Ian Runs

The decision as to which parkrun I'd attend today was a simple one - I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend Gunpowder parkrun on Guy Fawkes day! The area Gunpowder parkrun takes place in Gunpowder Park, situated just south of the M25 near Waltham Abbey. Waltham Abbey is part of Epping Forest, which also includes Roding Valley parkrun . Gunpowder park takes its name from the gunpowder mills which were located in the area, while the park itself is a former munitions test site. While the site has transitioned to more of a nature reserve in modern times, there are lots of reminders of it's former life scattered throughout the park. The course The route follows just over two laps of the meadows in the northern half of the park, all on tarmac, with only one left turn per lap. The parkland undulates throughout, while the paths generally weave around it. A small paid car park is available at the main entrance, which also houses toilets, and there are a numb...

I was ideally in search of an "R" event this week, and as there are a couple of possible events (Roding Valley and Rickmansworth), my choice was largely based on attending the furthest event. Another factor was the size of the event (I would prefer a smaller event with a stronger sense of community given the time of the year) - Roding Valley typically only attracts a small field, while Rickmansworth's field is typically a very large one, so Roding Valley it is! The area Roding Valley parkrun takes place in Roding Valley, near Epping Forest. Epping Forest is a former royal hunting grounds, stretching approximately 20 km north to south, but less than 5 km in width for the majority of the space. Roding Valley is a geological valley to the east of Epping Forest, through which the River Roding flows. Much of the valley is meadows or grasslands, and acts as a floodplain. The area is grazed by cattle during drier weather. The course Runners follow two laps of a ...