Felixstowe parkrun

Felixstowe is a town in the East Anglian county of Suffolk with a population of around 25,000 people. The earliest records of its name are from 1254 where it is written as Filchestou, and then in 1291 when it was recorded as Filchestowe. The origin of the name is unclear, but the two main theories are that it could be named after Felix of Burgundy who may have been the person who introduced Christianity to East Anglia. The other is that it takes its name from 'the stow of Filica', so a place that belonged to someone called Filica. The town grew from its original location which is in the northern part of modern-day Felixstowe, now known as Old Felixstowe.

The town sits on the coast of the North Sea, and is nestled in between the estuary at the mouths of the River Stour and River Orwell to its south, which is the approach to Harwich Harbour, and the mouth of the River Deben to the north. Prior to the growth of Felixstowe, the significant settlement was Walton, where the Romans built a Saxon Shore Fort called known as Walton Castle. This building was later used by the Saxons and the Normans. Coastal erosion eventually led to the demise of the castle, however the remaining sections can still be seen at very low tide.

Felixstowe was an important defensive location, and a fort, originally called Langer Fort, was established at the southern end of the town, in 1540, to protect the approach to Harwich Harbour. It later became Landguard Fort. The fort grew over time and in 1667 successfully defended against an attempted invasion by the Dutch. It also played a role in the Second World War where it was used in multiple capacities including as a launching site for Operation Outward. This was an operation where free-flying hydrogen balloons were released towards Nazi-occupied areas with the intent to damage power lines and generally cause disruption. The army left the fort in 1957 and it is now under the care of English Heritage. Continuing the defensive theme, seven Martello Towers were constructed along the seafront during 1810-11. Four of these remain. 

Probably the most famous feature of the town is The Port of Felixstowe. It was founded in 1875 and became a container port in 1967. Almost half of the country's container trade now passes through Felixstowe, making it the UK's largest container port. Around 2,000 ships visit the port every year including the largest container ships ever built. Members of the public cannot enter the port itself, but there is a viewpoint near the Landguard Fort. The Port of Felixstowe publishes their shipping schedule on their webpage, so that is really useful if planning a visit. 

During Victoria times, the town's seafront area started to become a popular seaside resort and a pier was constructed in 1905. Originally 800m long, it was the 3rd longest pier in the country and had a T-shaped head where passengers on the Belle paddle steamers from London and Great Yarmouth disembarked. It once had an electric tramway which transferred the passengers and their luggage along the pier. Like many other piers it was sectioned during the Second World War due to the fear of it being used in a German invasion. The land side section was redeveloped in 2017 and this structure currently claims the crown as Britain's newest pier building. The pier decking, which is now only 140m long and was not part of the redevelopment, is no longer accessible due to safety concerns.

The seafront has a promenade and several garden areas as well as numerous beach huts, amusement arcades, ice cream parlours and fish & chip shops. The town also now has its own free, weekly, timed 5km event called Felixstowe parkrun which had its inaugural event on 7 April 2018. We visited on 23 September 2023 and took part in event number 213. The event takes place along the promenade and the main meeting point is at the Felixstowe Leisure Centre which is right next to the pier. Our journey on the morning was super easy as we had stayed overnight in the local Premier Inn which is less than a five minute walk away.

If arriving by car, the closest parking is in the leisure centre car park but you will have to pay. However, from what I could see, the streets to the south of the leisure centre seemed to be restriction-free, so it would make sense to just park on Sea Road. North of the leisure centre, the road changes to Undercliffe Road W, and this does have parking restrictions. There are some sections that allow visitor parking but a fee applies. For cyclists there are some racks outside the main entrance to the leisure centre. The town has a train station and this is just under 1 mile away from the meeting area. There is a bus stop right outside the leisure centre and this appears to be served by the number 77 bus. The parkrun course page says the number 75 stops here, but this conflicts with the information I can find online, which says it stops a little further away, near the Premier Inn.

There are public toilets dotted all along the promenade, but the closest ones to the parkrun are just a few minutes away, across the road within one of the tiered garden areas next to Felixstowe Town Hall. The first-timers briefing takes place on the grass outside the leisure centre, while the main briefing takes place at the start line which is on the promenade itself. The parkrun takes place on a 100% tarmac course along the promenade which is pancake flat. It is described as a single lap course on the event's course page, and consists of two separate out-and-back sections. Road shoes are suitable for this course all year round. The course is also perfectly fine for buggy runners and for anyone using a wheelchair.

The start area is cordoned off and takes up about three quarters of the width of the promenade, to allow enough space for any other members of the public to continue to pass. After the main briefing, the parkrun gets underway. As a rule, those taking part in the event should generally try to keep to the right at all times. The first of the two out-and-backs sees the participants heading south-west along the promenade, passing some gardens, beach huts, and the 35-metre-tall 'The View' ferris wheel which was opened in August 2023. At the 1 kilometre mark, the course reaches Martello Park which is home to a playground and Martello Tower P. The tower has had many uses over the years, including as a signal interception post during World War I. It is currently used as a National Coastwatch Institution station.

The first turnaround point is at the 1.2 kilometre point and is roughly in line with Martello Tower P. This point is marked by a cone and a marshal. This end of the course is likely to be sociable as the entire field will pass itself. Just remember to keep to the right. At 2.4 kilometres into the course, the participants reach the original start point, which they pass and now head over the small bump in the course which passes directly in front of the pier entrance. There was some scaffolding here when we visited which took up a bit of the path, but there were two wonderful marshals stationed here just to keep everything in order. Continuing to head northeast, this part of the course soon passes the Felixstowe War Memorial.

Felixstowe is believed to be the first seaside resort in the country to have had beach huts, and some of the ones here are still the original Victorian huts, dating back around 130 years. The northern end of the course is also home to the Spa Pavilion building which was originally built in 1909. It has suffered wartime bomb damage and has sustained periods of closure over the years. Next to the pavillion are the Spa Gardens, another set of Felixstowe's very well kept garden areas. The parkrun course passes these before reaching the turnaround point in front of the shelter at the 3.7 kilometre point.

The view on the return journey features the Port of Felixstowe cranes that dominate the skyline. You may also be lucky enough to see some of the huge container ships approaching the port, and on a really clear day you can just about see the Greater Gabbard Wind Farm, which is 23 kilometres off the coast. The final stretch of the course simply involves returning along the promenade to the original start point, which is now the finish.

Barcode scanning takes place within the grass area at the leisure centre, and once all of the participants and tail walkers have crossed the line, the official post-event refreshments are listed as being in The Boardwalk Cafe. This is within the pier building where there is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Being a seaside resort, there are plenty of other options dotted along the sea front.

The results were processed and online a few hours later and 304 people had taken part in event number 213. This number was a typical reflection of the current attendance figures, which tend to hover in the high 200's. I recorded the course with my Garmin and that data can be viewed on Strava. The accompanying Relive course fly-by video can be found on YouTube.

On this particular day, we didn't hang around for refreshments as we had other plans. I would note that if visiting and looking for more substantial vegan or vegetarian food options, the seafront has a Hank's Dirty, we ate in their Ipswich branch in 2022 and it was fantastic. Also, if you fancy something a bit more seaside-y, the fish & chip shop called Saltwater has a vegan menu. We had already visited Landguard Fort, Landguard Nature Reserve, The Port of Felixstowe and wandered around the seafront the day before, so after parkrun we headed a few miles north to visit Orford Castle. We had a brilliant trip to Felixstowe, and the parkrun was of course the headlining act. Many thanks to all the volunteers!

Related links:

My GPS course data (September 2023)

The Relive course fly-by Video (September 2023)

The Suffolk parkruns venues (blog7t page)

Brandon Country Park parkrun

In the north-west corner of Suffolk, right on the border with Norfolk, is the small town of Brandon. It was previously known as Brondun, and has a modern-day population of around 10,000 people. The River Little Ouse flows through the town. It sits within the area known as Breckland, which naturally features a sandy heath landscape, covered largely in gorse. 

Historically the local area is known for its flint. The flint has been mined here since around 2,600BC and the remains of some of the historic mines, Grime's Graves, are now one of the area's major tourist attractions. There are 433 shafts which cover an area of 91 acres just a few miles outside the town.

The presence of flint led to knapping becoming one of the area's skilled industries. Knapping is the process of shaping flint, this would have sometimes been as a building material, and most of the older buildings in the local area have flint used in their construction and external decoration. Another use of flint was for weapons such as flintlock guns from the 17th to 19th centuries.

The supply of flint was vitally important for the military, and during the Napoleonic Wars Brandon flint was regarded as the best and most reliable. During this period, knappers from Brandon supplied around 400,000 flints per month to the British military. Local businessman, Edward Bliss, made his fortune from mining the flint and selling it onto the army. He used his wealth to purchase 2,500 acres of land just outside the town and created the Brandon Park country estate. The centrepiece of the estate was the mansion called Brandon Park House. The estate also included stables, a walled garden, an engine room, a mausoleum and an arboretum.

In the years following the First World War, the nation's timber supplies were running low. Much of the land of the local country estates was purchased and a huge tree planting operation began, this planting created what we now know as Thetford Forest. The forest covers an area of 18,730 hectares (73 square miles) and is the seventh overall largest forest in the UK. However it can claim the number one spot for being the UK's largest man-made lowland forest. The creation of the forest has changed the landscape considerably, taking away part of the traditional Breckland.

The former country house still stands and is now a grade II listed building. It changed hands a few times over the years, but is now owned by the Catchpole family, founders of Stow Healthcare. The house is now run as a boutique private nursing home where rooms cost up to £1,495 per week. The rest of Brandon Park, which is nestled within the vast forest, is now called Brandon Country Park. Most of the original features are still there including the walled garden and the mausoleum, but it now has additions such as a playground and marked walking routes.

We visited the country park on 11 March 2023 to take part in Brandon Country Park parkrun, which coincidentally fell on the event's official tenth birthday. We had stayed overnight in the Premier Inn at Thetford which is just a few miles down the road, so the journey was nice and simple. There are two onsite car parks which as of March 2023 cost £2 for up to two hours or £3 for over two hours. The country park managers request that parkrunners use the Orchard car park, which means driving past the main car park and the country house. Payment can be made by using the RingGo app or at the pay and display machine.

For cyclists there are bicycle racks within the main car park. Should travel by public transport be required, Brandon does have its own train station. The walk from the station to the country park is just under 2 kilometres. There seem to be a few bus routes around the local area that can get you into Brandon, but they are of course rural services so may be quite infrequent. However you travel, entry to the country park is off of the B1106, I understand it may also be known as Bury Road. Once in the country park, the main hub is adjacent to the car park and here you will find the playground, walled garden and the cafe building. The toilets are located in the rear of this building - when we visited they were open before 8.30am.

Brandon Country Park parkrun takes place over an anti-clockwise one-and-three-quarter lap course. Underfoot features a mixture of forest trails, dirt paths and some sandy paths. An important thing to note is that there are several areas containing protruding tree routes, so care will need to be taken to avoid tripping. With all that in mind my preference is for trail shoes. The course is not 100% flat, my Garmin picked up 51 metres of elevation change. The ups and downs are long and gentle, however I imagine the uphill could be challenging if running at a high effort. Taking part with a buggy would be totally fine, you'd just need to pay close attention to those tree roots and maybe some slightly uneven paths.

The parkrun itself has separate start and finish areas, so upon arrival you are likely to find most of the volunteers milling around the finish area which is on the lawn behind Brandon Park House - if you are visiting and want a pre-parkrun photo with the pop-up banner, head over to this area. However the briefings take place adjacent to the playground, so most of the participants seemed to assemble at that point. Following the briefings, the crowd moved further into the forest to the start area.

The start is on a typical forest country park type of path, so not terribly wide, however the attendance figures here are quite modest so I can't imagine there is ever a problem with overcrowding. In general the first half of the lap is gently downhill, this begins in the forest. However the feel of the course and its scenery changes multiple times on the way around.

After leaving the opening forest section, the path underfoot becomes more sandy, which is of course natural for this area of the country. It's a fairly light coating of sand so it's not like running on a beach. You may also spot flint in the ground. The landscape opens up a little here and the course follows the line of the overhead electricity cables which pass through the northern end of the park.

A left-hand turn at the most westerly point of the course marks the start of the long, gentle uphill. After not too long and a right-hand turn, the course reaches the mausoleum. Edward Bliss had this built as a final resting place for him and his wife. Initially they were both interred here, but were later moved to St Peter's Churchyard in Brandon. The building has the same style of knapped flint that can be found throughout the local area, and is now apparently home to Pipistrelle Bats. After passing the building, the course makes its way towards the formal area at the back of the house, which features almost a full loop of the rectangular duck pond. As you pass through this area on the first lap, the finish can easily be spotted on the grass.

On the first lap only, there's a very cool, wiggly woodland section to negotiate. This leads around the back of the cafe, past the playground and eventually merges into the forest path from the very beginning. The second lap is exactly the same as the first, but after rounding the pond for the second time, the finish awaits. As with most parkruns, the barcode scanners are placed just after the finish line. It is worth noting that the signage and marshalling was brilliant all the way around the course.

As it was the event's 10th birthday, some stones had been painted and scattered around the course for participants to find. One very kind marshal pointed us in the direction of one of them, so we have that as a souvenir of our visit. We'll keep it next to the parkrun stone that I painted a few years ago.

I recorded the course with my Garmin, and the course data can be viewed on my Strava page. That data was also used to create a course fly-by video using the Relive app on my phone. The course was not completely identical to the one on the map on the official course page, so bear that in mind if visiting.

The results were processed a short while later and there had been 121 participants at event 456. This figure was slightly elevated due to the event's 10th birthday celebrations. On a regular week, there would usually be less than 100 finishers. Don't let those modest attendance figures fool you, this is a lovely country park. The forest sections were stunning and the mausoleum adds an extra unique element to the venue.

The post event refreshments are at the onsite cafe, The Copper Beech Cafe. Once we had finished refuelling, we explored the walled garden, which has a 23-metre-deep well as its centrepiece. The playground seemed pretty cool, but the kids were happier exploring the garden so we didn't end up spending any real time there.

At around midday, we'd reached the point where we had to head off, so headed back over to Thetford to continue our mini-break. I'd like to add a huge thanks to the whole team that put the event on and made us feel so welcome.

Related links:

My GPS data (11 March 2023 / Event 456)

The Relive course fly-by Video (11 March 2023 / Event 456)

The Suffolk parkrun venues (blog7t page)

Alton Water parkrun

In the county of Suffolk, just to the south of Ipswich is the Shotley Peninsula. It sits between the River Orwell and the River Stour and has a population of around 11,000 people. The peninsula is largely rural and is made up mostly of villages and ancient farmlands. The main crops grown here are wheat, barley, sugar beet and potatoes. The peninsula sits within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which stretches along almost the entire Suffolk coastline and even into the neighbouring county of Essex.

In the late 1960's it was decided that the nearby town of Ipswich and surrounding areas, including the seaside town of Felixstowe, needed to expand their available supply of water to meet the growing demands of their residents and industries. A feasibility study took place and it was decided that the River Gipping would be able to provide the water and that a reservoir would be required to store it. The Tattingstone Valley within the Shotley Peninsula was chosen as the most suitable location. A dam was constructed between 1974 and 1978, and a 4 mile-long pipeline was used to transfer the water from river to reservoir.

The land now contained within the reservoir was part of the Alton Hall estate and had mostly been used for farming. The centre of the estate, Alton Hall, was unfortunately placed and became lost to the new development. It was a 17th century building which, depending on what you read, was either demolished before the land was flooded or submerged. Another building, Alton Mill, was dismantled and reassembled at the Museum of East Anglian Life, in Stowmarket. It is still standing and can be visited, but the attraction is now called the Food Museum. The Alton Hall name survived when the new reservoir was given the name Alton Water.

The village of Tattingstone was cut in half by the reservoir and the remaining sections are now linked by the 1970's-built concrete Lemons Hill Bridge. Tattingstone also contains a peculiar building known as Tattingstone Wonder. It initially looks like a church, but is in fact a short row of cottages with a flint facade and an imitation church tower added. The story is that the local squire did not like the view from his residence, Tattingstone Place, and had it constructed to improve his view. If you look at the building from the rear you can clearly see that the tower is a folly. In total the flooding of the valley resulted in the village losing around 20 homes.

Alton Water was officially opened on 10 July 1987 by HRH The Princess Royal. Covering 400 acres it is the largest reservoir in Suffolk, the pumping and treatment elements can process up to 10 million gallons of water per day. The southern end of the reservoir contains the main visitor hub and also home to Alton Watersports Centre which offers all sorts of water-based activities. There is also a mini-golf course, a playground, cafe, toilets and cycle hire. On 6 November 2021 the area also became home to its very own free, weekly, timed 5k event called Alton Water parkrun.

We visited on 30 July 2022 and parked in the main visitor car park just next to the village of Stutton. The car park operates on a barrier system which also has ANPR readers to record the number plate. A ticket is collected at the barrier upon entry and payment is made just before exiting. For non-parkrunning visitors this is via the machine next to the toilets, but there is a special arrangement in place for parkrunners where you simply take the ticket into the cafe and let them know that you were here for parkrun. There will be a flat £1 charge and a replacement exit ticket will be given. This one is used to open the barrier upon exit. If arriving by bicycle there is, what I believe to be a cycle rack, outside the cafe.

Travel by other means seems tricky. The closest train stations are Manningtree which is around 5 miles away or Ipswich which is over 7 miles. The onward travel from these places would involve the number 92 bus which runs between both stations, passing Alton Water on the way. Alighting at Manningtree would mean getting the 7.34am bus from the station. Miss it and you've blown it. If alighting at Ipswich, again the number 92 bus is the route that goes past Alton Water, but I don't think it runs early enough to complete the onward journey in time. Obviously, do your own research on this if considering travelling this way just in case I've found incorrect information or if it changes.

Once onsite, the toilets can be found just next to the cafe adjacent to the main car park. They were already open when we arrived at 8.15am. The main meeting point for the parkrun can be found just across the road next to the lake - just follow the 'To The Start' sign. As an added option for arrival at this event, the Alton Water Campsite is right next to the parkrun meeting area so if you have the appropriate camping equipment you could sleep just metres away from the event HQ. The meeting point is actually at the finish line and the start is just a bit further onwards and around a corner.

The course you'll find here is of the off-road variety with underfoot surfaces being a mix of a gravelly path, sometimes with larger loose stones, a little bit of tarmac and the rest on dirt paths and grass. For shoe choice, I decided to go with my regular road shoes, but even though it was bone dry I think trail shoes would have been the better option. Not so much for grip, but I ended up with so much debris inside them that I almost had to stop mid-event to clear them out. Trail shoes seem to do a much better job at keeping this kind of issue at bay. If visiting in the winter or when it's wet, trail shoes would definitely be the way to go. It is two laps and the course profile can be best described as very gently undulating.

The start is a bit further on around a corner and this is where the briefing is held, followed by a quick count down and everyone heads off for a lovely run or walk around this very peaceful area of countryside. The first half of each lap is slightly inland where there are adjacent fields behind a high hedge, this would be fine on a normal day, but we had picked the exact day the farmer had decided to use the combine harvester to harvest some crops. This lead to quite a lot of dust and other debris being blown around in the air. I covered my mouth and nose with my v250 shirt to try to reduce the amount I would breath in, but I moved past it pretty quickly.

The course was very well marked out and the marshals were positioned in all the right places. In fact there is quite a complex network of paths here so good signage is essential, and I'm pleased to say that the team had this element covered down to the finest detail.

About halfway through the lap, the course starts to head back using paths that run, more or less, alongside the reservoir. This gives the second half of the course a slightly different feel and it's worth keeping an eye out for the view across the water where in the distance you can see the clock tower of the Royal Hospital School in nearby Holbrook.

For me the most exciting feature on the course are the Highland Cows which were brought in to help manage the grassland in a sustainable way. There was an information board onsite where I learned that the Highland Cow is one of the oldest registered cattle breeds in the world. They originated in Scotland in about the 6th century and their coats were mostly black rather than the red/ginger they are famous for. The story is that Queen Victoria commented that she preferred the red haired cattle and in an effort to please the Queen, they were then selectively bred this way. On the subject of wildlife, the area is home to some reptiles including the common lizard and grass snake.

There are plenty of uneven surfaces during the lap so it's worth keeping that in mind. It may offer a little more of a challenge for buggy runners, but most would have no trouble getting around. After following the lap around a second time, the finish section breaks off of the loop and the 5k finishes on the open grass area next to the camping ground.

Barcodes and finish tokens are of course scanned right next to the finish line. Once finished I made a special effort to go back onto the course to spend some extra time admiring the Highland Cows, and once that was done, headed over to the cafe where we had some light breakfast. We followed this up with some time in the playground and some ice cream before heading off home at about half-twelve.

I recorded the course using my Garmin and the GPS data can be found on Strava. The data was also used to create a Relive course fly-by video that can be viewed on YouTube.

The results were published very soon after the tail walker had crossed the line and 71 people had taken part in event number 38. This was very close to the official average, so if you visit you can expect an intimate experience with plenty of friendly locals in attendance and volunteering. We were made to feel very welcome, so a huge thanks to all of the volunteers and other locals that spent some time chatting to us.

Related links:

My GPS data from event 38 (30 July 2022)

The Relive course fly-by video

The Suffolk parkrun venues

Sizewell parkrun

Sizewell is a fishing hamlet in the parish of Leiston in Suffolk which sits within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (ANOB). The settlement was part of a country estate which featured Sizewell Hall as the main dwelling. This building is still owned by the same family that bought it in 1859, however they moved out when it was commandeered by the army during WW2. The house is now used as a Christian Conference Centre.

Historically the settlement was/is an extremely quiet, sleepy place, but like many coastal places, does have a link to smuggling. In Sizewell's case their most famous link is to a notorious group called the 'Hadleigh Gang'. Sizewell is also a known landing point for Dutch people fleeing the WW2 German occupation by sea. They were known as Engelandvaarders (England Voyagers) and some who arrived at Sizewell made it there using kayaks. Sadly many who attempted the journey did not make it and they are commemorated with a memorial on the beach. I understand one of the original kayaks was part of the memorial but that doesn't seem to be there anymore.

There is one pub in Sizewell, called The Vulcan Arms. If you check out the sign outside the pub, you'll see the illustration contains a Vulcan Bomber, Spock (Human-Vulcan hybrid), and Vulcan (The Roman God of Fire). Aside from a few houses, the Sizewell Beach Holiday Park, and a small cafe, there's not much else in the centre of the settlement. The seafront is now home to a weekly 5km event called Sizewell parkrun, which we visited in May 2022.

Car parking can be found at the Sizewell Beach Car Park which currently charges £1 for up-to two hours, £2 for up-to four hours, or £4 for the whole day - I paid using coins, but you can also do so via the RingGo app. There doesn't seem to be any public transport that can get you all the way to the venue. The closest train station I can see is at Saxmundham which is 7 miles by road to the west and it looks like the '64 Ipswich Reds' bus can then be used to get you as far as Leiston. The country lane that runs from Leiston to Sizewell does have a shared-use (people/bicycle) path, so it would be possible to safely walk or cycle the remaining 2 miles.

Should an overnight stay be required there are some independent hotels and B&Bs around the local area with the majority being in Leiston. As mentioned above there is also the Sizewell Beach Holiday Park. There do not seem to be any of the major chain hotels in the local area. The closest premier Inn is in Ipswich which is about 26 miles away by road.

Once at the venue, toilets can be found adjacent to the car park. If you happened to cycle, there is a rack in the car park. From the car park, you simply head over the sand dunes and onto the beach area where you'll see the finish area. The briefing and the start can be found a little further along the beach. The briefing here specifically mentions the possibility of Adders being present on the course. This is backed up by signage along the beach alerting visitors.

By this point you'll be fully aware of the huge buildings that dominate the seafront. These are the Sizewell Nuclear Power Stations. The one that looks like a concrete box is Sizewell A - construction started in 1961 and was operational from 1966 using two Magnox reactors. Its operational lifetime was 40 years and was closed down in December 2006. It is currently being decommissioned and this process will take almost 100 years to fully complete.

The one with the dome on top is Sizewell B. This is the UK's only commercial Pressurised Water Reactor power station. It was built between 1987 and 1995, providing power from that year onwards. It is currently due to close in 2035, but this may be extended. The dome is part of a containment building which encloses the nuclear reactor. These are usually airtight and designed to withstand the impact from a fully-laden passenger aeroplane.

The parkrun course starts in their shadows and takes place over a 1 lap out-and-back course. The seafront here is very natural and you'll find dunes and long grasses lining the entire course. It really is a beautiful stretch of coast. Underfoot the path has double track indentations (looks like it was made using a vehicle) with a raised central part.

The route contains a combination of grassy, sandy, and stony terrain. Some of the sandy bits are very sandy indeed and you'll find the energy being sapped from your legs. Fortunately there aren't too many sections like this. There are however some minor changes in elevation, so it's not a pancake flat route.

As far as footwear is concerned, trail shoes felt like the natural choice for me, so I went for them and I was happy that I did. For anyone that doesn't enjoy using trail shoes I'm sure road shoes would be fine when it is dry or summer. Buggy runners are welcome here, but it'll be a bumpy ride for the occupant and of course it'll be hard work through the short sandy sections. The course is nice and easy to follow, which means only two marshals were required.

Although the route is essentially an out-and-back, the far end of the course takes place on a 2 kilometre long loop and this means that the majority of the field will not see any fellow participants returning from the turn-around point. During the loop the course just skirts the edge of the RSPB Minsmere Nature Reserve. The return leg gives great views of Sizewell B and its glorious dome. Interestingly, although the event takes place adjacent to the sea, the nature of the of the sand dunes means that you don't really see much of it.

The finish line can be found adjacent to the car park and barcode scanning takes place immediately afterwards. Although it would have been amazing to have spotted an Adder, I was actually quite relieved that I didn't. If you need a little more of a visual of the course, please feel free to have a look at my GPS data on Strava or the course fly-by video, created with that data using the Relive app.

With the day's parkrunning finished we took a little walk in the opposite direction along the beach where we saw plenty of fishing boats and a wartime pill box. The area does seem to be fairly popular with dog walkers but most arrived after the parkrun had finished. It's also worth noting that the power stations are due to be expanded in the coming years with the addition of Sizewell C. This is planned to be built on the land adjacent to Sizewell B. 

The results were online shortly after and 95 people participated. This is a fairly typical number for this venue. We then decided to buy some breakfast in the aptly named 'Sizewell Tea' cafe. The menu options cover the usual hot drinks plus some cooked breakfast items in baps. I can confirm that the veggie sausage baps and hash browns were pretty tasty. As far as cancellations are concerned, the event seems to be fairly hardy and I cannot see many instances of cancellations in the past. If a cancellation does happen it may be more likely to be related to the conditions of the country lanes around the venue rather than the course itself. The impending construction of Sizewell C may also have an impact, so check the event's main page, social media pages and the parkrun UK cancellations page before travelling.

We followed this up with a visit to the ruins of Leiston Abbey which is just a couple of miles away (I recommend popping over to see it, there's a small car park, no charge and you are free to explore for as long or little as you like).

It's a lovely place and although some people may see the power stations as an eyesore, everyone I spoke to seemed to be quite fascinated by them. They were certainly a draw for us - it's the first time I've been this close to anything nuclear.

As always a massive thanks goes to all the volunteers involved. 

Related links:

• My GPS data
• The Relive course fly-by video

• The Suffolk parkrun venues

Rendlesham Forest parkrun

In the south east corner of Suffolk you will find the Suffolk Coast & Heaths Area of Natural Beauty  (AONB). It was originally established in 1970 to conserve and enhance the area. An extension in 2020 means it now also includes a slither of Essex. In total the AONB covers 441 square kilometres and stretches along almost the entire Suffolk coastline. Within the area you will find estuaries, marshes, meadowlands, lowland heaths, farmlands, historic towns and villages, ancient woodland and forests.

In the south of the area you will find a Site of Special Scientific Interest called Sandlings Forest - this covers several separate sites including Rendlesham Forest, which is the focus of this blog post. The main reason for the designation is that the forest supports some very important bird populations of nightjar and woodlarks. Surveys in the 1990's showed that the Sandlings Forest area provided home to 2% of the UK's nightjar population and 5% of woodlarks.

Rendlesham Forest itself is largely made up of coniferous tress, in this case Pines with the addition of several open heath areas. However the area has not always been forest; the initial planting took place between 1922 and 1930. Before this the area would have been vast open areas of heath and farmland - it is this type of terrain combined with the conifers that provides the ideal nesting ground for the nightjar and woodlark.

It is managed by Forestry England where certain sections are felled for use as timber. The Great Storm of 1987 wiped out over 1 million trees across the Sandlings Forest sites, and as a result the majority of the trees here date back to the late 80s and the early 90s. In the car park there is a plaque noting that a Sessile Oak was planted here by Michael Fish to mark the 10 year anniversary of the Great Storm. A time capsule was also buried close by and is due to be opened in 2087. (For those too young to remember, Michael Fish is the weatherman who famously dismissed warnings that a hurricane was on its way just a few hours before it struck in 1987).

In 1943 a section of Rendlesham Forest was cleared and became home to an airfield called RAF Woodbridge. The positioning of this was strategic as it gave damaged aircraft a safe place to land following raids over Germany during WW2. After the war the United States Air Force used it a base until 1993. The base was reactivated and renamed MoD Woodbridge in the early 00s and around 500 British Army personnel have been based here since 2006.

On 26 December 1980 Rendlesham Forest became the location of the UK's most well-known UFO encounter, now known as The Rendlesham Forest Incident (sometimes also called Britain's Roswell). USAF personnel witnessed lights in the forest and upon investigation encountered a triangular metallic craft hovering or resting on its legs in a small clearing. It had glyphs on the side and the report suggests a strong electrical pull coming from the craft which was warm to the touch. The witness also reported seeing binary code (0s and 1s) in his mind's eye.

The modern-day forest draws in about 100,000 visitors every year. It has marked trails which are popular with walkers and mountain bikers. There is a campsite here which usually operates from April until the end of October and this of course adds to the popularity. There are also numerous children's play areas and activities dotted around. We visited in May 2022 to take part in event 11 of Rendlesham Forest parkrun which has been in operation since 26 February 2022. For those who don't know, parkruns are 5km events, open to all abilities and there is no time limit (you don't actually have to run).

The forest has multiple car parks dotted around, but for the parkrun the main car park is the place to head to. It is the one directly opposite the camping ground 'Forest Camping'. Parking charges apply here and as of May 2022 there is a £3 charge for cars which covers up to 2 hours. Should you wish to stay longer a £5 charge will cover right up until closing time.

Should you arrive in a minibus or coach you'll need to cough up a flat fee of £10 (although the Forestry England website says something slightly different). Current options for payment are cash or card at the machine in the car park (next to the information hut), or you can use the RingGo app, but be warned the phone signal seems to be pretty poor here so maybe have some cash/card to fall back on just in case.

Travelwise this is not the easiest venue to reach using public transport. The closest bus stop is in nearby Butley, just over two miles away. The nearest train station is Melton which is about 3.5 miles away. There are some bicycle racks in the car park. There is also a small toilet block here which has male, female and accessible facilities - on the day we visited there were portaloos too, but I'm not sure if that is a permanent arrangement.

The parkrun meeting point is just next to the main car park with the start point being a little further along the path. Both of the briefings took place at the start point and at 9am sharp the event got underway. The course here is, as you'd expect, off-road so stick on your trail shoes for this one! It is largely flat but does have a short incline which you go up twice. The main thing to consider as far as underfoot is concerned is that there are numerous tree roots protruding on many of the paths. Also watch out for pine cones which were scattered almost everywhere. Another thing is that this area of the country sits on light sandy soil, and you will encounter some slightly sandy sections.

The advice regarding buggy running is to check with the core team before visiting, which I did via Facebook Messenger as I thought I might be buggy running (my four year old decided to take part on foot in the end). If we had used the buggy I think the most difficult part would probably have been the ever-so-slightly uphill section where the sandy soil is at its sandiest (you actually go up twice, as well as also down twice). My tip on this section is to stick to the left hand side on the way up, which seemed to be firmer part. The tree roots are of course the main safety concern. We would have been absolutely fine (we've used the buggy on much bumpier courses) but some people may prefer to avoid buggy running here.

The course itself is a difficult one to describe in detail. Nobody can be lapped and it is essentially a one lapper, however you do visit some sections more than once. If I tried to describe it, it'd be a smallish upper loop followed by a larger different loop which includes an out-and-back section. At the end of these two loops you run back through the start line. From here you head back along the beginning section of the first loop but this time you do a much larger loop that goes right up to, and along, the fence of the military base before returning back to the original meeting point next to the car park. So three loops which get progressively larger.

During the event you'll encounter wide forest avenues, dirt paths, sandy paths, pine cones, tree roots, stones, and even a concrete path (I think this was previously an access road to the airfield). Also look out for the occasional low hanging branch from the pines. I didn't encounter many dog walkers, but the ones I did had kept their pet on the lead which I thought was very considerate. Also, some of the trails allow horse riders and mountain bikers so keep an eye out for them, just in case. You'll be pleased to hear that there are signs, cones and wonderful marshals in all the right places so they'll keep you on track (big thanks to you all).

When the 5km is complete you enter the finish funnel and snake round through some trees and out into the adjacent open grass picnic area. This is where you'll receive your finishing token and then get scanned. The results were online a short while after and I saw that 87 people had taken part in event 11. The current average number of attendees is 100.9. Post-event the the forest does have a refreshments hut in the car park, however the owner does not seem to open until about 10.30am. I have heard that there are plans to build a permanent cafe here so I imagine that will eventually become the post-event social venue. We were covered as we had brought our own packed lunch.

Once I had transferred my GPS data from my Garmin, I used it to make a Relive course fly-by video so these two resources are probably a better way to get an idea of the course. Before, during and after the event I was fortunate to spend some time chatting to Rory Marriott who is part of the core team and also a former parkrun ambassador. He has overseen the successful planning and launches of many of the events in this area of the country and is as passionate as you could wish to be about parkrun and especially volunteering. On 22 June 2024 he became the second member (first male) of the V1000 club.

With the parkrun finished we turned our attention to the second of our planned activities in the forest. The UFO incident is probably the forests biggest reason for people to visit, and to make things more interesting they have installed a UFO trail through the forest. There are various play activities along the route, but the culmination is the full-sized metal sculpture of the UFO in the very spot the incident is said to have taken place. Despite the rain coming down in buckets, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

The forest also features four bowl barrows (burial mounds) which date from 2400-1500 BC. they have been classified as scheduled monuments. We didn't manage to spot them, but that does bring to mind that just to the west of the forest is Sutton Hoo which is an extremely important archeological site which you can visit. It was the subject of the 2021 Netflix film The Dig. Also worth mentioning is that the village of Rendlesham was once the centre of royal authority and Æthelwold who was king of the East Engles from c.654-664 resided here. There are so many other interesting things to do locally but of course we had to head home. Our day out in this small patch of Suffolk had been brilliant and I'll never forget it.

Related links:

The Suffolk parkrun venues

My GPS data from Rendlesham Forest parkrun

The Relive course fly-by video

My GPS data from our post-parkrun walk

Clare Castle parkrun

The historic market town of Clare sits on the north bank of the River Stour, in Suffolk, and was recorded in the Domesday Book as Clara. It lays claim to being the smallest town in Suffolk, but it feels more like a large village, in fact it was awarded 'Suffolk Village of the Year 2010'.

After the Norman Conquest of England (1066), William the Conqueror declared his loyal supporter 'Richard Fitz Gilbert' a baron. Richard was given 176 Lordships including Tonbridge, Kent and Clare, Suffolk. The Baronage gave him the right to build castles on his land, and he did this at both Tonbridge and Clare. After making Clare Castle his Caput Baroniae (which in Latin means 'head of the barony'), his barony became the Honour of Clare and he became known as Richard de Clare.

clare

Through the years, cloth making had been an important and prosperous trade in Clare. Flowing water was crucial to the trade and the river provided it by the bucket load. A mill stream called New Cut was established to feed a a mill which belonged to Clare Priory (founded in 1249), but many weavers' houses had cellars through which culverts led.

Clare Castle was a motte and bailey design with two baileys instead of the more common one. It prospered for many years until the 16th century when it began to fall into disrepair, and with Suffolk being short of suitable building stone, the castle was stripped for building materials.

start / early part of lap

In the mid-1860s the Great Eastern Railway came to Clare and the castle grounds were chosen as the ideal spot for the station. Sadly the construction of the station destroyed what was left of the inner bailey. The railway was closed in 1967 as part of the Beeching cuts, and in 1972 the site was opened as a country park. For more information on Clare Station and to see loads of great historic photos have a look at the Disused Stations website.

Today the country park covers 36 acres, consisting of woodland, grassland, and two large ponds. The remains of the Clare Castle are classified as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and the Victorian railway buildings became Grade II Listed in 2013. The station building now houses a cafe called 'Platform 1' and there is also a playground for the kiddiewinks. On 30 September 2017 the country park became home to Clare Castle parkrun.

the first loop

I drove to this venue on a cold, but beautiful January morning in 2018. Streaks of yellow, gold and red filled the sky until finally the sun rose as an blinding ball of orange fire. When I arrived in Clare, I turned onto Malting Lane and this leads directly into the Clare Castle Country Park car park where it costs £1 to park for up to an hour or £2 covers the whole day.

If you've read the text above you will know that Clare Train station has been closed since 1967, so travel by train is not an option here. The official course page confirms that there are no public transport options at all. I didn't spot any bicycle racks, but I've read elsewhere that there are some located at the cafe. Toilets are located adjacent to the playground.

next to the river / new cut

The meeting point for the parkrun is just inside the park, next to the cafe. The first-timer and the full run briefings are held here and at 9am the run director sends the gathered crowd off on their 5km canter around the park. The course consists of three clockwise laps on a mixture of surfaces which are mostly firm underfoot. During winter you may find some sections are a little on the muddy side.

As for shoe choice, I went for my light trail shoes and these were spot-on for the conditions, but during the summer this course would be fine with regular road shoes. With the exception of some very minor bumps, the course is flat.

out-and-back along the former railway line

So, the participants head off from the start line next to the open grass area of the inner bailey outside the cafe and head north along the old station approach road 'Station Road'. Within seconds they pass the moat and the exact spot an early 15th century gold cross known as the Clare Reliquary was found during the construction of the train station. There is apparently a cavity behind the cross which is said to have held wooden fragments of the cross upon which Christ was crucified. It is now part of the Royal Collection Trust and resides in the British Museum.

Following the arrows, cones and instructions from the brilliant marshals, they work their way around the outer bailey and the northern section of the park, which after passing the playground enters the wooded area. This loops round and crosses where the train line would have once been. The narrow path continues and eventually runners find themselves alongside the River Stour. Well, it is the river, but not how nature intended - this section is the aforementioned mill stream 'New Cut'. The natural course of the river runs further to the south.

heading back into the inner bailey

After passing the car park and crossing the same bridge that trains would have used, the course features an out-and-back section along the former train line. It's now called Ashen Road Walk and you if you glance over you can see a small graveyard and part of the Priory building. A turnaround point and marshal are found at the far end, and once back over the bridge, the course skirts the edge of the car park before finally returning to the inner bailey.

Glancing up and over to the left, you may spot the de Clare family emblem flag (gold background with three red chevrons) flying from the top of the remains of the castle - if you ever visit Tonbridge parkrun, you'll see the same flag flying above Tonbridge Castle, which is where me and my wife were married.

heading off on laps 2 and 3 / the finish area

After three laps, the participants head past the cafe and into the finish funnel. Finish tokens are handed out and then scanned just beyond the finish line. When everyone has safely returned and the signage cleared away, everyone heads into Platform 1 cafe for some post-run chit-chat and refreshments.

I took part in event 17, the results were processed and uploaded by the time I had arrived home. I enjoyed my run here, and it's quite a quick course. All you've got to keep in mind is that filtering through can be a bit tricky on the narrow sections and the 180 turn will naturally break your stride for a second or two. A massive thanks, as always, goes to the team of volunteers who made it all happen.

post run scanning etc...

I recorded the course data using my Garmin and I uploaded it to Strava. I also created a course fly-by by using the Relive app on my phone - you can view them using the links below.

Related links:

• Clare Castle parkrun event 17 Results
• Clare Castle parkrun event 17 (GPS data)
• Clare Castle parkrun course fly-by
• The Suffolk parkrun venues
• Tonbridge parkrun blog