Been a while since I last posted on here but as we reach the end of 2023 I thought I'd capture some details of my parkrun year.
In 2023 I have completed 50 park runs ( equalling my record on most done in a year) and bringing my total to 234 and steadily closing in on that 250 milestone.
- 28 have been at Winchester, my home parkrun which I have now run 152 times
- 4 have been at locations I have done before - Durham, Cheltenham (on the morning of my daughter's wedding), and two more visits to Ganger Farm
- 18 have been new locations - bringing my total tourism count to 70
Those new locations have been
- Broadwater - a muddy affair near Guilford taking care to keep off the rugby pitches
- Monsal Trail - an out and back route along the old railway line
- Bartley Park - fairly local one I'd not done before and very wet
- Great Yarmouth North Beach - stunning setting by the sea and memorable for being almost completely on sand, most of it soft
- Bolberry Down - out on the headland and includes a small bit of the South West Coastal path, calm on the day I did it but can imagine it gets very windy at times
- Wimple Estate - lovely route through the estate grounds
- Brooklands - flat and around the racing circuit
- Sligo - my second Irish parkrun
- Moors Valley - I do like a parkrun in the woods
- Lydiard - super setting, open countryside setting on good paths, west of Swindon
- Edenbrook Country - another lovely setting, narrow congested paths at the start but opens out. Also includes ( well the time I did it it did..) a very considerate mower driver who paused his cutting of the grass while all the runners were going past.
- Chipping Norton School - school playing fields with some bonus woodland
- Guildford - route with a downhill finish always a bonus!
- Newbury - fascinating to run round the site of the old Greenham Common airbase and definitely recommend a visit to the control tower to learn some of the history of the site
- Blickling - set in the grounds of the National Trust property so the views are great, and super cafe.
- Horspath - around the edges of a variety of sports fields so not the most scenic
- Roundshaw Downs - inauspicious approach though the industrial park but course has some super views ( mind you that is in part because of the hill).
- Marlborough Common - an all grass course, parking on the common and next to the golf club
My map of parkrun completions (as shown in the Running Challenges extension https://running-challenges.co.uk/ ) is steadily turning greener and hopefully 2024 will see some more places coloured in as well as the completion of the 250th parkrun.
