Skip to main content

Harleston Magpies parkrun

After a few weeks of not making any progress on my Fibonacci Index, this week, I decided that ticking off 21 was reason enough to attend Harleston Magpies parkrun this week with new milestone tshirt in hand!

The area

Situated on the Norfolk/Suffolk border, Harleston Magpies Hockey Club plays host to Harleston Magpies parkrun every week. Interestingly, while the residential area of Harleston itself is in Norfolk, the hockey club actually lies across the border in Suffolk.

The course

The Harleston Magpies parkrun course is run on two joining fields, following the perimeters of each field, while each field also includes an inner triangle from the half-way point, to each opposing corner and back. Each lap is repeated a total of 3 times, and the course is entirely on grass, including only some minor elevation.

Parking is available on site, with the primary parking located across the road from the main entrance (overflow parking in the hockey club car park), and is only available during parkun. Additionally, free parking is available in the town centre for up to 2 hours. Toilets and a cafe are available in the clubhouse.

The run

A frost lay over the course as I arrived at Harleston Magpies Hockey Club today, initially making me hopeful for a sturdy surface for today's run. Unfortunately, by the time we were ready to start, the sun had managed to melt most of the frost, making the grass feel heavy to run on. Fortunately the course remained mostly mud-free, with the only real mud accumulating on the turning points.

One of the fields - half of the course

As I was running, I couldn't help but think that many of the events in the Norfolk area take place in relatively small settings, and are very community focussed, with comparatively small attendances compared to events in other counties I've attended. It would be interesting to understand whether this is by design, or a consequence of the relatively dispersed population, but the events are always enjoyable none-the-less.

Finish funnel with one of the fields in the background

Thank you to all of the volunteer team for hosting the event, it is always great attending such community oriented events like this one!

Ian sporting the red milestone tshirt

Links: Run report | Results | Strava

Labels:
Location: Syleham Rd, Diss IP21 5UF, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Rickmansworth parkrun

The area Rickmansworth is a small town near Watford, inside the M25. The town was built on the point three of waterways merging to form a major tributary for the River Thames further south. Rickmansworth Aquadrome, the host of today's parkrun, is a former quarry site which has been filled with water and stocked with fish, while the surroundings have been managed as a nature reserve. The stone excavated from the quarry was used in the construction of the former Wembley stadium. The course The course is lollipop shaped, starting with two laps of the woodland path, followed by a straight adjacent to the lake. The route is all on tarmac paths, and is flat throughout, though there are some areas where tree roots make the path slightly less smooth. There is free parking on site, while toilets and a cafe are available at the visitor centre, though the cafe can get very busy! The run The weather forecast predicted today to be another sunny day, similar to the weather ...
Read more

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