Royal Tunbridge Wells Parkrun
This is a parkrun that's nearby, but not so nearby you could just nip up the road to do it. Nonetheless, I'm keen to finish all of the parkruns in Kent and I'd heard really good things about the Royal Tunbridge Wells one, so decided to make the 100 mile round trip on this lovely bank holiday weekend.
I set out nice and early in the morning sunshine which was probably for the best as I was soon passed by a precession of Police cars along the M2. I only realised they were heading in the same direction as I was when I reached the A249 and was confronted with a huge queue of traffic. In the distance I could see smoke billowing around three or four miles up the road. I was extremely lucky; had I have been perhaps two or three metres up the tarmac, I would have missed the one and only opportunity to do a u-turn...a tiny access ramp between the carriageways. Anyway, a u-turn is just what I did and I quickly re-routed via Blue Bell Hill.
So, at around 8.30am I pulled into Dunorlan Park. There were still a few spaces left in the car park...phew! Parking is free, and the toilets are right by them. I decided to go for a little jog around the boating lake as a warm up. I realised why people had recommended this parkrun; in the morning sunshine it was lovely. It was their 200th parkrun, so I'd chosen a nice one to attend!
After a clear and concise run briefing, everyone lined up in the starting funnel. I thought this was a great way of bunching everyone together; there was no ambiguity as to where the start was, unlike other parkruns! Off we went.
The run is effectively two laps making a figure of eight; starting with a fairly steep descent towards the lake, you then follow the edge of the lake before heading off up into a large grassy area. There are marshals and way-markers everywhere, so there was zero chance of getting lost. The section on the grass is quite challenging as the surface is a little uneven and includes a slight ascent. Soon though you're back with the lake on your left-hand side again, following the smooth tarmac paths through the pretty gardens. Then you do it all again!
At the end you have reclaim the elevation you lost at the start, so the final 100-200m is up a steep and energy-sapping incline. In the warm bank holiday sun, this bit was tough. Still, I managed to hold onto third position through the run, which I'm particularly pleased about considering I'm still a bit man-flu-ed up.
So, all in all, I'm really happy I made the trip here; everyone was very friendly and it's one of the nicest locations I've run a parkrun. I think this is one I'll go back to.
I set out nice and early in the morning sunshine which was probably for the best as I was soon passed by a precession of Police cars along the M2. I only realised they were heading in the same direction as I was when I reached the A249 and was confronted with a huge queue of traffic. In the distance I could see smoke billowing around three or four miles up the road. I was extremely lucky; had I have been perhaps two or three metres up the tarmac, I would have missed the one and only opportunity to do a u-turn...a tiny access ramp between the carriageways. Anyway, a u-turn is just what I did and I quickly re-routed via Blue Bell Hill.
So, at around 8.30am I pulled into Dunorlan Park. There were still a few spaces left in the car park...phew! Parking is free, and the toilets are right by them. I decided to go for a little jog around the boating lake as a warm up. I realised why people had recommended this parkrun; in the morning sunshine it was lovely. It was their 200th parkrun, so I'd chosen a nice one to attend!
After a clear and concise run briefing, everyone lined up in the starting funnel. I thought this was a great way of bunching everyone together; there was no ambiguity as to where the start was, unlike other parkruns! Off we went.
The run is effectively two laps making a figure of eight; starting with a fairly steep descent towards the lake, you then follow the edge of the lake before heading off up into a large grassy area. There are marshals and way-markers everywhere, so there was zero chance of getting lost. The section on the grass is quite challenging as the surface is a little uneven and includes a slight ascent. Soon though you're back with the lake on your left-hand side again, following the smooth tarmac paths through the pretty gardens. Then you do it all again!
At the end you have reclaim the elevation you lost at the start, so the final 100-200m is up a steep and energy-sapping incline. In the warm bank holiday sun, this bit was tough. Still, I managed to hold onto third position through the run, which I'm particularly pleased about considering I'm still a bit man-flu-ed up.
So, all in all, I'm really happy I made the trip here; everyone was very friendly and it's one of the nicest locations I've run a parkrun. I think this is one I'll go back to.
