Tag: running

Stratford-upon-Avon parkrun

Posted in Parkrun, running, travel, UK, WarwickshireTagged , , , , , 2 Comments

If you want to run a fast, well organised, and genuinely friendly park run, then the Stratford-upon-Avon parkrun is hard to beat.  If you are a parkrun tourist and want your parkrun to be the start of a day out, or even better, the start of a weekend break, then Stratford offers something for everyone and is amongst the best.

Stratford’s free parkrun is a three lap course ran within the town’s Recreation Ground. The course is a scenic route using tarmac paths and some grass ways.  You will see swans on the Avon, Shakespeare’s theatre and the beautiful flower arrangements of the town’s premier park area. A full description of the course can be found on the website here:  https://www.parkrun.org.uk/stratforduponavon/course/

Part of the course follows the river so it can be wet if the river is running high.  Similarly, the grass section may be slippery so care should be taken when running here. Stratford attracts up to 400 runners so the start can be a little congested.  However, most of the course follows a good, flat, tarmac surface so the course provides PB possibilities.

If there is an event being held on the river, such as a boating regatta, an alternative 4 lap course is used.  This course removes the river bank section so the 4 shorter laps are run to make up the 5K distance.

Remember to hand in your tokens at the end.

Post Run Refreshments

Stratford volunteers provide an excellent refreshment table for runners at the end of the race.  A wide variety of cold refreshing drinks are available as well as hot teas and coffees. A great selection of fruits are there to be sampled and for those with a sweeter tooth, home-made cakes and other sweets are on display tempting you to taste them.  Even dogs are catered for with a special dog biscuit area! 

A small voluntary donation is all that is asked.  The post race refreshments adds to the friendly ambience of the Stratford parkrun giving it a quality that makes it so special.

Tip: Stratford are trying to improve the environment by phasing out plastic cups.  Please bring your own cup for drinks and so help reduce plastic consumption. Thank you.

Parking

There is ample parking available in the Recreation Ground car park which is literally by the start and finish of the run.  Car parking fees are on a pay and display system and are quite reasonable. 

Post Race Shower/Swim

Stratford Leisure centre is located at about a 600 metre walk from the start of the race,  A post race shower can be had here for £1.50 at present prices. The centre has a superb swimming pool so runners can enjoy a post run swim if they are feeling more energetic! 

The Recreation Ground car park ticket is not valid for the Leisure Centre’s car park.

Here is a link to the Leisure centre’s website: Stratford Leisure Centre

For more general information on parkrun including details of where they are held see the Parkrun website: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/

Other Running in Stratford 

For those who want to run more than just the park run, then Stratford is a great location for general training.  Stratford’s Greenway provides a 5.5 mile traffic free tarmac route from Stratford to Long Marston for general training.  The Greenway is easily accessible by running from the Recreation Ground. There are small car parks along the Greenway if you wish to drive to a different start.  More information about the Greenway can be found on its website here: Stratford Greenway

The town hosts a number of prestigious races throughout the year, including the Shakespeare Marathon to commemorate the Bard’s birthday in April.  Stratford is a top rated marathon and a great alternative for anyone disappointed in not being able to run the London race. A half-marathon can be ran for those who would prefer to run the shorter distance. Details are available here:  Shakespeare Marathon

Stratford is the venue for various 10K and other races during the year.  Stratford is also the start and finish of one of England’s best long distance relay races: The Cotswold Hilly 100.  This is a 100 mile 10 person relay race for athletic club teams. The route traverses the beautiful hills of the nearby Cotswolds.  The race is held on one of the May bank holiday Sundays, Details of this, and other Stratford races, can be found on the Stratford AC website:  Stratford AC

What to do after your run?

You have just got your PB for the year at Stratford: what do you do now?  There is so much to do it is almost an impossible question. Take a stroll through the park, visit Holy Trinity church, attend an afternoon play at one of the two theatres or see a movie in the delightful Stratford Picturehouse.  Stratford has so much to offer the visitor. We will give you more ideas of what to do in Stratford in a later blog on this site. 

You may be interested in our blog on the Forest of Dean parkrun and also our Oban blog which has details of the Ganavan Sands parkrun. 

We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Please follow and share with anyone you think may be interested.  See you again soon!

Oban: Gateway to the Western Isles

Posted in History, Outer Hebrides, Parkrun, running, Scotland, travel, UKTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments
View of Oban from the ferry

Our journey to Oban on the west coast of Scotland began with a 3 hour scenic train journey from Glasgow.  The journey is ranked amongst the top train journeys in the world and it didn’t disappoint. After leaving urban Glasgow the journey follows the wonderful river Clyde as it meanders through the glens on its slow voyage down to the coast.  We felt like we were on holiday right from the start. We’d bought advance tickets for only £10.50 each, so this was definitely a bargain buy. Another bonus was the amazing things you can learn on journeys like this by talking to your fellow passengers. We learned about the art of sailing from two delightful people who happened to be sitting next to us.  Oban is now a centre for yachting holidays and our two companions were going on sailing trips from Oban.   Here are a few photos from our train journey.

We stayed in a small B&B a short walk from the town centre and train station. A great location and full Scottish breakfast.


If you still feel the need to eat later in the day after your breakfast then there are lots of places where you can eat. One of the most popular spots was the Oban Fish and Chip Shop – claimed as one of the best chip shops in Scotland according to The Scotsman newspaper.  We thought it a little pricey and crowded so we ended ended up eating our fish and chips in the excellent Wetherspoons situated by the harbour. Great value, quick service and lovely views.  

Another popular place to visit is Oban distillery in the heart of Oban.  A great place to visit if you have a rainy day, or if you would like to try a wee dram or two!


McCaig’s Tower was one of the sites we wanted to see.  This is a circular monument built in the 19th century by a local dignitary. It’s a steep walk up the hill from the town centre to see the structure which from a distance resembles the Colosseum of Rome.  It gives you a great view of the harbour and bay. Unfortunately for us it was raining when we went up there but it was still worth it for the panoramic views it gave. It is accessible by car for those who don’t wish to walk and there is car parking nearby.  For the more energetic, it’s well worth the effort walking up the hill, even if it’s raining!

Oban harbourside

The harbour is an ideal place to watch the ferries coming and going and to eat some of the freshly caught seafood. The harbour’s fame for good seafood now attracts many Chinese visitors so do not be surprised if you hear more Mandarin being spoken than English as you eat your meal!

As we left Oban for our onward journey to the Outer Hebrides we saw a young piper on the harbourside.  Visitors and locals alike enjoyed listening to the young man who proudly played his pipes and who we thought, was very good.  It was certainly unexpected entertainment for the many travellers waiting at the ferry terminal. The terminal is the onward transit point to many of Scottish islands. It is here that we later boarded the ferry to the first stop on our Hebridian adventure,  the small, but lovely Island of Barra.  

History of Oban

Oban began life as a small fishing port on the West coast of Scotland. It only started to grow with the establishment of a distillery in 1794.  The railway which connected Oban with the hinterland arrived a century later in 1880 so the town experienced little of the rapid Victorian urban growth that some Scottish towns experienced.

Oban was an important military base in the Second World War when it was used as a centre for anti-submarine warfare.   Since the 1950s, tourism has been the dominant industry in the town and Oban now acts as the ferry port for both the Inner and Outer Hebridean islands.

Despite being only a small town, Oban has a number of impressive churches with the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. Columba being particularly impressive.  If St. Columba isn’t to your liking then you can visit one of the many other denomination churches. In Oban you are spoilt for choice! 

Scotland has many war memorials and Oban’s memorial is particularly emotive and worth viewing.  Situated at the side of the road going out towards Ganavan, the memorial is a statue depicting two soldiers carrying their wounded comrade. The statue has a silent dignity that expresses so much about human nature.  Personally, I rank the Oban memorial as one of the most memorable war memorials I have visited. I recommend it for a few minutes of contemplative respect. 

Running in Oban

The free local Saturday parkrun attracts park run tourists from all over the UK and beyond.  In the Summer months there could be more tourists running the race than locals! The race starts by a local caravan site near Ganavan Sands, hence the parkrun is called the Ganavan Sands Park Run.  With 275ft of climbs the run is ranked as one of the toughest 40 park runs in the UK so do not expect a PB. The start is in a wonderful setting, by the sea which some runners go into for a post run cool down and swim!  All visitors are treated with wonderful Scottish hospitality which helps to make Oban’s parkrun one of the top rated amongst park run enthusiasts.

When you go to Oban you should make a special effort to do the parkrun.  You’ll enjoy it.

We only had a short stay in picturesque Oban before we continued our journey to the Western Isles. We wished we had longer and it’s on our list of places to visit again. 

Forest of Dean Parkrun

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If you want to experience a truly enjoyable trail parkrun, then it is hard to beat the Forest of Dean parkrun.  It is set in the heart of the forest, a recognised area of outstanding natural beauty, on the outskirts of the small town of Coleford. The friendly parkrun volunteers offer a warm welcome to parkrun tourists and other visitors to this beautiful part of the country.  

Getting there and Parking

The parkrun start is just off the A4136 about 6 miles from Monmouth.  This is a good road and easy to drive. However, should you come from the Ross-on-Wye direction, you may be tempted to take the short route via Symonds Yat East.  This route is stunningly scenic but some of the roads are very narrow with only a few passing points. If you are not used to driving on such narrow country roads, particularly in the busy Summer months, the longer route via Monmouth may be advisable.

The website recommends parking at the local Berry Hill Rugby club, which is an 8 minute walk from the start.    https://www.parkrun.org.uk/forest-of-dean/course/  

However, if you arrive before 8.25 am you should be able to park in the local school, The Five Acres High School, which is literally just across the road from the start.  In the holiday season it may be wise to park at the rugby club as up to 250 runners could be running and parking places will be taken early at the school.

Insect Bites

Just a little word of warning: as you will be in a forest you may get bitten!  Mary got bit 5 times just watching me as I ran the course! Oh why didn’t we remember to bring the Avon Skin So Soft spray with us? Lesson learnt – bring insect repellent to any parkrun in a wooded area or near water during the summer mosquito season!

Course Features

The course is a fairly flat route with only a couple of gradual inclines.  However, it is a trail course and so it could get muddy after rain or if the days or weeks before have been rainy.  Trail running shoes may be more appropriate footwear for wet conditions. When I ran the weather had been dry so my normal running shoes sufficed.  However, there were still a few muddy patches remaining despite the dry weather.

Logs, branches on the course- any chance of a PB?

As the course is through a forest you have to be careful with your footing. There may be the occasional log to jump or tree root to avoid.  You just have to take care. Needless to say, such a course means the Forest of Dean parkrun is not a PB course but the lack of steep gradients makes it a relatively fast run.

A nice feature about this run is that the course is permanently marked so you can run it any time if you are in the area.  The excellent markings make it easy to follow the route. There is also a large map at the start of the run showing a detailed outline of the course

Just to add a little bit of fun there is a bell at the end of the run in the finishing funnel.   The sign says: ring if you have a PB, birthday, you’re a tourist or ring just because you want to. What a nice thing to do.  I rang it is as I was a first-timer and it brought a smile to my face and to the faces of the other runners there. 

It wouldn’t be a good parkrun without tea and coffee at the end.  We loved the refreshment set up here. Only 50p for a tea or coffee, and a variety of delightful cakes were on sale for the the same price.  We left the Forest of Dean after our refreshments saying we would definitely come again.  We hope you do, too.

History of Parkrun

The first parkrun was back in 2004 in Bushy Park, Teddington, London.  The brainchild of Paul and Joanne Sinton-Hewit, the parkrun idea spread rapidly spread throughout the UK and Ireland.  It is now a global phenomena which holds true to the founding principles wherever it is run. A short history of the parkrun can be found at this link: https://www.parkrun.com/about/our-story/

For more information on parkrun including details of where they are held see Parkrun website: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/