Skip to main content

Rushmere parkrun

It has been a while since I last ran an offroad course, and longer still since I ran a hilly course, so this week was time to take up both challenges at the same time.

The area

Rushmere Country Park, is a collection of woodlands and heathland located in the south of Bedfordshire, and at the northern edge of the Chiltern Hills. The Country Park is specifically located on the Greensand Ridge, a long chalk escarpment stretching from Buckinghamshire to Cambridge.

The park is home to a diverse array of wildlife, and is a breeding ground for herons. A purpose-built heronry has been built near the nesting site to help visitors get a sight of the herons in their infancy. In addition, there is a maze of trails to explore should you still be feeling adventurous after your parkrun!

The course

The course is two laps of undulating trails, starting on the path near the cafe, and finishing on the meadow near the car park and the cafe.

Paid parking is available on-site, and free toilets are located at the cafe.

A sign for Rushmere parkrun

The run

We were told during the run briefing that some parts of the course were particularly muddy, and also that there were conkers on some parts of the course, so I was careful to pay extra attention around those areas.

While the course was hilly, it was very runnable still, and I found the course to be very pleasant - there were only one major downhill section. A couple of openings on the course allowed us to appreciate the views.

This event was the first time I had seen an event with a PB gong, located near the finish funnel. I heard a it ring out several times after I had finished, so it was definitely a popular idea!

Thank you to all of the volunteers today! I expect I will visit Rushmere again in the future for my own running outside of parkrun!

Links: Results | Strava

References: Greensand Trust

Labels:
Location: Rushmere Country Park - Stockgrove Entrance, Heath and Reach, Leighton Buzzard LU7 0BB, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Brentwood parkrun

This week I decided to return to making more progress towards completing all events in Essex by visiting Brentwood. The area While the modern town of Brentwood is a popular commuter town, being served by the Elizabeth line, it is also where the first events of the Peasants Revolt took place. Locals refused to pay a poll tax imposed on them, and instead rioted, threatening to kill the commissioner trying to collect the tax. Word of these riots spread to the wider country, initiating the wider revolt, including at Littleport , Billericay and North Walsham . The town is surrounded by countryside, and in the west lies Weald Park; the remains of a former country estate. The park was originally considered as a possible location for the mountain biking course during the 2012 Olympics, before the committee ultimately decided that Hadleigh would prove a more challenging course. The course Owing to the wet weather, today's run followed an alternative route nicknamed "The B...
Read more

Castle Park parkrun

I had intended for this week's parkrunning to be at Great Dunnmow, but an ill-fated wrong turn onto the M11 and the resulting 30 minute diversion would have meant missing the start (assuming I could even park), and so I diverted at the last minute to Castle Park parkrun in Bishops Stortford, arriving at the start line at 08:57 - the closest I have ever been to missing the start! The area Bishop's Stortford, or just Stortford to locals, is located on the same A120 as Great Dunmomw, Great Notley , Markshall Estate , Colchester Castle and Highwoods parkruns , which roughly traces the route of the Roman road; Stanes Road from St Albans . The town is currently rated the best place to live in the UK. Castle Park is the site of Waytemore Castle, which was a motte and bailey castle built during the reign of William the Conqueror (though there is speculation the site is much older), though it is now ruined. The park also shares a number of similarities with Clare Castle parkrun...
Read more

Delamere parkrun

Being the festive season, I decided to pause my exploration of the East of England in favour of visiting events closer to family in Liverpool. While there are a number of events closer to Liverpool, I decided to visit Delamere parkrun, being somewhere I hadn't explored when living in the area previously. The area Delamere forest is all that remains of a much larger forest in the area. The forest spent some time as a Royal hunting forest, before being handed to Forestry England. The course The course follows a single lap of a lollipop route, through forests, and around the Blakemere Moss lake, starting and finishing near the visitor centre. The visitor centre includes paid parking, toilets, and a cafe, while free parking is also available in some of the other forest car parks, though they are further from the start line providing a great opportunity for a warm up! The route is all on a mixture of gravel and trail, and is mostly flat except for one short but steep incl...
Read more