Skip to main content

Sloughbottom parkrun

With the weather reflecting a stereotypical British summer in the week prior to parkrunday (cloudy), I decided against attending one of the remaining seafront events this week. With a small island of unattended events in Norwich still, I couldn't fight the temptation to make that island smaller, and so Sloughbottom was to be this week's event!

Welcome to Norwich

The area

Sloughbottom parkrun (pronounced "slow-bottom" by the locals) is held in Sloughbottom Park, and the adjacent greenspace and former railway line in Norwich. The park is a recreation ground, and was created in 1929 as part of the council's efforts to kick-start the local economy at the same time as Eaton Park, which hosts Norwich parkrun.

Sloughbottom park

The former railway line which makes up part of the course is now known as Marriott's Way, a 24 mile trail path which follows the path of the original railway lines from Norwich to Aylsham. The trail is named after the former Chief Engineer and Manager of one of the former railway companies, William Marriott, who is responsible for developing and patenting many improvements to the railway infrastructure.

The course

Runners follow a single lap of a Y-shaped out and back route around Sloughbottom Park, with two legs along Marriott's Way - first heading west away from the city centre, and the second heading east towards the city centre. The course is mostly flat, and is run on a mixture of grass, trail, gravel, and tarmac.

Free parking is available in the car park to the north of the park, however spaces are limited. Toilets are available at the Pavillion, or alternatively, at the near-by Asda supermarket, which is just a short jog from the car park! The team also offer free refreshments in the Pavillion after the run!

Sloughbottom park pavillion

The run

While the weather forcasted clouds for the day, the irony wasn't lost on me when the clouds broke, allowing the sun to come out for the start of today's run!

I was planning on taking part in a local 10k race the following day, and although I was intending to run the race as a training run, I decided against pushing myself too hard this week, and instead just took in the scenery, which was very pleasant both in the park, and along Marriott's Way.

View along Marriott's Way

Thank you to all of this week's volunteers for such a pleasant event!

After the run

As I've explored Norwich city centre on several occasions during previous visits, and today's event heavily featured the Marriott's Way path, I decided to explore the path in more detail after the run.

Signpost to Marriott's Way

Being a former railway, it's perhaps not suprising that the first major sight encountered was the abandoned Hellesdon station.

Hellesdon station

There are a number of artifacts from the stations past in the vicinity, but perhaps most striking is the station sign itself.

Running along the trail, you encounter a range of train-related artifacts, including benches and artistic creations forged from old rails, marker miles, a tree-swing overlooking the river, all with the background of the Norfolk greenery.

View of greenery from the trail

Links: Run report | Results | Strava

Labels:
Location: Sloughbottom Park, 33 Valpy Ave, Norwich NR3 2EN, UK

Popular posts from this blog

Coldham's Common parkrun

As my recovery from injury is still underway, I decided that I would attend a flat course this week to avoid any potential for reaggrevation. Unfortunately this means I will need to pause my completion of the Essex events, as the remaining courses are all somewhat lumpy. Having visited all of the other Cambridge parkruns, including Storeys Field parkrun, Fulbourn Hospital parkrun, and Cambridge parkrun knowing that they are all relatively flat, I decided that this week I would complete the Cambridge set. The area Coldham's Common has a long history, serving as both a hospital during the 17th century smallpox outbreak, and a quarry during the 19th century, as well as a rifle range also during the 19th century. The course The route follows two laps of the perimeter of the common through an hour-glass shape, connecting two fields through a five-bar-gate. The course is all on grass, and is all flat. Limited parking is available nearby, while toilets are available in
Read more

Aldenham parkrun

Icey conditions in days leading up to parkrun day meant many events were cancelled this week. While I would have ideally been able to visit another event in Essex, I decided that I valued having options more in the event of cancellation this week, and so I instead headed to the cluster of events surrounding the Watford area. The area Aldenham Country Park is located near Watford, and centres on Aldenham reservoir, with grassland and woodland surrounding the reservoir itself. The reservoir was excavated by French prisoners of war during 1795 as part of the wider management of the Grand Union Canal's water levels, and now serves as a reserve water supply. In addition to the reservoir, the country park also supports the breeding of a number of rare species of farm animals, including cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep. The course The course follows two laps of the reservoir, with the second lap skipping the inner peninsular. The course is flat, and is run mainly on trail pat
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