Skip to main content

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, where a railway was built next to the ruined castle.

Waytemore Castle mound at Castle Park

The course

The course is lollipop shaped, starting on the grass near the motte, before following the adjacent railway line north to the boundary of the park, and around a number of football pitches, before following the River Stort back towards the start. Before returning to the start/finish area, runners follow a second lap of the fields. The route is mostly on grass and gravel, with some short sections on tarmac paths, and so trail shoes are recommended in wetter weather.

Toilets are available in the nearby shopping centre, while paid parking is available at Link Road Car Park, close to the start. The park is located in the town centre, and so a range of eateries are close by for refreshments.

The run

Having arrived with no time to spare, I didn't have the usual time to familiarise myself with the area, and so today's run was largely a matter of following people ahead of me until I reached the finish - I hadn't even had chance to look at the course prior to the event!

Had I more time, I would definitely have preferred to swap into trail shoes given the muddy conditions, although I did think to bring a waterproof jacket with me, which proved useful as I wandered around the fields and nature reserve, enjoying the sights!

Nature reserve area in Castle Park

Thanks to all of the volunteers for a great event! While I hadn't planned to visit this week, it was definitely a very pleasant event!

After the run

As today's parkrun took place in Castle Park, I begun my explorations with the castle itself. The ruins lie atop the motte, which is still in tact, and very clearly visible from the park.

Bridge to the start/finish area from the motte

Only earthworks and foundations of the castle remain, though the foundations of the rectangular tower are still very evident.

Foundations of rectangular tower

The skyline of Stortford is dominated by the All Saints' Church, which is located at the top of one of the hills which form the town.

16th century timber framed building in foreground (Coopers), and All Saints' Church in the background

The church building itself is somewhat modern, having replaced an older church on the same site in the 1930s.

All Saints' Church

The town centre includes many listed buildings from different eras, making for interesting explorations!

Listed buildings in Bishops Stortford

Links: Results | Strava

Labels:
Location: Bishop's Stortford CM23, 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

Delamere parkrun

Being the festive season, I decided to pause my exploration of the East of England in favour of visiting events closer to family in Liverpool. While there are a number of events closer to Liverpool, I decided to visit Delamere parkrun, being somewhere I hadn't explored when living in the area previously. The area Delamere forest is all that remains of a much larger forest in the area. The forest spent some time as a Royal hunting forest, before being handed to Forestry England. The course The course follows a single lap of a lollipop route, through forests, and around the Blakemere Moss lake, starting and finishing near the visitor centre. The visitor centre includes paid parking, toilets, and a cafe, while free parking is also available in some of the other forest car parks, though they are further from the start line providing a great opportunity for a warm up! The route is all on a mixture of gravel and trail, and is mostly flat except for one short but steep incl...
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