Skip to main content

Linford Wood parkrun

Today marked the start of my parkrun journey, and so I started as I mean to go on - by touring!

As this was to be my first parkrun experience, I sought a deliberately low-key, reliable debut, which was also easily accessible from my home (though not my home event). Linford Wood seemed like the ideal candidate!

The area

Linford Wood parkrun takes place along the paths and redways of Linford Wood, in the north of Milton Keynes.

Milton Keynes is the largest town in Buckinghamshire. Famous (or should that be infamous?) for both its roundabouts and its grid system, the town was purpose-built to relieve demand for housing in the South East of England.

The town adopts the concept of a forest city, where local areas (within grid squares) are separated from through-traffic travelling along the grid by trees, bushes, hedgerows, and other fauna. For local residents, this provides both a sound-barrier between them and traffic, while also enclosing neighbourhoods, which in turn encourages the building of communities.

Independent of the road network sits a segregated shared cycle and pedestrian path system known as the redway system, which enables traffic-free access to the majority of the town.

Linford Wood has been woodland for at least 700 years, and is home to lots of wildlife, including deer, badgers, and foxes. You can also find a wide variety of plant life here, depending on when you visit.

The course

The course is mostly flat except for a short dip as it passes through an underpass. Participants follow a single loop on tarmac paths, along a small part of redway, and the “wiggly path” through the woods, before finishing on a short grass area around 400 meters from the start.

Free parking is available on roads near the start, and a cafe is close to the finish funnel. There are no public toilets available before the run.

The run

It was a damp morning, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me! I arrived early, and familiarised myself with the start and finish areas. As we got closer to 9am, I listened to the first timer’s briefing, followed by the run brief, and before I knew it, we were on our way.

Ian running along the final straight

Thank you to all of the volunteers, who made this run so special for me!

Links: Run report | Results | Strava

Reference: The Parks Trust

Labels:
Location: Linford Wood, Milton Keynes MK14, UK

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

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