Osterley parkrun

Osterley is a district of Isleworth, a suburban town within the London Borough of Hounslow, West London. The borough has a population of 290,000 people with Isleworth being home to 25,000, while 13,000 people reside within Osterley itself. Its name is made up of the Old English words 'Eowestre' which means 'sheep barn' or 'sheep fold', and 'Leah' identifying a woodland clearing or meadow. The first mention of the area's name appears to date back to the reign of Edward I when then land was owned by John de Orsterlee. It may also have been the site of a Norman fort or watch tower which would have been used to protect the transportation of provisions between London and Windsor.

The Manor of Osterley, as it was known, passed between a number of different hands until in 1562 it came into the possession of Sir Thomas Gresham. It was Sir Thomas who enclosed 600 acres of land and, by 1577, also had the existing farmhouse replaced with a manor house. It was quite a grand place by this time and its grounds contained woodland, ponds, a number of mills and a heronry. Such was its grandeur that Queen Elizabeth was a guest on two occasions in 1578. Another significant point in the manor's history was in 1713 when it became the property of Sir Francis Child, Lord Mayor of London, politician and the founder of Child & Co, the UK's oldest bank (also the third oldest bank in the world).

It was one of Sir Francis' descendants, also called Francis Child, who inherited the estate and between 1760 and 1778 commissioned architect Robert Adam to transform it into the striking neoclassical grand mansion that still stands as the centrepiece of the estate. Such is its grandeur, it has been described as being the 'palace of palaces'. In 1804 the estate came into the possession of the 5th Earl of Jersey, who had married into the Child family, and it remained with them until the 1940's when it was gifted to the nation by the 9th Earl of Jersey. Following many years of being leased from the Ministry of Works, the National Trust took full ownership in 1991 and it remains one of their properties to this day.

Osterley Park, the grounds in which the mansion sits, is one capital's largest open spaces and one of the last complete country estates in London. It encompasses 500 acres in total, which includes a working farm. In the 1960's the M4 motorway was constructed through the estate, splitting it in two. The northern section is largely farmland while the southern side contains the 356 acres which are managed by the National Trust and are open to the public. This part contains the mansion, a Tudor stable block, formal gardens, a walled garden, garden house, new and ancient woodland, two lakes and acres of ancient parkland. The parkland itself has gone through multiple changes over the years including some time when it was a deer park.

I first visited the estate on 31 August 2013 to take part in the inaugural event of the venue's free, weekly, timed 5k event called Osterley parkrun. The event is open to all abilities including people who wish to walk the course. It is a well-established community event which offers plenty of opportunities to become involved, including as a volunteer. Upon entering the grounds from Jersey Road there is an 850-metre-long walk to the parkrun meeting point which is located right in front of the stunning red-bricked mansion. There are on-site toilets and these are located about 100 metres to the north of the mansion, adjacent to the stable block.

When I visited in 2013 I cycled to the venue and used the cycle racks next to the stable block, I can confirm that as of November 2024 the racks are still located in the same spot and can accommodate approximately 15 bicycles. However most cyclists seem to use the fence that surrounds the front lawn of the house. When I revisited in 2024 I used the car to make the journey and parked in the onsite parking facilities. The estate has two car parking areas which are both accessed via the park's main entrance on Jersey Road. The National Trust Osterley Park and House website advises that there is a fee to park onsite, however this does not apply to those taking part in the parkrun as a special arrangement is in place that exempts attendees from the charge. The general expectation is that parkrunners will vacate by 11am. Anyone wishing to stay longer may be required to pay the parking fee.

The park is easily reached via public transport. The closest station is Osterley tube station which is served by London Underground services on the Heathrow branch of the Piccadilly Line. This gives quick and easy access from both the centre of London and from Heathrow airport. The onward journey on foot to the parkrun meeting point is 1 mile (1.6km). Isleworth is the closest mainline railway station, but is further away from the park. The onward journey from here is 1.6 miles (2.4km). Isleworth station is served by South Western Railway services running between London Waterloo and Weybridge, in Surrey. There are also bus services that stop close-by, the closest being the H28. However the H91 stop is also near-by, next to Osterley tube station.

The parkrun takes place over a two-lap clockwise course around the northeast corner of the National Trust managed grounds. The course is essentially pancake flat making it a pretty fast course for anyone looking to set a good time. Underfoot, the surfaces are all hard standing featuring a mixture of tarmac and gravelly surfaces. I imagine most people would be fine in road shoes at most times of the year. In addition to that there is a very short section on grass which leads into the finish funnel at the very end. It is suitable for participants pushing buggies and for those using wheelchairs.

Dogs are welcome but please take note of the venue's Visiting Osterley Park with your dog webpage which outlines specific areas where dogs are allowed off their leads. This area is shown on the venue's official map.

The first timers' briefing and the main briefing both take place in front of the mansion. The first timers' briefing at about 8.50am and the full one once the participants are lined up at the start. The participants are then sent off for their weekly 5 kilometre jaunt around the grounds.

From the start, the course essentially heads to the north where it passes the Stables Cafe and the toilets before bearing to the left when the path splits. After a short avenue of trees the path takes on the feel of a country lane which is bordered by fairly thick bushes. This dead-straight path heads all the way to the park's boundary with the M4 motorway where there is a marshal who directs the participants to their right and onto Osterley Lane, which runs alongside the M4. This is once again a dead-straight path but slightly wider and separated from the busy motorway by a thin band of trees.

The constant hum of passing vehicles is impossible to ignore, but that aside the path is pleasant enough. I'd note the surface underfoot is a little knobbly in this section, which I'm sure buggy pushers and wheelchair users will notice a little more than those purely on foot. Up to this point the course is fairly enclosed with no views of the surrounding grounds of the estate.

Once the course reaches its northern tip Osterley Lane bears around to the right and starts to head away from the M4. At this point the view to the right begins to open up with a fantastic view across Middle Lake towards the mansion. A marshalled point further along the path marks the point where the course leaves the lane.

Now heading back towards the central part of the estate the route looks directly towards the flight path of planes on their final approach into Heathrow Airport, and considering their frequency it is almost certain that you'll see a few passing over. Overall the course features lots of long, straight paths, but this changes in the final section of the lap. Firstly the route passes through a very small patch of woodland where the path twists and meanders its way through before exiting and passing the car park areas.

Then it follows the path that curves around the northern tip of Garden Lake - if you are going for a time there is the temptation to follow the racing line next to the water's edge, which is fine but there is no barrier or grass between the path and the water, so be careful. You may also have to keep an eye out for the ducks.

Upon reaching the mansion, the lap is complete and lap two is identical to the first. At the end of lap two the course peels off to the right onto the grass where it almost immediately enters the finish funnel and finish tokens are handed out. If you happen to be further back in the field and are being lapped, it is best to keep to the left on the approach to the house at the end of the first lap to allow those finishing access to the finish. Barcode scanning takes place over at the mansion's steps and the post-event refreshment venue is the Stables Cafe which is just a few metres away. It has both indoor and outdoor seating, and serves all the usual offerings that you'd expect from a National Trust cafe.

The results were published later that day and there were 496 finishers on 9 November 2024. This was a bit higher than the average as we had visited to join in the celebrations at the parkrun's 500th event. The usual expected number of attendees tends to sit somewhere in the mid-300's. At time of writing, the all-time attendance record stands at 744 and was set on 1 January 2020 where Osterley had a 10.30am start as part of that year's New Years Day double. The rest of the top five highest attended events are made up of event 300, 2019's New Years Day event, and then two from 2024, including at fifth place, event 500!

In terms of the course, the current two lap course, which has been in operation for most of the event's life, is different to the one used when I was last here at event 1. That original course was three laps and multi terrain. I have the GPS data for both courses, so pop over to Strava to see the data from the original course or the current course. The GPS data from my 2024 visit has been converted into a short fly-by video using the Relive app, it can be viewed on YouTube.

The parkrun itself doesn't suffer from too many planned cancellations, but they can occur when another event is using the park or if a film crew is on-site (it is a popular filming location, see below). Other cancellations are mostly weather-related at short notice, and as the event is held on private property, sometimes the decision to close the grounds is made by the National Trust, leaving the parkrun's core team with no choice. As always information can be found via the event's news page, social media pages or via the official parkrun UK cancellations page.

Post-parkrun you can of course stay on-site and explore some more. If you would like full access to the gardens and the mansion you'll need to pay the entry fee. Of course National Trust members can do all of that for no extra on-the-day charge. Another fact about the house is that it has featured as a backdrop in quite a number of films and TV shows, mostly, but not exclusively, period dramas. Some notable ones are The Crown, Miss Potter, Mansfield Park, Holmes & Watson, Cranford, The Duchess, The Persuaders, Top Secret, and The Dark Knight Rises (Batman). On this occasion we wound up our visit and left the car park at about 10.30am as we had other plans elsewhere in London.

The visit to Osterley House and Park had been very pleasant and we were very well looked after by the volunteer team and other locals. A huge thank you goes to everyone involved.

Related Links:

• My 2024 Osterley parkrun GPS data (9 November 2024 - Two lap course)
• The Relive course fly-by video (9 November 2024 - Two lap course)

• My 2013 Osterley parkrun GPS data (31 August 2013 - Three lap course - No longer in use)

• The write-up from my original visit (31 August 2013)

• The London parkrun venues (blog7t)

• The National Trust parkrun venues (blog7t)

Osterley parkrun

Please note: This is an old post and some details have changed including the course. I revisited in November 2024 so please refer to that post for a more up-to-date write-up:

Link: Osterley parkrun 2024 write-up

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Upon arrival at the grounds of Osterley Park and House you know you have just entered somewhere special. This is one of the last surviving country estates in London and is managed by the National Trust. The centre-piece of the estate is the Georgian House and is surrounded by gardens, park and farmland.

On 31 August 2013, the estate became home to Osterley parkrun and I was there for the inaugural running of the event. I travelled by bicycle and used one of the bespoke National Trust bicycle racks to secure my bike. If this happened to be full, there is a fence right the way along the path around the finish area that you could use as an alternative.

For those who prefer to drive, there is a car park. The arrangement is that if you show your parkrun barcode to the car park attendant you will be allowed to park free of charge for the duration of the event - if you don't have it you'll have to cough up £3.50 to cover the car parking fee.

Public transport links are good - Osterley tube station is less than a mile away so it doesn't take long to walk or jog to the venue. Isleworth train station is a little further away at 1.5 miles but should still be a viable option for most.

You'll be pleased to hear that there are toilets and they are located right next to the finishing line - on the day I went to the venue they were opened at about 8.20am, that should be early enough for even the keenest parkrunner.

The course is flat, is run over three-and-a-bit laps and starts right next to 'Garden Lake', which is adjacent to the house. The first 150 metres covers the 'and-a-bit' section. You are then required to run three clockwise laps of the course.

The first part of the lap is on a loose gravel surface and continues for about 500 metres before you turn right at the far end of the park and run about 300 metres along a compacted dirt path - this path is definitely not even and contains many large holes which were still full of water even though the last rainfall was almost a week earlier. In the wetter months this is going to be quite a difficult section to run as runners may not be able to judge how deep each hole is.

At the end of this path there is a hard right turn through a narrow gate - this point of the course had a marshal and hopefully always will because it is so easy to run straight past it - I did just that during my recce lap and bumped into a fisherman and a few dog walkers before realising my error.

The next section is a forest trail which takes you along the edge of 'Middle Lake' where you must be extremely careful of the protruding tree roots - I heard of a number of runners tripping as they ran through this section. The first lap is where risk of tripping is at its highest as this is when runners are bunched up and not so able to see the ground clearly.

As you emerge from the foresty bit, the terrain changes to grass for about 600 metres or so (watch out for the odd pot-hole). On the last part of the grass you run directly towards the house, which really is quite stunning. At the end of the lap you turn right back onto to gravel path to start the next lap.

At the end of the third lap you will stay on the grass and follow the cones into the finish funnel.

On the National Trust webpage it says that dogs must be kept on a lead, so I was hopeful that this would be a good course for those nervous around dogs. However the grass section of the run goes straight through the area that has been set aside as an off-lead dog area. Not a major point and I didn't have any issues but still worth noting.

Buggy runners will get around easily in the dry and will have a slightly tougher time in the wet but in my opinion will still be fine. An off-road-style running buggy would be my preference.

This is a really nice course to run and, providing you stay upright, certainly has pb potential during dry conditions where standard road shoes are fine, but I suspect that in the wetter months trail shoes might come in handy.

Put it on your to-do list!