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Jersey Farm parkrun

This week, I wanted to tick off another event with an uncommon letter. I have booked my hotel for Queen Elizabeth next week, which only leaves "Y" and "J" of the uncommon letters to focus on. The weather this week has been very wet, and so I didn't fancy a 3+ hour drive to York or Yeovil, which left "J", and Jersey Farm, so through a process of elimination, Jersey Farm it is!

The area

Jersey Farm Woodland Park is located within the city of St Albans, slightly north of London. The city of St Albans (formerly known as Verulamium during Roman occupation) is a popular home for many commuters into London. The city's residents were revealed to be the 10th most active in England in a 2007 study by Sport England, with over 30% of residents performing more than 90 minutes of activity at least 3 times a week.

Jersey Farm Woodland Park itself is part of the remains of Evans Farm, which was a dairy farm situated on part of the much bigger Marshalswick Estate. The name is derived from the herd of Jersey cows which were a common sight on the pastures while the farm was still active. The park is a mixture of meadows, surrounded on all sides by woodlands.

The course

The course begins in the open meadow adjacent to St Heliers Road, and initially follows the central path to the east of the park before following two clockwise mildly undulating laps around the perimeter of the park, and veering off the path onto the meadow near the starting point for the finish. The course is on grass and trail paths, so be prepared for mud, and possibly take trail shoes.

The undulations of Jersey Farm

Parking is available a short walk from the park in the parish car park, which is also where public toilets can be found.

The run

The event began with the first timers briefing, which was attended by a lot of tourists who were also ticking off their "J" without traveling to Jersey, or Newcastle for Jesmond Dene parkrun. It was during the first timer briefing that we were also told that the Athena St Albans running club was also taking over this week to mark International Women's Day, which felt like déjà vu after they also took over Ellenbrook Fields last week!

First timer briefing at Jersey Farm

The course itself was quite muddy, and there were a number of puddles which were quite big, but shallow enough to run through them.

Ian running with a group of other runners

The run seemed to pass very quickly, as the scenery and direction were constantly changing, so you could never get too comfortable before something new was in front of you!

Thank you again to the ladies of Athena St Albans for taking over this week, and to the core team for coordinating the day!

Links: Run report 1 | Run report 2 | Results | Strava

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Location: Jersey Farm Woodland Park, St Albans AL4, UK

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