Ian Runs

Most of the UK parkrun world was in turmoil this week, thanks to Storm Arwen. The storm had resulted in red warnings for wind in the north of England, and yellow warnings for wind throughout most of the rest of the UK, resulting in at least 290 UK events cancelling. The one fortunate thing from my perspective, was that the warnings didn't cover a lot of the south east, and so my planned trip to Mersea Island was a go. The area Mersea Island is the most easterly inhabited and publicly accessible island in the UK. The island is connected to mainland Great Britain by a single road - The Strood. Access to the island can be affected by the height of the tide, and approximately once per month, the tide covers the Strood, making the island temporarily completely inaccessible by road. If you are planning to visit by road, you're encouraged to check the tide before starting your journey! While the western half of the island is the main residential area, Mersea Island parkr...

While there are quite a few "L" events I could attend this week, including Lowestoft, Lingwood, Littleport, Luton Wardown, my research suggested that each of those events would be best attended in pleasant weather when I am able to spend the day exploring the nearby areas. Loch Neaton, however, seemed to be a smaller, more community-driven event, and likely less impacted by the weather as it's less of a tourist destination than others. The area Loch Neaton is a recreation ground on the outskirts of the town of Watton, and home to Loch Neaton parkrun. The area is named after the Scottish Navvies who were instrumental in the construction of the local railway - many of whom settled in the area after construction was complete. During the construction of the railways, the site served as an earthworks, supplying materials needed for the construction of a nearby embankment. The recreation ground itself was formed by filling the quarry to form a lake, which was used for s...

This week I was back on the trail of my East of England alphabet. Unfortunately, the only "J" event in the East of England is Jersey Farm, which I have already run at, and so with the next nearest options being Jesmond Dean or Jersey which are both a considerable distance away, I decided to skip ahead to "K". The area Kesgrave is a relatively new residential area located to the east of Ipswich. The area officially became a town on 1 January 2000 as part of the millennium celebrations. The town has grown in size dramatically, from around 20 dwellings in 1921, to 2,000 dwellings in 1988, and is planned to exceed 5,000 dwellings when planned development is complete. The course The route starts with a loop of the main field, followed by an out-and-back. On the return of the out-and-back, runners follow paths through the woods before finishing at the starting area. The course is run entirely on grass and woodland trails. Free parking is available at the n...

This week, I decided to break with my normal adventures to attend the inaugural running of an event very local to me. As with Oaklands parkrun, I don't want to tour at the expense of everything else, and this seemed like a time when I would prefer to stay local-ish, and so today, I ran at BUry Fields parkrun, in Newport Pagnell! The area Newport Pagnell is located adjacent to Milton Keynes, separated by the M1 motorway. A settlement has been present on the site of the town for many years, predating the development of Milton Keynes by several hundred years - evidence of which can be found throughout the town. Bury Field, the location of the parkrun, is common land located to the north west of the town. The land has historically been used for grazing cattle - a practice which still continues to this day. The two fields are largely flat meadows (though there is a hill!), with some occasional woods, however, remnants of a never-completed Victorian railway line are present, cut...