Leybourne Lakes parkrun (formerly Malling parkrun)

Malling forms the northern half of the Tonbridge and Malling Borough, in Kent. However there is no such town or settlement called Malling, which made the initial naming of Malling parkrun quite intriguing. As I understand it, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council were keen to have both elements of the borough's name represented within the names of its two parkruns, and even though it doesn't fit in with parkrun's naming convention policy, the council got their way.

This did of course prove a tad confusing for parkrunners trying to work out where they are heading. There are towns to the south of this venue called West Malling and East Malling, but not one called Malling. West Malling was historically known as Town Malling, but that is as close as you get. In any case, the venue for this event is actually closer to New Hythe, Snodland, Larkfield and Leybourne than it is to either of the Mallings. A possible additional source of confusion was added in the summer of 2024 when Malling Rec parkrun started in Lewes.

The venue for the parkrun is Leybourne Lakes Country Park. Before the area became a country park, it used to be the site of sand and gravel pits which were extracted between 1946 and 1977. The country park covers an area of 230 acres and was opened in 2004. There are eight named ponds and lakes within the site as well as landscaped areas. The country park is most well-known for its watersports and it has its very own Watersports Centre which specialises in activities such as open water swimming, windsurfing, canoeing, kayaking and scuba diving. It is also used for triathlons and there are various fishing clubs based here. The lakes are also home to many species of wildlife including the resident swans.

The logical name for this parkrun has always been Leybourne Lakes parkrun, and in October 2024, this became the official name of this parkrun.

We first visited the country park and took part in Malling parkrun event 6 back in November 2015. We revisited in January 2023 and took part in event 288. Travel to the venue is easiest by car, but if using a sat-nav be mindful that they can sometimes direct visitors to the wrong part of the area - there doesn't seem to be a postcode for the park itself. We used Google maps and found that entering 'Leybourne Lakes Country Park' rather than a postcode navigated us right into the country park.

There is an on-site car park and the fee, as of 2023 payment can be made using the on-site payment machine or by using the RingGo app. On our most-recent visit we used RingGo. There is a charge of £1.80 for up to four hours of parking, and this should cover most parkrunners' needs. If longer is needed, the other option is to pay for the full day, which is £4. Please note there is a 'convenience charge' of 10p for using the app. Should the car park be full, additional parking can be found at the nearby Tesco.

If cycling there are cycle racks within the main car park area. If taking the train, New Hythe or Snodland appear to be the closest stations and either option leaves approximately 2km of walking to reach the parkrun meeting area. Please note that the toilets adjacent to the car park were permanently closed as of 31 October 2022. However there is a new cafe which has been constructed next to the parkrun meeting area and this contains a toilet - we found this to be open from around 8.30am.

The meeting point for the parkrun is on the north bank of Ocean Lake and this can be found by following the footpath out of the car park. Look out for the 'To The Lakes' sign, you cross over a small footbridge before reaching the right place. The event takes place at 9am every Saturday. As is standard with parkrun, there is a first-timers briefing and this is followed by a full briefing for everybody. The course is made up of two identical clockwise laps which start and finish on the north bank of Ocean Lake, just past the cafe.

It's a flat course and underfoot is mostly a stony trail-like surface. The jagged stones that protrude during the first half of the lap create quite a bumpy surface, so bear that in mind. The latter part of the lap has a smoother path. For shoe choice, it feels like it would be ok for road shoes if that is your preference, but some people may prefer the extra protection given by trail shoes while negotiating those protruding stones. I used the running buggy here in 2015 and although a little bumpy for my daughter, overall it was fine.

The start area is wide enough to accommodate a decent number of people, but this venue has become very popular so expect it to be a little congested at first. The course is very simple to follow as it simply follows the path which goes around Ocean Lake - whenever there is a split in the path always follow the right hand option. Given that it is such an easy to follow route, don't expect to see many marshals or signs out there on the course. There are enough twists and turns to keep things interesting and you may even spot some of the park's wooden animal features adjacent to the path.

At the end of the two laps, there is a finish funnel and in the usual parkrun way, it's a simple case of having your personal barcode and finishing token scanned before heading off. If you fancy hanging around, there is now a cafe (this wasn't here during our first visit). We grabbed a quick drink and some lovely pieces of cake before heading back to the car. The results were processed very swiftly and they show that 260 people participated in event 288.

I recorded the GPS data of the course using my Garmin and you can view that on Strava, there is also now a Relive course fly-by video on YouTube so feel free to take a look at that too (links below). Please note that the embedded text on the video says Malling parkrun, but it is of course the same thing! The course is identical to the one we used on our first visit. The volunteers were, of course, amazing, so a huge thank you to everyone involved.

Related Links:

My GPS data on Strava (January 2023)

The Relive course fly-by video (January 2023)

GPS data from car park to the start (with added milling around)(January 2023)

My original GPS data (November 2015)

My original Malling parkrun blog (November 2015)

The Kent parkruns (blog7t page)

Malling parkrun (original 2015 blog)

There is now an updated version of this post - please see: Malling parkrun (January 2023) for the latest information.

- - - - 

Most parkrun venues are named after an actual town, locality or the venue the run takes place at. Malling parkrun is a little different in that it is named after part of the district which it lies within (Tonbridge and Malling). As I understand it, as there is already a parkrun in Tonbridge there was a desire to use Malling in order to reflect and balance out the use of both names of the borough.

leybourne lakes country park [photo: 7t]

This is fine, but it can be a tad confusing for visiting parkrunners trying to work out where they are heading. There are towns to the south of this venue called West Malling and East Malling, but not one called Malling. West Malling was historically known as Town Malling, but that is as close as you get. In any case, the venue for this event is actually closer to New Hythe, Snodland, Larkfield and Leybourne than it is to either of the Mallings. 

i like this. it's has a touch of  'adam west batman' about it

The point is, if you are planning to visit Malling parkrun make sure you check out the map and directions on the venue's course page before leaving home so that you understand where you are actually heading. Also pay special attention to where your sat nav is directing you because it could take you far, far away from the actual venue. Ours started to take us off in a weird direction after we left the M2 and it didn't feel right so we pulled over and sorted it out. We also managed to tear a hole in the side of one of our tyres in the process of turning around. Whoops.

the run briefing [photo: 7t]

So. The venue for this run is Leybourne Lakes Country Park (Leybourne Lakes parkrun would have been a perfect name, don't you think?). The 230 acre (93 hectare) country park was formed from the remains of a former sand and gravel works. Extraction for these minerals took place between 1946 and 1977. Extensive planting and landscaping took place when the area underwent a restoration project in the late seventies.

the view from the start line [photo: 7t]

The country park itself was opened in 2004 and is now home to many forms of wildlife. Of course the big feature of this park are the lakes, and they are well used for watersports such as windsurfing, kayaking and scuba diving. The Leybourne Lakes Watersports Centre is the base for these activities. Triathlon is another sport with a strong connection to these lakes and many events are held throughout the year here.

some local residents [photo: 7t]

The venue has its own car park, but unfortunately it isn't very big so I would expect it to fill up every week. It costs 80p to park for up to four hours (update, it is now £1.80 for up to four hours, plus you can also use the RingGo app to pay, see new blog) and is easily accessible from the A228 dual carriageway. For anyone residing close enough to consider cycling, there are some bicycle racks in the car park and also plenty of other tethering options over at the run start/finish area. New Hythe looks to be the closest train station, but there is also one at Snodland.

no course marshals but these signs were displayed where required [photo:7t]

The toilets are situated next to the main car park and served their purpose nicely. It takes a couple of minutes to walk from the car park down to the start/finish area, which is on the north bank of the main lake. The event takes place at 9am every Saturday and features two clockwise laps of the main stony gravel footpath around the lake. We visited the venue on their sixth event and even at such a young age they were already attracting around 150 participants each week (231 on the week we visited due to other local cancellations).

you'll be treated to views like this if you visit leybourne lakes [photo:7t]

The start area is wide enough to accommodate a decent number of people and the paths are spacious enough to allow parkrunners/parkwalkers and other park users to co-exist. We decided to buggy run the course and it was a little bumpy going over the stony path, but it is still easily buggy-runnable. As the participants work their way around the lap they very rarely lose sight of the lake and there is an abundance of lush greenery to soak in. The course was signed at key points, but as the course is simple to follow, no marshals were actually positioned out on the course itself.

finish funnel [photo: dani]

There are plenty of twists and turns to keep things interesting and as you near the end of the lap you can look across the water to the start/finish area which I thought was quite cool. It's not always as calm and tranquil as you might imagine; the reason for this is that part of the course runs adjacent to the fairly busy Leybourne Way main road. This certainly doesn't spoil what is a really nice venue to visit, and as it is a flat course it is a good choice for going for a quick time or for those who prefer to avoid inclines.

dartford parkrun does malling parkrun [photo: a friendly volunteer]

Sadly, there is no cafe at Leybourne Lakes Country Park. I hear that a mobile coffee van is usually present but it wasn't there the week I visited. I think this may have been due to the heavy rain that was forecast. Somehow we managed to get around the course, have a chat with the event director, get back to the car, replace the punctured tyre (big thanks to Alec) and get back on the road before the torrential rain was unleashed upon us.

If you'd like to see my GPS data of the course you can view it on Strava - Malling parkrun 6

Also read the Malling parkrun updated blog from January 2023