassy section which goes up towards the house.

There's a loop through the ornamental gardens which leads participants to Pete's corner - I had a chat to Pete after the run and he had just celebrated reaching his 100 volunteer milestone.

pete's corner / daisy chain wall

Another of the park's features can be seen once past Pete's corner - this is the Daisy Chain Wall. It is thought to have been constructed in around 1905 and takes its name from the distinctive decorative brick pattern that runs the length of the wall.

From here the course simply follows the paths through the eastern side of the park until crossing the lake via the bridge at the southern tip of the course (not the suspension bridge).

back along the lake / water fountain

Back on the western side of the lake, the participants head past the refurbished Edwardian drinking fountain and follow the paths until passing behind the boathouse and then reaching the start of the loop next to the suspension bridge. This loop is followed three full times. After three times, the 'and-a-bit' is then run which features a final push up the grass incline and the finish line is found just next to the house.

With barcodes scanned, it is then time to head into the cricket club for some refreshments. Of course, if you have just set a new personal best you can have a good old ring on the PB Bell, which is great fun and you'll probably get a cheer and round of applause from the rest of the gathered crowd of finishers and volunteers.

end of lap / finish / pb bell

As always, I recorded the run using my GPS watch and you can see the course in more detail by having a look at my data on Strava or by watching the course flyby video that I created with the relive app on my phone. The full results were processed and published shortly afterwards.

Note: the paths aren't terribly wide and laps 2 and 3 do feature quite a bit of congestion and lapping - however I found everyone to be very considerate in using the available space sensibly. Anyway, I really enjoyed my visit to Luton Wardown parkrun, so a big thanks to everyone involved in putting on the event for having me.

Links:

• Luton Wardown parkrun GPS data
• Luton Wardown parkrun Relive Course Flyby Video
• Luton Wardown parkrun Event 134 Results
• The Bedfordshire parkrun venues blog post

The Bedfordshire parkrun venues

The historic county of Bedfordshire is made up of the unitary authorities of Bedford Borough Council, Central Bedfordshire Council, and Luton Borough Council.

The pins on the map mark the locations of the parkruns within the county. The green pins show the venues I have officially visited while the red pins are venues I still need to visit. The map below covers 5k events only, not junior parkruns.





Bedford parkrun - Bedford Park, Park Avenue, Bedford, Bedfordshire
Course: Two and a half laps
Underfoot: Tarmac
Profile: Flat
Notes: Fast and flat course - good for a pb attempt
Further reading: My Bedford parkrun blog post

Dunstable Downs parkrun - Dunstable Downs, Whipsnade, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Course: One lap
Underfoot: Grass and trails
Profile: Undulating
Notes: Dogs not permitted at the event. Contact team for advice re buggies (from official page)
Further reading: My Dunstable Downs parkrun blog post

Great Denham parkrun - Queen Eleanor Driver, Great Denham, Bedford, Bedfordshire
Course: Two anti-clockwise laps
Underfoot: compact sand/gravel and tarmac
Profile: Flat
Notes: A pavilion with toilets is being built, but as of June 2018 there are none
Further reading: My Great Denham parkrun blog post

Henlow Bridge Lakes - Henlow Bridge Lakes, Bridge End Road, Henlow, Bedfordshire

Course: Two and a half laps

Underfoot: Dirt, grass, wood-chip

Profile: Flat

Notes: 

Further reading: My Henlow Bridge Lakes parkrun write-up from June 2024

Houghton Hall parkrun - Houghton Hall Park, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Course: A short half-lap round to the finish point, followed by two full laps from the finish point
Underfoot: Hard standing paths, even through the wooded sections.
Profile: Flat
Notes: Fast and flat - quite twisty in places.
Further reading: My Houghton Hall parkrun blog post

Jubilee parkrun, Bedford - Jubilee Park, Bedford, Bedfordshire

Course: Two-and-a-half laps

Underfoot: Paths

Profile: tbc

Notes:

Further reading: Not visited

Luton Wardown parkrun - Wardown Park, Old Bedford Road, Luton, Bedfordshire
Course: Three and a bit laps
Underfoot: Mostly tarmac but with a short section on grass (run four times)
Profile: mostly flat with a short incline at the northern end of the course
Notes: PB Bell!
Further reading: My Luton Wardown parkrun blog post

Millennium Country parkrun - Forest of Marston Vale, Millennium Country Park, Marston Moretaine
Course: Out and back
Underfoot:
Profile: Flat
Notes: No dogs permitted at this event
Further reading: not yet visited

Rushmere parkrun - Rushmere Country Park, nr Leighton Buzzard
Course: 2 laps
Underfoot: Forest trails
Profile: Undulating / hilly
Notes: PB gong! (Official address listed as Bedfordshire, but the entire course is in Buckinghamshire - parkrun have this event listed in the South East England region which would suggest it is in Buckinghamshire as Bedfordshire is in the East of England)
Further Reading: My Rushmere parkrun blog post

Please note: Information contained within the blog posts, such as the course configuration, parking arrangements, availability of toilets etc, may change. Please always check with the relevant events' web page and social media channels for the latest and most accurate information.

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