With warm, sunny weather expected, I decided to visit the beach this week, at Lowestoft parkrun.
The area
Lowestoft parkrun takes place at the seafront along South Beach, Lowestoft. The town of Lowestoft is the most easterly settlement in Great Britain, and was historically built around the fishing industry. As the fishing industry has become less profitable over the years, the town's industry has shifted towards renewable energy.
The parkrun event itself is held in the southern half of the town, and takes in both the beachfront, as well as the cliffs which are common along the eastern coastline.
The course
Like many beach-side events, Lowestoft parkrun is just under two out-and-back laps of the seafront, with one big climb up the cliff-face at one end. The route is mostly flat, but the climb up the cliff is quite steep, and lasts for around 30 meters, making this an unlikely PB course!
There are multiple public toilets along the route, and many pay-and-display car parks and cafes too. In addition, there are public showers around available approximately half way along the promenade, which for tourists means you don't need to be sweaty all day, or indeed, for your travel home!
The run
I set out quick this week. With around 300 people attending on average, I decided that I didn't want to be overtaking the entire run, and so I set out around 22 minute pace, with the knowledge I would likely have to slow down. I managed to keep this pace for the first mile, however, that was the point we turned to run up the climb to the top of the cliff, known as Cefas hill after the Cefas building located here.
After slowing due to the hill, I decided to maintain a slower pace for the rest of the run, as the pack had already seperated itself by this point, and there weren't any real groups of runners to work around.
Thank you to all of the volunteers for a great event!
After the run
While not as grandeous as those at neighbouring Gorleston, Lowestoft does have its own piers, one of which acts as the starting point for parkrun.
Lowestoft is the eastern-most town in Great Britain, and also home of Ness Point - the most eastern point in Great Britain, and so I had to visit.
The Lowestoft lighthouse can be found slightly north of Ness Point, which has been the site of a lighthouse since 1609, although the current building only dates back to 1874.
Further north, lies the remains of one of the pillboxes which were constructed to help contribute to the defense of the area, and now defend the area against sea erosion given it currently forms part of a sea defence.
