West Midlands Region parkruns
 

The parkrun Regionnaire status used to be a major part of parkrun tourism. Changes in the parkrun website in 2019 removed the regions making it harder to track completion status. All is not lost though as here’s the complete parkrun guide to what’s in and what’s out of the counties of East of England.

The West Midlands is a diverse and geographically contrasting region of the UK, situated in the western half of central England, acting as a vital transport hub and sharing a long, scenic border with Wales. The region is composed of six ceremonial counties: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, and the West Midlands (a heavily urbanised ceremonial county sharing the region's name, formed from land previously belonging to the three historic counties of Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire).

Geographically, the West Midlands is characterised by its striking transition from industrial heartlands to rolling rural topography, most notably across the Shropshire Hills: a sweeping Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty spanning the Welsh Marches. It contains the dramatic, ancient ridge of the Malvern Hills (predominantly in Worcestershire and Herefordshire) and the sprawling, historic lowland heath of Cannock Chase. Landscapes across the region are varied, ranging from the rugged gritstone edges of the Staffordshire Moorlands to the extensive industrial canal networks of the Black Country and the lush, meandering valley of the River Severn.



parkrun event numbers per county

There are currently 50 parkrun events in the counties of the West Midlands region.

Notes and exceptions.

The West Midlands ceremonial county contains 16 parkrun events that were formerly in 3 historic counties: 7 in Staffordshire; 6 in Warwickshire and 3 in Worcestershire’


The West Midlands Counties parkrun pages

Click on each of the images below to go to the page with details of the parkrun events for the county.


More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all Worcestershire parkruns

There are currently 5 parkrun events in the present-day county of Worcestershire, of which I have completed 3. The first was Worcester which started on 18th June 2011 and the newest is Worcester Pitchcroft which started on 5th May 2018. I’m not aware of a County Completion Name for Worcestershire but let me know in the comments if you have one.

3 parkrun events that were formerly in the historic county of Worcestershire are now in the ceremonial county of West Midlands. These are: Cannon Hill, Oaklands and Woodgate Valley Country Park.

3 parkrun events in Worcestershire have now been permanently cancelled. These are: Churchfields Farm, Hanbury Hall and Wythall.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the county of Worcestershire

All of the Worcestershire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Worcestershire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Arrow Valley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: 14th July 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Churchfields Farm

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: December 29th 2018. Final event: #41 on October 19th 2019

  • Reason for cancellation: Churchfields farm business model changed after Covid with an increase in weddings and other events which bought them more money than parkrun. The increase in numbers that this bought meant they could no longer accommodate parkrun. In addition in winter prior to the pandemic the underfoot conditions with it being on a working farm meant it had not run for much of it either

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Evesham

  • I completed this event on: June 11th 2022 with a finish time of: 26:15

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Other routes touched (walk): Shakespeare’s Avon Way

  • Inaugural: 21st March 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Hanbury Hall

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: July 2nd 2016. Final event: #26 on December 31st 2016

  • Reason for cancellation: Its paths and terrain weren't suitable for the large numbers of runners, with concerns about safety on muddy, uneven ground, especially as it wasn't a public park.

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Worcester

  • I completed this event on: April 19th 2014 with a finish time of: 23:12

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Other routes touched (walk): Wild About Worcester Way

  • Inaugural: 18th June 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Worcester Pitchcroft

  • I completed this event on: July 27th 2024 with a finish time of: 27:36

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Other routes touched (walk): Wild About Worcester Way

  • Other routes touched (walk): NCN 46

  • Inaugural: 5th May 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Wythall

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: September 16th 2017. Final event: #1 on September 16th 2017

  • Reason for cancellation: “Wythall Park Community Association have voted against allowing parkrun to continue at their venue, as it "would suffer disproportionate damage".”

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Wyre Forest

  • I completed this event on: November 28th 2015 with a finish time of: 26:13

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: Worcestershire

  • Inaugural: 29th August 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all West Midlands parkruns

There are currently 16 parkrun events in the present-day county of West Midlands, of which I have completed 1. The first was Coventry which started on 6th February 2010 and the newest is Holbrooks which started on 5th August 2023. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “West Didlands”.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the ceremonial county of West Midlands

All of the West Midlands parkrun events …

Below are each of the West Midlands 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Aston Hall

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: October 14th 2023. Final event: #34 on August 24th 2024

  • Reason for cancellation: Due a lack of core team. The local football club foundation had invested heavily into the event and made commitments in the process which were then never fully fulfilled. Unfortunately, there is no nearby running club and the local community also didn’t embrace the arrival of parkrun. This meant despite lots of effort by the ambassadors and local other parkruns no core team was ever built and most runners each week were tourists being no regular volunteer base could be established.

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Babbs Mill

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 3rd August 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Brueton

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 24th July 2010

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Brunswick Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 1st January 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Cannon Hill

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 28th August 2010

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Coventry

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 6th February 2010

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Dudley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 4th November 2017

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

East Park

 

Edgbaston Reservoir

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 14th August 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Holbrooks

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 5th August 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Oaklands

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 9th November 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Perry Hall

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 22nd November 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Sandwell Valley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 23rd December 2017

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Sutton Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Warwickshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 18th August 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Walsall Arboretum

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 10th March 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Wolverhampton

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 9th February 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Woodgate Valley Country Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Worcestershire

  • Ceremonial County: West Midlands

  • Inaugural: 7th August 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all Staffordshire parkruns

There are currently 13 parkrun events in the present-day county of Staffordshire, of which I have not yet completed any. The first was Hanley parkrun which started on 24th September 2011 and the newest is Vale Park, Burslem parkrun which started on 11th July 2026. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Fully Staffed”.

7 parkrun events that were formerly in the historic county of Staffordshire are now in the ceremonial county of West Midlands. These are: Brunswick Park, Dudley, East Park, Perry Hall, Sandwell Valley, Walsall Arboretum and Wolverhampton.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the county of Staffordshire

All of the Staffordshire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Staffordshire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Battlestead Croft

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 9th December 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Beacon

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 18th January 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Birchall Playing Fields

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 14th December 2024

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Bramshall Road

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 28th May 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Cannock Chase

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 19th November 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Chasewater

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 15th June 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Hanley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 24th September 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Isabel Trail

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 8th December 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Perton Playing Fields

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 29th November 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Tamworth Castle Grounds

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • While the town of Tamworth is historically divided between Staffordshire and Warwickshire, the Castle Grounds themselves traditionally fall within the historic county borders of Warwickshire but the parkrun course is within the ceremonial county of Tamworth.

  • Inaugural: 14th October 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

The Wammy

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 24th March 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Trentham Gardens

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 5th February 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Vale Park, Burslem

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Staffordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Staffordshire

  • Inaugural: 11th July 2026

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all Shropshire parkruns

There are currently 6 parkrun events in the present-day county of Shropshire, of which I have completed 1. The first was Telford which started on 16th February 2013 and the newest is Haughmond Hill which started on 6th September 2025. I’m not aware of a County Completion Name for Shropshire but let me know in the comments if you have one.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the county of Shropshire

All of the Shropshire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Shropshire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Alderford Lake

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Shropshire

  • Ceremonial County: Shropshire

  • Inaugural: 31st August 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Haughmond Hill

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Shropshire

  • Ceremonial County: Shropshire

  • Inaugural: 6th September 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Henley Wood, Oswestry

 

Severn Valley Country

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Shropshire

  • Ceremonial County: Shropshire

  • Inaugural: 20th July 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Shrewsbury

  • I completed this event on: January 2nd 2016 with a finish time of: 24:53

  • Historic County: Shropshire

  • Ceremonial County: Shropshire

  • Other routes touched (walk): Severn Way Source to Shrewsbury

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 81

  • Inaugural: 28th September 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Telford

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Shropshire

  • Ceremonial County: Shropshire

  • Inaugural: 16th February 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all Herefordshire parkruns

There are currently 4 parkrun events in the present-day county of Herefordshire, of which I have completed 1. The first was Hereford which started on 11th October 2014 and the newest is Queenswood Country Park which started on 29th November 2025. I’m not aware of a County Completion Name for Herefordshire but let me know in the comments if you have one.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the county of Herefordshire

All of the Herefordshire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Herefordshire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Hereford

  • I completed this event on: 11th July 2015 with a finish time of: 26:06

  • Historic County: Herefordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Herefordshire

  • Inaugural: 11th October 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Ludlow

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Herefordshire.

  • Ceremonial County: Herefordshire.

  • Ludlow town is in Shropshire but the parkrun is across the border in Herefordshire.

  • Inaugural: 13th February 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Queenswood Country Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Herefordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Herefordshire

  • Inaugural: 29th November 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Ross-on-Wye

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Historic County: Herefordshire

  • Ceremonial County: Herefordshire

  • Inaugural: 3rd August 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Running The Circle Line
 

The idea of navigating above-ground trips along the London Underground lines is not exactly new. Mark Mason's brilliant 2011 book, Walk the Lines, is perhaps the best example, and many other running geeks have also attempted them. Needing to escape the house and clear my head on a cold mid-December morning in 2016, I set off to conquer the Circle Line.

The Circle Line is a great starting point for above-ground Tube adventures. All the other lines have distant start and end points that stretch deep into the suburbs and require quite a bit more logistical planning. At just over a half marathon, tracing the Circle is an easy, self-contained half day adventure.

My start point was Marylebone Station. Although it is not actually on the Circle Line itself, it sits perfectly on the walking route between Edgware Road and Baker Street, which were my true start and end points. I set off clockwise with the strict aim of marking each station with a selfie. A quirky bit of history: when the classic loop first opened in 1884, it was operated by two fiercely rival companies, the Metropolitan and the District railways, who ran their steam trains in opposite directions!

The official distance of the tracks underground for the classic loop is 15 miles: worth noting for the transport geeks that I stuck to the historic loop rather than the modern "teacup" extension out to Hammersmith. However, the trains have the distinct advantage of cutting straight under buildings. Negotiating the streets, traffic lights, and pavements above ground adds at least another mile to the journey. Missing Temple station and having to run all the way back to it from Embankment added yet another mile on top of that. Don't do that.

Once I arrived back at Marylebone, I had covered just over 16 miles. At around three hours, it was certainly no Personal Best, but speed is not really something to be aimed for while dodging pedestrians on a working day in central London. It was a fun trip, though, and a highly satisfying way to link up some very familiar places across the capital.

 

10 years later …

Although back in 2016 I thought I had completed running the Circle Line, it was always in the back of my head that I hadn't really run the whole thing. I had missed the Hammersmith spur: the section that starts from Hammersmith and runs on elevated sections all the way through to Edgware Road and Paddington.

Back then, I kind of wrote that bit off because it's not really a circle: it's the added bit on the western side. But it was bugging me. So, on a very nice and warm Sunday morning, I decided to finally tie up that loose end. I caught the Tube over to Hammersmith station to start the run.

Leaving Hammersmith, I tried to stick as close as possible to the route of the above-ground track, which is shared by the District and Hammersmith & City lines. I did a mix of running and walking, and there were some incredibly pleasant parts, particularly around the Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove areas.

If you are planning to attempt this western spur at a weekend, there are a few navigational tips to keep in mind:

  • Goldhawk Road to Shepherd's Bush: Just after Goldhawk Road, you might be tempted to go down Shepherd's Bush Market street. However, it is gated off at the weekends. Instead, you need to take Pennard Road: this runs parallel and is just a couple of hundred metres away from the main route.

  • Wood Lane and Westfield: After Wood Lane, you will find the Westfield Shopping Centre standing between you and Latimer Road. If you are there when it is open, you can actually cut right through the shopping centre to get onto Ariel Way and then cross over the West Cross Route, which is a very busy dual carriageway. Because I was there so early on a Sunday morning, the centre was closed, so I had to walk around it.

Once you are over the busy dual carriageway that leads out to the Westway, you are rewarded with some very pleasant running. The streets run near the railway at the north of Notting Hill and the south of North Kensington.

At Royal Oak, you cross over the railway and then head across the Westbourne Green open space. This brings you to the Grand Union Canal at Browning's Pool, where the water splits for the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and forks off to the Regent's Canal.

If you carry on along the Paddington Arm canal towards Paddington Basin, you will eventually end up right at the entrance to Paddington station, perfectly positioned by the Circle and Hammersmith & City line station. It was a brilliant way to conclude this part of the journey and finally put that unfinished business to rest.


The Main Loop

Start & Finish: Marylebone Station, Melcombe Place, Marylebone, London, NW1 6JJ
Distance: 24.7 km (15.3 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 190m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (Walk): Thames Path, Jubilee Walkway, River Fleet Walk, River Westbourne Walk, Jubilee Greenway
Other routes touched (Cycle): CS3, CS6
Maps:
-
OS Explorer Map (161) London South, Westminster, Greenwich, Croydon, Esher & Twickenham
- OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford

 

The Hammersmith Spur

Start & Finish: Hammersmith Station, Underground Ltd, Beadon Rd, London W6 7AA
Distance: 7.5 km (4.6 miles)
Elevation change: +48m / - 30m. Net +18m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (Walk): Jubilee Greenway, Grand Union Canal / Regents Canal Towpath
Other routes touched (Cycle): C27, C44
Map: OS Explorer Map (173) London North, The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford

 

The Complete Circle Line Running Route

Richard Gower running the above-ground route of the London Underground Circle Line

More London Posts

If you enjoyed reading this post, there is plenty more to explore across the capital. I have put together a dedicated London Outdoors page where I keep track of all my other adventures around the city. It is a handy index where I group my posts by the different types of places I have visited: including historic boundary lines, canal towpaths, and some surprising urban high points.

The collection covers a bit of everything: from long-distance cycling routes to tracing the underground network on foot, and ticking off another Saturday morning parkrun. If you are looking for some inspiration for your own weekend outings, head back over to the London Outdoors page to see what else I have been up to.

UK Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies parkruns
 

The United Kingdom stretches far beyond the British Isles, encompassing a diverse array of lands with unique political statuses: British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. While both are inextricably linked to the UK, they differ significantly in their governance. The 14 British Overseas Territories, such as Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, are territories under the sovereignty of the UK but do not form part of the UK itself; they often rely on the UK for defense and foreign affairs but manage their own internal matters. Conversely, the three Crown Dependencies, the Isle of Man, the Bailiwick of Jersey, and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, are self-governing possessions of the British Crown, distinct from the UK and the British Overseas Territories, with their own legislative assemblies and legal systems. Both, however, share a surprising and delightful export: parkrun. In this post, we'll journey beyond the mainland to explore the unique, beautiful, and sometimes challenging parkruns hosted in these fascinating far-flung corners of the British Crown.

There are currently 3 parkrun events in Crown Dependencies: Nobles on the Isle of Man, and one each on Guernsey and Jersey.

There are currently 3 publicly accessible parkrun events in the British Overseas Territories: Cape Pembroke Lighthouse, Falkland islands; Gibraltar Botanical Gardens and Plantation Forest, St Helena.

A fourth British Overseas Territory event, Festival Green parkrun will start in the Cayman Islands in August 2026.

There are also 4 parkrun events on secure facilities which I have not listed in the blog post below. These are Mount Pleasant parkrun on the Falkland Islands and 3 secure events on the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area on Cyprus.

Note that parkrun’s definition of regions can differ from the official government definitions. parkrun has a Falkland Islands region which is separate to their British Overseas Territories Region. Guernsey and Jersey are part of parkrun’s Channel Islands region which is separate to the Crown Dependencies region which includes Nobles. Nobles was originally part of the North West England parkrun region when it started.


All of the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies parkrun events …

Below are each of the British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route. I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Cape Pembroke Lighthouse

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Territory: Falkland Islands

  • Government Categorisation: British Overseas Territory

  • parkrun Region: Falkland islands

  • Inaugural: October 26th 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Located at the easternmost point of the Falkland Islands, this historic lighthouse was built in 1855 and later automated. It offers sweeping views of the rugged South Atlantic coastline, providing a dramatic, windswept backdrop that is frequently visited by local marine life and seabirds.

 

Festival Green

 

Gibraltar Botanical Gardens

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Territory: Gibraltar

  • Government Categorisation: British Overseas Territory

  • parkrun Region: British Overseas Territories

  • Inaugural: February 14th 2026

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Also known as The Alameda, these lush gardens were opened in 1816. They combine vibrant Mediterranean and tropical flora with historic colonial architecture. Serving as a vital green lung for the territory, the gardens provide a striking and nature-filled environment for runners.

 

Guernsey

  • I completed this event on: June 16th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:58

  • Territory: Bailiwick of Guernsey

  • Government Categorisation: Crown Dependency

  • parkrun Region: Channel Islands

  • Other routes touched: N/A

  • Inaugural: April 9th 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Taking place at Pembroke Bay on the northern tip of the island, this gently undulating coastal route crosses L'Ancresse Common. The scenic grassy tracks offer runners spectacular sea views and pass by striking historical landmarks, including fascinating remnants of World War II German bunkers and traditional loophole towers built to defend the coastline.


Jersey

  • I completed this event on: June 10th 2017 with a finish time of: 27:53

  • Territory: Bailiwick of Jersey

  • Government Categorisation: Crown Dependency

  • parkrun Region: Channel Islands

  • Other routes touched (walk): Corbiere Railway Walk

  • Other routes touched (cycle): Jersey Cycle Route 1

  • Inaugural: September 26th 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Held at Les Quennevais Sports Centre in St Brelade, this route runs along the scenic Railway Walk, a popular tree-lined path following the route of the old Jersey Railway.


Nobles

  • I completed this event on: May 3rd 2025 with a finish time of: 27:08

  • Territory: Isle of Man

  • Government Categorisation: Crown Dependency

  • parkrun Region: Crown Dependencies

  • Other routes touched: N/A

  • Inaugural: October 21st 2017

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Situated in Douglas, Nobles Park is deeply tied to the island's rich sporting history, most famously near the grandstand area for the TT Races. Its carefully manicured lawns and mature trees offer an expansive, traditional parkland setting for the local parkrun.


Plantation Forest

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Territory: Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha

  • Government Categorisation: British Overseas Territory

  • parkrun Region: British Overseas Territories

  • Inaugural: July 11th 2026

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

  • Nestled in the remote South Atlantic, St Helena's Plantation Forest is renowned for its unique biodiversity and historical significance. It is located near Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor and home to Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise who is the world's oldest known living land animal.

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Ales & Trails Renegade 10k

When: July 12th 2026
Where: Renegade Brewery, The Old Dairy, Frilsham Farm, Yattendon, Thatcham, RG18 0XT
Organiser: Racing Line Running
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 172m
Course: Undulating trail route stasrting at Frilsham Farm with a 6.6 km loop around Greathouse Wood. A short section on country roads and a 1.7km spur at the start and end
Other routes touched (walk): The Roman Way
Finish time: 1 hour, 7 minutes, 12 seconds (Hot !)



Walking The Midshires Way Part 14: Bradwell Abbey and Linford Wood
Along the disused railway by Bradwell windmill

Along the disused railway by Bradwell windmill


Start & Finish: Lodge Lake Car Park, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, Great Holm, Milton Keynes, MK8 9LG
Distance: 11.6 km (7.2miles)
Elevation change: +/- 84m
Terrain: Predominantly flat, well-paved redways and shaded woodland paths suitable for most weather conditions.
Midshires Way section covered: Lodge Lake to Great Linford: 6.1 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Midshires Way, The Swan Way, Hanslope Circular Ride, Railway Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 6, Milton Keynes Redways: H4, V6, V8, Millennium Circular Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Costa Coffee (8.3 km in)
Map: Buckingham & Milton Keynes Map | Leighton Buzzard & Woburn | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 192
Links: Milton Keynes, Bradwell Abbey, Linford Wood, Milton Keynes redway system, Concrete Cows, Bancroft Roman Villa, Bradwell Windmill, Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line, Grand Union Canal


This is part of a series of short circular walks following the length of the Midshires Way in Buckinghamshire. The Midshires Way is a 225-mile (362 km) trail that journeys through the rural heart of Middle England, linking the Ridgeway National Trail at Bledlow in the south to the Trans Pennine Trail at Stockport in the north. Opened in 1994, this route traverses several counties, including Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Greater Manchester, following a scenic tapestry of ancient bridleways, quiet country lanes, and historic canals. In Buckinghamshire, the Midshires Way has a significant connection with the Swan's Way (often referred to as the Swan Way), a 65-mile long-distance bridleway. Essentially, the Swan's Way forms the backbone of the Buckinghamshire section of the Midshires Way, with the two routes being broadly coincident for approximately 50 miles between Salcey Forest and Bledlow. While the Swan's Way strictly adheres to bridleways to accommodate horse riders and cyclists, the Midshires Way sometimes offers alternative waymarked footpaths for walkers to avoid on-road sections.

Walking Directions

This relatively flat and accessible route takes you from the historic medieval grounds of Bradwell Abbey, winding through the city's unique redway network, and into the ancient greenery of Linford Wood. It is a fantastic mix of history and modern urban planning: offering plenty of shade and solid footing for year-round walking.

As you make your way northwards, you will cross under and over some of the major grid roads, highlighting how seamlessly nature is integrated into the city's design. The woods themselves are a haven for local wildlife, and if you are a fan of parkrun, you might recognise some of the paths as you loop through the trees before heading back towards your starting point.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

  • Start your walk at the Lodge Lake car park: there is free parking here for approximately 20 cars. From the car park, head left to walk anti-clockwise around the beautiful lake in a north-westerly direction, picking up the Midshires Way.

  • Just before you reach Loughton Brook, take a right off the main lake path and head through the underpass beneath the Dansteed Way dual carriageway.

  • As you emerge from the underpass, cross the lovely small wooden footbridge over Loughton Brook and immediately turn right. This keeps you on the Midshires Way as it winds through Loughton Valley Linear Park.

  • Keep heading north with the brook on your right, passing under the A5 via another underpass, and continue on your north-westerly path.

  • At the 1.2-kilometre mark, you will hit a T-junction where you need to take a left. The official Midshires Way skirts around the boundary of Bradwell Abbey here, but I highly recommend taking a little shortcut through the abbey's nature trail. It is a fantastic spot to see the remains of the old abbey buildings and read the notice boards to soak up some local history.

  • Once you are on the northern side of the abbey, rejoin the Midshires Way heading north-east and cross under the main railway line.

  • When you meet Loughton Brook again, the path curves to the north. Keep following the Midshires Way north straight through the park until you reach the underpass for Miller's Way.

  • Head under Miller's Way and stick to the Midshires Way, which now puts you on the eastern side of the brook.

  • Just before the 4-kilometre mark, you will pass under the bridge of the old railway line that ran parallel to the Grand Union Canal. Walk under the bridge, take the ramp up onto it, and follow this old railway walk (which also doubles as a cycle route) in a north-westerly direction.

  • Keep an eye out on your right for the Bradwell Windmill: it is a brilliant spot to pause for some photos.

  • Stay on the Midshires Way along the disused railway line until just after the 6-kilometre mark. You will reach the Grand Union Canal and an old disused railway bridge. Do not cross this bridge! This is the point where we leave the Midshires Way to loop back towards the start.

  • Come off the bridge on the eastern side into an area known as the Quarry within Great Linford Manor Park.

  • Follow the path as it snakes down into St Leger Drive. Walk along the drive for about 100 metres, and just after Butler's Grove, take a right onto a footpath.

  • This path takes you through some quiet residential areas of Stantonbury and over a bridge crossing Marlborough Street.

  • You will soon meet another little stream: follow it down until you reach the underpass beneath Muck's Way.

  • Head through the underpass, and you will find a service area on the southern side with a McDonald's and a Costa Coffee. It is the perfect excuse for a quick tea break before tackling the small hill coming up!

  • Suitably refreshed, follow the path heading south up through the peaceful Linford Wood.

  • Emerge from the wood at Saxton Street. Cross over Saxton Street and Stanton Wood, then head under Dansteed Way to its southern side.

  • From here, it is a straightforward walk back: follow the path running parallel to the south side of Dansteed Way in a south-easterly direction.

  • Pass under Grafton Street via the underpass, keep on that south side of Dansteed Way, and it will lead you all the way back to your car at Lodge Lake.

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • Bradwell Abbey A scheduled ancient monument that was once a thriving medieval Benedictine priory. Today, only the small but historically significant Chapel of St Mary remains largely intact: featuring fascinating 14th-century wall paintings that are beautifully preserved.

  • Linford Wood An ancient woodland dating back at least 700 years, providing a vital green space within the Milton Keynes grid. It offers a dense canopy of oak and ash trees and features several public art installations scattered along its tranquil footpaths.

  • Milton Keynes Redways The extensive network of shared-use paths that crisscross the city. They provide safe, traffic-free routes for walkers and cyclists: uniquely integrating nature corridors and underpasses into the modern urban landscape.

  • Concrete Cows Created in 1978 by artist Liz Leyh and local schoolchildren, with subsequent repair work by Bill Billings, these iconic sculptures have become synonymous with Milton Keynes. While the original cows now reside at the Milton Keynes Museum, exact replicas stand at the original Bancroft site just off the redway network.

  • Bancroft Roman Villa This archaeological site preserves the foundations of an extensive Roman farming settlement and villa complex dating back to the late 1st century. Visitors can explore the outlined footprints of the ancient buildings and view interpretation boards detailing the history of the site: an excellent historical detour from the main path.

  • Bradwell Windmill Erected around 1814, this historic stone tower mill is a striking local landmark that was fully restored to working order in the late 20th century. It sits close to the canal and occasionally opens to the public during summer weekends: offering a fascinating glimpse into the area's agricultural past.

  • The Disused Railway Running adjacent to the canal in places, remnants of the old Wolverton to Newport Pagnell branch line can still be traced through the landscape. Much of this former railway trackbed has been cleverly repurposed by city planners: now serving as a wide, flat section of the modern redway system.

  • Grand Union Canal Serving as a major artery of the British waterway network, this historic canal provides a scenic, tranquil corridor through the heart of Milton Keynes. The towpaths offer a pleasant waterside alternative to the paved redways: complete with colourful narrowboats and abundant aquatic wildlife.



Midshires Way previous section (south): Oakhill and Loughton
Midshires Way next section (north): Stantonbury Lake and Little Linford (blog post coming soon)

East Midlands parkruns
 

The parkrun Regionnaire status used to be a major part of parkrun tourism. Changes in the parkrun website in 2019 removed the regions making it harder to track completion status. All is not lost though as here’s the complete parkrun guide to what’s in and what’s out of the counties of East of England.

The East Midlands is a varied and centrally positioned region of England, lying at the heart of the country and forming an important geographic and economic link between the north and south. It comprises six ceremonial counties—Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire (excluding the northern unitary authorities of North Lincolnshire and North East Lincolnshire), Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland.

Its landscapes are defined by striking contrasts. In the north, the Peak District rises in a sweep of rugged gritstone edges, moorland plateaus, and deep valleys, forming one of Britain’s most celebrated upland national parks. Nottinghamshire is home to the ancient oak woodlands of Sherwood Forest, long associated with folklore and now protected for their ecological and cultural significance. To the south, Rutland Water stands as one of Europe’s largest man‑made reservoirs and an internationally important wetland habitat.

Across the wider region, the scenery shifts from the broad, meandering valley of the River Trent to the volcanic outcrops and wooded hills of Charnwood Forest. Lincolnshire contributes some of the country’s most extensive agricultural landscapes, stretching out to a coastline of wide sandy beaches and low‑lying coastal plains.

Together, these elements create a region of remarkable diversity—rich in natural beauty, deep in history, and shaped by the varied terrains that define the centre of England.


The counties of the East Midlands

parkrun event numbers per county

There are currently 65 parkrun events in the present-day counties of the East Midlands region. The Historic Counties, prior to the various boundary changes had a further 8 events.

Notes and exceptions.

  • Numbers of event above exclude prison parkruns and permanently cancelled events.

  • Market Harborough was in the historic county of Northamptonshire but is in the present-day county of Leicestershire.

  • 6 parkrun events in the north of Lincolnshire are in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

  • 2 parkrun events, Graves and Rother Valley, were in the historic county of Derbyshire but are now in South Yorkshire in the Yorkshire and the Humber Region.

  • Events that are in the Yorkshire and the Humber region are highlighted in yellow in the table above.


The East Midlands Counties parkrun pages

Click on each of the images below to go to the page with details of the parkrun events for the county.


More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Completing all Lincolnshire parkruns

There are currently 15 parkrun events in the present-day county of Lincolnshire, of which I have not yet completed any. The first was Scunthorpe which started on 23rd February 2013 and the newest is Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, which started on 22nd March 2025. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “No missing Lincs”.

Most of Lincolnshire is in the East Midlands Region, however the most northerly 6 parkrun events are in the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.



All of the Lincolnshire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Lincolnshire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Ancholme Valley Way

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 5th February 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Baysgarth Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 30th September 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Belton House

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 7th November 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Boston

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 24th October 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Cleethorpes

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and The Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 24th May 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Doddington Hall

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 25th January 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Epworth Equestrian

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled.

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: Yorkshire and The Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: July 29th 2023. Final event: #59 on October 12th 2024

  • Reason for cancellation: Due to low café usage.

  • Replaced by: Vermuyden Way

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Gainsborough

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled.

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: May 30th 2015. Final event: #242 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: Didn’t restart after Covid as some of the land had planning permission for housing, which went ahead.

  • Replaced by: Thonock Lane Farm

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Lincoln

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 16th November 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Market Rasen Racecourse

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 3rd November 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Normanby Hall

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and The Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 4th November 2017

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 22nd March 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Scunthorpe

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and The Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 23rd February 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Skegness Boating Lake

  • This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled.

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: December 28th 2019. Final event: #12 on March 14th 2020

  • Reason for cancellation: During covid the main carpark entrance for Skegness was moved, it now goes across the course path whereas previously it didn’t.

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Snowden Field

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 27th April 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Thonock Lane Farm

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 7th October 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Vermuyden Way

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and The Humber

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 25th January 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Yarborough Leisure Centre

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Lincolnshire

  • Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire

  • Inaugural: 4th February 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Walking The Midshires Way Part 13: Oakhill and Loughton
Lodge Lake, Great Holm

Lodge Lake, Great Holm


Start & Finish: Lodge Lake Car Park, Bradwell Road, Loughton Lodge, Great Holm, Milton Keynes, MK8 9LG
Distance: 9.8 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 84m
Terrain: A mix of ancient woodland paths, paved Milton Keynes redways, and grassy parkland trails.
Midshires Way section covered: Oakhill to Lodge Lake: 5.8 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Midshires Way, The Swan Way, North Bucks Way, Milton Keynes Boundary Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): Milton Keynes Redways: H4, V2, V4, Millennium Circular Route
Pubs / Cafes on route: Kensington Pub (0.8 km in)
Map: Buckingham & Milton Keynes Map | Leighton Buzzard & Woburn | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 192
Links: Milton Keynes, Loughton


This is part of a series of short circular walks following the length of the Midshires Way in Buckinghamshire. The Midshires Way is a 225-mile (362 km) trail that journeys through the rural heart of Middle England, linking the Ridgeway National Trail at Bledlow in the south to the Trans Pennine Trail at Stockport in the north. Opened in 1994, this route traverses several counties, including Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Greater Manchester, following a scenic tapestry of ancient bridleways, quiet country lanes, and historic canals. In Buckinghamshire, the Midshires Way has a significant connection with the Swan's Way (often referred to as the Swan Way), a 65-mile long-distance bridleway. Essentially, the Swan's Way forms the backbone of the Buckinghamshire section of the Midshires Way, with the two routes being broadly coincident for approximately 50 miles between Salcey Forest and Bledlow. While the Swan's Way strictly adheres to bridleways to accommodate horse riders and cyclists, the Midshires Way sometimes offers alternative waymarked footpaths for walkers to avoid on-road sections.

Walking Directions

This stage of the Midshires Way takes walkers from Lodge Lake deep into the surprisingly green corridors of Milton Keynes. While Milton Keynes is often associated with its modern grid system, this route beautifully showcases how ancient villages like Loughton were carefully preserved and integrated into the city's design. It provides a brilliant contrast between historical Buckinghamshire and modern urban planning.

The route is mostly flat and relies heavily on the city's extensive network of pedestrian pathways and parkland trails, making it highly accessible year-round. Along the way, you will trace the borders of historic woodlands, pass by centuries-old village architecture, and perhaps even find time for a detour to a local parkrun if you are walking on a Saturday morning.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

  • Start off at Lodge Lake car park, which is just off Bradwell Road from the Danstead Way dual carriageway. There is free parking for about twenty cars, and it makes a great starting point with plenty of route options around the water.

  • From the car park, head around the lake in an anti-clockwise direction.

  • Pick up the path that runs parallel to Danstead Way along its southern edge.

  • After just under one kilometre, you will walk past the Kensington pub: it is a nice spot for a quick drink if you fancy one, even if it is a bit early in the trip.

  • Keep heading south-west until the 1.8 kilometre mark, then cross over Danstead Way at the traffic lights onto Randall Avenue.

  • Take an immediate left to dip into the woodland, following a lovely little trail with a stream on your right and Danstead Way on your left.

  • Continue south-west until you reach the roundabout connecting Barossa Way and Tattenhoe Street.

  • Cross Barossa Way to join the North Bucks Way: this is a really peaceful section as you get away from the busy roads and houses for a bit.

  • Head south along the North Bucks Way until you reach the four kilometre mark, then take a left to rejoin the Midshires Way right where we left off on section twelve.

  • Wander north-east through a quiet residential part of Oak Hill, then follow the path as it curves south-west along the south side of Fulmer Street.

  • Just past the six kilometre mark, pop under the underpass and stick to the Midshires Way on the north side of Fulmer Street.

  • The route curves left to head north-east parallel to Chazey Way, before taking you under the busy Watling Street via another underpass.

  • Curve left heading north-north-west through Loughton: this is a rather nice area with some big houses, open ground, and a great view across to Central Milton Keynes over on the eastern side.

  • Finally, keep following the route past the miniature railway, cross over Loughton Brook, and simply follow the water all the way back to Lodge Lake to finish up.

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • Lodge Lake & Great Holm Built in the early 1980s as a balancing lake to manage flood risks from the Loughton Brook, Lodge Lake has matured into a thriving natural ecosystem. It provides a vital habitat for local birdlife, making it an excellent spot for birdwatching. Keep an eye out for herons, swans, and even the occasional kingfisher as you navigate the water's edge at the start and finish of your walk.

  • Oakhill Wood forms part of the long‑established woodland belt on the western edge of Milton Keynes. Though not formally designated as ancient woodland, it has been present in the landscape for centuries and provides a rich habitat for local wildlife. Its shaded paths offer a welcome sense of seclusion, creating a natural green buffer between the modern grid roads and the older settlements nearby.

  • Loughton is one of Milton Keynes’ most historic settlements, recorded in the Domesday Book and still centred around its traditional village green. Absorbed into the new town’s designated area in the early 1970s, it has retained its medieval street pattern and a remarkable collection of historic buildings. Timber‑framed cottages, farmhouses, and remnants of ancient field boundaries preserve the character of a Buckinghamshire village that predates the city by nearly a millennium.

  • All Saints Church is the oldest surviving building in Loughton and a Grade II* listed landmark. Its earliest sections, the nave and chancel, date from the early 13th century, with later medieval additions shaping the church’s distinctive profile. Set amid the village’s green spaces and surrounded by modern Milton Keynes, it stands as a striking reminder of the area’s deep historical roots.

  • The Milton Keynes Redway Network A significant portion of this route utilises the city’s Redways—a unique, traffic-free network boasting over 200 miles of shared-use paths for pedestrians and cyclists. These verdant, tree-lined corridors safely connect communities and parks away from the roads, demonstrating how modern urban planning can successfully blend seamlessly with nature.



Midshires Way previous section (south): Whaddon and Oakhill Wood
Midshires Way next section (north): Bradwell Abbey and Linford Wood

Completing all Derbyshire parkruns

There are currently 12 parkrun events in the present-day county of Derbyshire, of which I have not yet completed any. The first was Markeaton which started on 27th April 2013 and the newest is Coronation Park which started on 24th May 2025. I’m not aware of a County Completion Name for Derbyshire but let me know in the comments if you have one.

Graves and Rother Valley were both in the historic county of Derbyshire but are now in the present-day county of South Yorkshire. Graves, which started on 14th April 2012, was the first parkrun event in the historic county of Derbyshire. While most of Derbyshire is a part of the East Midlands region, the 2 that are now in South Yorkshire are part of the Yorkshire and the Humber region.

Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.


A map of all parkrun events in the county of Derbyshire

All of the Derbyshire parkrun events …

Below are each of the Derbyshire 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:

  • The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.

  • Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.

  • Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.


Alvaston

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 25th May 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Ashbourne Recreation Ground

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 14th May 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Black Rocks

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 18th January 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Coronation Park

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 24th May 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Glossop

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 26th September 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Graves

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: South Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: 14th April 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Long Eaton

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 13th June 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Markeaton

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 27th April 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Monsal Trail

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 6th January 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Pavilion Gardens

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 5th November 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Poolsbrook

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 2nd April 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Rosliston

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 12th March 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Rother Valley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: Yorkshire and the Humber

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: South Yorkshire

  • Inaugural: 11th May 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Shipley Country

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • Region: East Midlands

  • Historic County: Derbyshire

  • Ceremonial County: Derbyshire

  • Inaugural: 25th February 2017

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

More parkrun posts

parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.

Featured and popular parkrun posts:


Walking The Midshires Way Part 12: Whaddon and Oakhill Wood
Walking west from Oakhill with Oakhill Wood, Milton Keynes, on the left

Walking west from Oakhill with Oakhill Wood on the left


Start & Finish: St Mary's Church, Church Hill, Whaddon, Milton Keynes, MK17 0LZ
Distance: 8.3 km (5.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 74m
Terrain: A combination of quiet country lanes, well-marked grassy footpaths, and rustic woodland tracks.
Midshires Way section covered: Whaddon to Oakhill: 3.2 km
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Midshires Way, The Swan Way, North Bucks Way, Milton Keynes Boundary Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Lowndes Arms, Whaddon (just off route at the start and finish)
Map: Buckingham & Milton Keynes Map | Leighton Buzzard & Woburn | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 192
Links: Whaddon, Milton Keynes


This is part of a series of short circular walks following the length of the Midshires Way in Buckinghamshire. The Midshires Way is a 225-mile (362 km) trail that journeys through the rural heart of Middle England, linking the Ridgeway National Trail at Bledlow in the south to the Trans Pennine Trail at Stockport in the north. Opened in 1994, this route traverses several counties, including Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Greater Manchester, following a scenic tapestry of ancient bridleways, quiet country lanes, and historic canals. In Buckinghamshire, the Midshires Way has a significant connection with the Swan's Way (often referred to as the Swan Way), a 65-mile long-distance bridleway. Essentially, the Swan's Way forms the backbone of the Buckinghamshire section of the Midshires Way, with the two routes being broadly coincident for approximately 50 miles between Salcey Forest and Bledlow. While the Swan's Way strictly adheres to bridleways to accommodate horse riders and cyclists, the Midshires Way sometimes offers alternative waymarked footpaths for walkers to avoid on-road sections.

Walking Directions

This delightful circular route through the Buckinghamshire countryside offers a fantastic blend of historic village charm and open agricultural landscapes. Starting in the picturesque village of Whaddon, the trail guides you eastwards along the quiet country lane towards the edge of Milton Keynes. It is a wonderfully peaceful stretch that feels miles away from the hustle of the city, making it an excellent weekend escape or a perfect leg-stretcher for those resting before their Saturday morning parkrun.

As you reach the western urban boundary, the route turns north, tracing the edge of the city before skirting the ancient boundaries of Oakhill Wood and Briary Plantation. The return leg takes you west through wide open fields and south through the remnants of Whaddon Chase, offering long, elevated views across the Great Ouse Valley before delivering you safely back into the heart of Whaddon.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

  • Begin the walk outside the Lowndes Arms pub on Stock Lane in Whaddon village centre, where free on-street parking is available.

  • Walk south through St Mary's churchyard, passing the 12th-century church, to exit back onto Stock Lane right opposite your starting point at the Lowndes Arms. As you reach the top of the hill, pass the historic remnants of the Second World War telecommunications site on the grass line.

  • Head east along Stock Lane for approximately 300 metres.

  • Turn left onto the public footpath heading down Kennel Lane towards the open fields.

  • Follow the Midshires Way path as it turns right and then left to skirt the northern edge of Briary Plantation.

  • Continue heading in a north-easterly direction across the fields until the path meets the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk just before you reach the urban houses.

  • Turn left and follow the combined Midshires Way and Milton Keynes Boundary Walk north-north-west for just under two kilometres, passing Oakley Park and Oakhill Prison on your right, and Oakhill Wood on your left.

  • Turn left (west) to stay on the Milton Keynes Boundary Walk, walking across the open fields.

  • Cross over Stratford Road and continue along the farm path heading west.

  • When you reach the track near the converted farm buildings, turn left to head southwards.

  • Follow this path until it connects with Nash Road.

  • Turn left onto Nash Road and follow it as it transitions into Church Hill Road towards the centre of Whaddon.

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • St Mary's Church, Whaddon. Dominating the skyline as you approach Whaddon, the Church of St Mary is a striking Grade I listed building with origins rooted in the 12th century. The church features a prominent 14th-century tower and contains historic monuments, including a memorial to Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, making it a culturally significant and highly visible landmark on your walk. Inside, visitors can spot a rare Norman pillar carving showing two peacocks quarrelling over bread, as well as surviving fragments of medieval stained glass in the east window.

  • Whaddon Hall and Royal History. The present Whaddon Hall was built in 1820 on a site occupied by manor houses since the 11th century. Originally a royal forest and medieval hunting ground, Whaddon Chase was historically reserved for hunting deer by the nobility. Although heavily deforested over the centuries and enclosed for agriculture, the undulating topography and remaining pockets of ancient woodland still offer walkers a tangible glimpse into Buckinghamshire's medieval past.

  • The Intelligence Zone and World War Two Telecommunications. During World War Two, Whaddon Hall served as the top-secret headquarters for Section VIII (Communications) of MI6 under Brigadier Richard Gambier-Parry. The facility was responsible for constructing radio gear and transmitting Ultra intelligence from Bletchley Park directly to Allied commanders in the field. Walkers can still see the grassy mounds of the buried wartime radio outstations (such as Windy Ridge and the Upper Weald Radio Station) along Church Hill Road, whose history was shared with us by local author Alan Biggins, writer of The Intelligence Zone: Churchill's Secret Sites and What They Gave the World.

  • Oakhill Wood and Briary Plantation. These ancient woodlands form a beautiful natural buffer between the expanding modern grid of Milton Keynes and the traditional farmland of rural Buckinghamshire. Tracing the edges of these woods provides wonderful opportunities to spot local wildlife: look out for deer, red kites, and woodpeckers nestled in the oak and ash canopy.

  • Snelshall Priory Earthworks. Slightly west of the route lies the site of Snelshall Priory, a Benedictine house dedicated to St Leonard and founded circa 1147. Though the buildings have long since vanished, the historic earthworks, moated site, and medieval fishponds still remain preserved in the quiet landscape.



Midshires Way previous section (south): Great Horwood and Whaddon
Midshires Way next section (north): Oakhill and Loughton

All The Waterloo & City Line Stations

As a part of my ongoing series of visiting "all the stations", I rode the Waterloo and City line bagging all 2 of its stations :-). The last time I completed a line, it was the 41 stations of the Elizabeth Line so this trip was a very quick one by comparison.

I had this on my list for some time, having noticed little bits of trivia about the Waterloo and City line on different geeky YouTube videos I follow. Because one of the unique things about the line is that it is not open on weekends, I needed to do it on a weekday when I was already in London. So, I picked a glorious summer day to catch a very early train into the city, do the Waterloo and City tube line, walk back to Waterloo, and then get back to my office in Paddington at a normal work time.

There’s a few other ways that the Waterloo and City line is unique:

  • It is the shortest of all the London Underground lines at just 1.47 miles long, with a journey time of only four minutes between its two stations, Waterloo and Bank.

  • It is the only tube line that was administered as part of the national rail network until it transferred to the London Underground in 1994.

  • It is completely isolated and has no physical link with the rest of the tube network. Because of this, when carriages need replacing or heavy servicing, they cannot just be driven out: they must be lifted out of the depot by a crane.

  • The line is affectionately known as 'The Drain'. This nickname seemingly comes from the appearance of the lengthy sloping subway access at Bank station.

  • The platforms at Waterloo are still numbered 25 and 26, matching the numbering of the mainline station above.

  • It is one of only two lines on the network (the other being the Victoria line) that is fully underground.

 

The walk back: Bank to Waterloo

What is most interesting about the line: and the real reason I wanted to do this: is the return leg. After arriving, when you walk back from Bank to Waterloo, you can actually do this entire walk without crossing or stepping on a single road. For a detailed guide on that specific path, you can check out the excellent article on the Londonist website (article linked here).

It was a very hot day with not a cloud in the sky, making for a beautiful walk, particularly along the Thames Path section. However, there were a few navigational discoveries and points of interest I found along the way that are worth noting:

  • Navigating Bank Station: When I got to Bank station, I found it tricky to locate the correct passage between Bank and Monument station due to the sheer number of exits. You definitely need to keep your eyes peeled and be careful here.

  • The Pedway Bridge: There is a pedestrian bridge crossing from Pudding Lane to St Magnus the Martyr church. Unfortunately, this was shut during my visit due to reconstruction of a building on the south side of the road. I was a bit disappointed as I actually had to cross the road to avoid the closure, temporarily breaking the "no roads" rule.

  • Approaching Waterloo: As you get to the IMAX near the end of the walk, you need to make sure you find the right route to get from the IMAX to Waterloo station without crossing a road.


Start: Monument Station, Fish Street Hill Exit, London, EC3R 6BR
Finish
: Waterloo Station, Waterloo Road, London SE1 8SW
Distance: 4.0 km (2.5 miles)
Elevation change: +32m / -49m. Net - 17m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Pudding Lane Pedway, Thames Path, Green Link Walk
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 4
Pubs / Cafes on route: Loads, it’s London. See the points of interest section below for 2 significant pubs.
Map: London North Map | The City, West End, Enfield, Ealing, Harrow & Watford | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 173

Red = Waterloo & City Underground Line. Blue = The walk back


Points of Interest along the walking route

In order of the route from Bank to Waterloo, showing how many kilometres into the route it is from the Fish Street Hill exit of Monument Station.

  • Bank Station. A major interchange station on the London Underground, named after the nearby Bank of England. It is famous for its complex maze of tunnels, steep escalator shafts, and pedestrian subways, which were built over decades, making it one of the most notoriously confusing (and crowded) stations to navigate on the entire network.

  • Monument Station. Linked directly to Bank station via deep-level pedestrian tunnels, it takes its name from the nearby Monument to the Great Fire of London. It originally opened in 1884 as part of the Metropolitan Inner Circle completion and provides a crucial gateway to the historic heart of the City of London.

  • (0.1 km) Monument to the Great Fire of London. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr Robert Hooke, this 202-foot-tall Doric column commemorates the catastrophic Great Fire of London in 1666. Its height is no coincidence. If the column were laid flat on the ground, the tip would reach the exact spot of Thomas Farriner's bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire started.

  • (0.1 km) Pudding Lane. A small cobbled street in the City of London that is infamous worldwide as the starting point of the Great Fire. Despite its sweet-sounding name, "pudding" was actually a medieval term for animal innards, which butchers carted down this lane from Eastcheap market to the river to be discarded.

  • (0.2 km) Church of Saint Magnus-the-Martyr. Another stunning architectural masterpiece rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire, this church once stood right at the foot of the old medieval London Bridge. A surviving piece of Roman timber wharf from the 1st century AD is remarkably displayed in its porch, blending centuries of London history in a single spot.

  • (0.4 km) London Bridge is the oldest crossing over the River Thames, with a rich history originating from a Roman pontoon structure built around 43 AD. The 19th-century version of the bridge was famously sold to an American entrepreneur in 1968 and rebuilt stone by stone in Arizona.

  • (0.6 km) Cannon Street Bridge. Constructed between 1863 and 1866, Cannon Street Railway Bridge features two monumental Victorian brick towers originally built to conceal water tanks for the station's hydraulic lifts. At low tide the riverbank beneath the bridge is frequently scattered with centuries-old animal bones from historical butchers and abattoirs.

  • (0.7 km) The Banker Pub, EC4 Nestled snugly within the towering brick arches of the Cannon Street Railway Bridge, this riverside pub offers spectacular views of the Thames. The cavernous vaults it occupies are a testament to robust Victorian railway engineering.

  • (0.8 km) Southwark Bridge. Rebuilt in 1921, the vibrant green and yellow Southwark Bridge was cleverly designed so its arches align perfectly with neighbouring bridges to ensure a smooth flow of river traffic. For a glimpse into the past, pedestrians can still spot old stone steps on the south bank once used by Thames watermen to moor their boats.

  • (0.8 km) Fruiterers Passage This narrow, easily missed walkway is a ghost of London's trading past, named after the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, one of the City's ancient livery companies. It serves as a quiet reminder of the medieval days when different trades clustered in specific riverside alleys to load and unload their goods.

  • (1.0 km) The Alfred Plaque This modest stone memorial marks King Alfred the Great's restoration of London in 886 AD after a period of Viking occupation. It highlights how he rebuilt the Roman walls and re-established the nearby Queenhithe dock to revive the city's trade and ensure its survival.

  • (1.0 km) Queenhithe Mosaic Unveiled in 2014, this beautiful 30-meter-long mosaic timeline vividly illustrates the history of London and the Queenhithe dock from Roman times right up to the present day. It is an unexpected, colorful piece of public art that encapsulates the historical significance of the shoreline you are walking along.

  • (1.1 km) Queenhithe Dock and Wharf Once the most important dock in Saxon and medieval London, goods like corn, fish, and fur were traded here for centuries. Today, it is a scheduled ancient monument and the only surviving inlet on the modern City waterfront, offering a rare, untouched glimpse into the ancient port of London.

  • (1.2 km) Samuel Pepys Pub Named after the famous 17th-century diarist who documented both the Great Fire and the Great Plague, this pub sits in a historic wooden warehouse on the north bank.

  • (1.4 km) Millennium Measure. Gifted by the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers for the year 2000, the Millennium Measure is a stainless steel and glass sculpture serving as a three-sided, two-metre rule that depicts two thousand years of history. Its initials "MM" cleverly stand for three things simultaneously: "Millennium Measure", "millimetre", and the number two thousand in Roman numerals.

  • (1.4 km) Millennium Bridge Opened in 2000, this steel suspension footbridge elegantly links St Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern. It famously earned the nickname "The Wobbly Bridge" due to a swaying motion experienced on its opening day, an engineering quirk which took two years and specialized dampeners to finally fix.

  • (1.5 km) St Paul's Cathedral Though you don't walk right up to it on this specific path, the view of its iconic dome from the Millennium Bridge is a deliberately engineered sightline. Sir Christopher Wren's architectural masterpiece is framed perfectly by the bridge's suspension cables, offering one of the most celebrated and deliberate vistas in all of London.

  • (1.8 km) Shakespeare's Globe Located just off the path after crossing the river, this is a meticulous reconstruction of the original Elizabethan playhouse where Shakespeare debuted his greatest works. A wonderfully quirky detail: it features the first and only thatched roof permitted in London since the Great Fire of 1666, protected today by specially designed fire-retardant sprinklers.

  • (1.9 km) Tate Modern Housed in the colossal former Bankside Power Station, this world-renowned gallery is Britain's national museum of international modern and contemporary art. The iconic towering chimney and cavernous Turbine Hall are stunning remnants of its industrial past repurposed into spectacular exhibition spaces.

  • (2.1 km) Blackfriars Railway Bridge Pillars As you continue along the South Bank, look out into the river to see a row of red, cast-iron pillars standing completely alone in the water. These are the beautifully preserved remains of the original 1864 London, Chatham and Dover Railway bridge, dismantled in the 1980s. The railway insignia is still brilliantly visible on the columns.

  • (2.5 km) Oxo Tower Originally a power station, the building was largely rebuilt in the 1920s by the Liebig Extract of Meat Company (makers of Oxo cubes). Refused permission for illuminated rooftop advertising, they cleverly circumvented the ban by designing the tower's windows in the shapes of a circle, a cross, and a circle subtly spelling out "OXO" across the skyline.

  • (2.6 km) The Queen's Walk This vibrant pedestrian promenade stretches along the South Bank of the Thames, formalized in 1977 to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. It connects several major cultural landmarks and is renowned for its bustling atmosphere, street performers, and unmatched views across the river.

  • (2.9 km) National Theatre A highly polarizing piece of architecture, this massive concrete complex is one of London's most prominent examples of the Brutalist style. King Charles once famously compared it to a "clever way of building a nuclear power station," but regardless of its divisive exterior, it houses three world-class auditoriums producing unparalleled theatre.

  • (3.1 km) Southbank Centre Book Market Nestled directly beneath Waterloo Bridge, this is one of the only outdoor second-hand and antique book markets in southern England. Operating daily since 1982, it's a wonderfully atmospheric spot on the walking route to browse weather-beaten classics while the traffic rumbles overhead.

  • (3.2 km) Waterloo Bridge Often affectionately called the "Ladies' Bridge" because it was largely built by a female workforce during World War II, this bridge offers arguably the best panoramic views in London. Look east for the City skyline and St Paul's Cathedral, or west for the London Eye and the Houses of Parliament.

  • (3.4 km) BFI Imax Sitting right in the center of a busy traffic roundabout, this striking glass cylinder is home to the largest cinema screen in the UK. The sheer scale of the auditorium is mind-boggling, and the entire structure is built on sophisticated anti-vibration pads to drown out the rumble of the tube lines running directly beneath it.

  • (3.5 km) Waterloo Station Britain’s busiest railway station by passenger volume, it is a bustling hub that first opened in 1848. A famous quirky detail is the great four-faced clock hanging in the middle of the main concourse, which has served as an iconic rendezvous point for countless romantic dates and classic movie scenes since the 1920s.


More London Posts

If you enjoyed reading this post, there is plenty more to explore across the capital. I have put together a dedicated London Outdoors page where I keep track of all my other adventures around the city. It is a handy index where I group my posts by the different types of places I have visited: including historic boundary lines, canal towpaths, and some surprising urban high points.

The collection covers a bit of everything: from long-distance cycling routes to tracing the underground network on foot, and ticking off another Saturday morning parkrun. If you are looking for some inspiration for your own weekend outings, head back over to the London Outdoors page to see what else I have been up to.

Ales & Trails Twisted Tree 10k

When: June 21st 2026
Where: Park Farm, Tusmore Estate, Bicester, OX27 7SH
Organiser: Racing Line Running
Distance: 10 km
Elevation: +/- 44m
Course: Fairly flat loop of the Tusmore estate on farm tracks and paths. 1k spur at the start and finish to Park Farm.
Other routes touched (walk): Tusmore Estate footpaths
Finish time: 58 minutes, 25 seconds



Càrn Eige: Ross & Cromarty County Top
The descent of Mam Sodhail towards Loch Affric

The descent towards Loch Affric


Also Known As: Càrn Èite (Scottish Gaelic)
Significance
: Historic County Top for Ross and Cromarty, Pre-Historic County Top for Ross-shire
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Ben Nevis
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Aonach Mor (1,220 m)
Elevation: 1,183m
Date climbed: June 7th 2026
Coordinates: 57° 17' 16'' N, 5° 6' 55'' W

Route Start & Finish: River Affric Car Park, Beauly, IV4 7LY
Route Distance: 23.2 km (14.4 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 1,180m
Subsidiary tops on route: Mam Sodhail (1,179 m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP1949 - Carn Eige
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glen Shiel & Kintail Forest Map | Shiel Bridge, Morvich, Killilan & Kinloch Hourn | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 414
Links: Wikipedia: (Ross and Cromarty / Càrn Eighe), Peakbagger, Hillbagging


Càrn Eige is the Historic County Top for Ross and Cromarty and the 4th highest of all of the UK County Tops. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Top of Argyll.

Walking Directions

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

This was the big walk of the weekend. Clocking in at around 25 km, it was scheduled for the Sunday, right after our epic climb up Bidean nam Bian. Unsurprisingly, we were all feeling quite tired. It had already been a long couple of days: I was dealing with some fresh blisters on my feet, and according to my Garmin watch, my Body Battery was running seriously low. To top it off, we woke up at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel in Fort William to a lot of rain.

We set off on the two-hour drive towards Glen Affric. Along the way, a serious debate sparked up in the car. Given our state of fatigue, the miserable weather, and the fact that we were approaching another genuinely big, intimidating mountain, we were questioning if this was actually a good idea. I kept remembering a mountain rescue call-out from early in my trekking days, so I was understandably a bit nervous.

However, as we drove away from Fort William and closer to the start of the walk, the weather began to visibly improve. We decided we would at least give it a try. To keep things safe, we agreed to assess the conditions at the start line and committed to three clear options.

Plan A was to complete the full circular route as described in Jonny Muir's UK County Tops book, provided the weather held and we felt strong. Plan B was our fallback if the weather was merely okay and the final sections looked unappealing: we would bag the main summits and retrace our steps for an out-and-back route, avoiding the boggy sections described in the book. Finally, Plan C was our baseline: if the conditions turned dangerous, became too slippery, or the weather closed in, we would turn back immediately. It is always better to not attempt a climb and try again another year.

By the time we got close, we were quite hungry. We stopped off on the way at the Bog Cotton Café at a nearby caravan park in Cannich. It was exactly what we needed: a fantastic Scottish breakfast to build up some energy. Conveniently, there was a local store just around the corner that specialised in Australian pies, so I couldn't resist buying a kangaroo and ale pie to take up the mountain.

Taking an hour for breakfast was well worth it, and by the time we arrived at the River Affric car park, it was midday. Given the generous amount of daylight in June, this timing was perfectly fine. We quickly got our gear ready and started the hike.

The first six kilometres are straightforward. The track runs parallel to the north side of Loch Affric, offering a steady warm-up. At around the 5.5 km mark, you leave the main trail and start a slow, steady climb following a stream with a waterfall. The ground here was a little bit boggy, but the path remained well-defined in most places.

The final section of the ascent is the steepest, pushing you up onto the ridge line. Surprisingly for the time of year, there was still quite a lot of snow up there, but it wasn't dangerous to navigate. So far, so good: the weather was holding out, and we had decent visibility.

Once on the ridge, we turned right to tackle the first summit of the day: Mam Sodhail. Standing at 1,179 metres, it is only marginally lower than our main target, sitting just four metres shorter than Càrn Eige.

At the top of Mam Sodhail, it was a little bit windy and misty. However, the wind kept blowing the mist clear, rewarding us with brilliant views right down the valley.

Feeling good, we descended the other side and began the final ascent up to the summit of Càrn Eige. Reaching the top felt like a massive victory, and we were rewarded with the trig pillar marking the high point of historic Ross and Cromarty. We were thrilled: we had successfully avoided Plan C and safely made it to the top!

Despite the success, the weather was still a factor, and we made the sensible decision to execute Plan B rather than attempting the full circular route. The only real disadvantage of the out-and-back route is missing out on a couple of other Munros, but they weren't on our main bagging list anyway. Claiming Càrn Eige was our primary goal for the day, and we had well and truly ticked that box.

We retraced our steps back down over Mam Sodhail. As we descended, the weather improved significantly. We enjoyed a very pleasant, warm walk back down the valley with high visibility, following the trail back to Loch Affric and along the farm track to the car park.

That successfully concluded the trek. We returned to the car at around 4:00 PM in very high spirits, already looking forward to our next county tops adventure.

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • Glen Affric: A celebrated Highland landscape often regarded as one of Scotland’s most beautiful glens. Its ancient Scots pinewoods form one of the largest surviving fragments of the Caledonian Forest, protected today within the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve.

  • Mam Sodhail: A broad, imposing Munro commonly climbed alongside Càrn Eighe. Despite appearances, its Gaelic name means “hill of the barns,” reflecting traditional shieling associations rather than a saddle‑like shape.

  • Loch Affric: A striking freshwater loch set beneath the surrounding peaks. Its shores support rich Caledonian woodland and diverse wildlife, including golden eagles, otters, pine martens, and other species that embody the wild character of Glen Affric.




Bidean Nam Bian: Argyll County Top
Ascent of Bidean nam Bian

Ascent of Bidean nam Bian


Also Known As: Bidean nam Beann, "peak of the mountains" (Scottish Gaelic)
Significance
: Historic County Top for Argyll
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Ben Nevis
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Ben Nevis
Elevation: 1,149m or 1,150m depending on source.
Date climbed: June 6th 2026
Coordinates: 56° 38' 34'' N, 5° 1' 46'' W

Route Start & Finish: Three Sisters Viewpoint Parking, Ballachulish, PH49 4HX
Route Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 1,154 m
Subsidiary tops on route: Stob Coire Sgreamhach (1,072m), Stob Coire nan Lochan (1,116m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Bidean nam Bian Trail
OS Trig Pillar: N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glen Coe & Glen Etive Map | Ballaculish & Kinlochleven | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 384
Links: Wikipedia: (Argyll, Glen Coe, Bidean nam Bian), peakbagger, Hillbagging


Bidean nam Bian is the Historic County Top for the Argyll, and the 5th highest of all of the UK County Tops. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Top of Ross and Cromarty.

Walking Directions

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

I always knew this mountain would be the big one. For the past few years, Bidean nam Bian has been sitting on our radar as a major objective: we intentionally saved it for later because of its sheer scale, its slightly more remote location, and the daunting elevation profiles in the UK County Tops book. I fully expected a tough day out, and it certainly did not disappoint.

Our Saturday began after reuniting at the Glasgow Youth Hostel the night before, having successfully completed our parallel Friday adventures: Mark, Matt, and Joel on Goat Fell, and myself bagging the East and West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow high points.

Since it was Saturday morning, we naturally kicked things off with a 5k. Keep in mind that parkrun starts at 09:30 in Scotland, so after finishing up at Victoria Park, we hit the road for the nearly two-hour drive north to Glencoe.

We arrived at the Three Sisters car park around midday. Unsurprisingly, it was completely full, so we ended up parking on the grass verge just outside. It is worth noting that you cannot actually see Bidean nam Bian from the road: it sits hidden away behind the towering ridges of the Three Sisters.

From the road, we took a south-easterly route to pick up the trail. The first section was fairly gentle, offering a steady climb up through the valley. However, as we drew closer to the summits, the terrain changed dramatically. The path gave way to steep, slippery scree, making the ascent a proper adventure.

We eventually scrambled our way up to the ridge line. At this point, the main summit was roughly two kilometres away to the right, but Joel pointed out an opportunity. By taking a left turn towards the east, we could do an out-and-back detour to bag Stob Coire Sgreamhach. We weren't entirely sure at first, but we were making excellent time, and the misty weather wasn't too bad. Since it is a Munro, we simply couldn't pass up the opportunity.

After bagging the bonus peak, we retraced our steps and tackled the increasingly steep final push up Bidean nam Bian. There is no trig pillar at the top, but the true summit is very obvious. By the time we arrived, the drizzle had set in, and the mist made visibility incredibly poor.

This left us with a decision to make: did we retrace our steps, or push forward to complete the full circular route back to the car park? None of us fancied descending the tricky, slippery scree we had just climbed, so despite not knowing exactly what the onward path held, we committed to the circular route.

We followed the path in a north-easterly direction from the summit, quickly arriving at the next Munro: Stob Coire nan Lochan, which stands at an impressive 1,116 metres.

Continuing east from that subsidiary top, things got a bit more complicated. We hit a steep chimney section flanked by rocks, which proved quite tricky to navigate. By the time we reached the bottom of the chimney, we realised we had drifted roughly 100 to 200 metres west of the actual trail.

With no desire to climb back up the chimney, we carefully picked our way down the steep scree until we found ourselves standing on a ledge looking over a couple of lochans. Not wanting to risk a direct descent over the ledge, Joel did some excellent navigating. He found a route that required a short climb to look over the next ridge, which safely brought us back onto the correct path.

From there, the descent was much more straightforward. We followed a burn with a very pleasant waterfall all the way down to the road and back to the car.

All in all, it was a massive day out in the mountains. It was tough, slightly scary in places with the slippery scrambles, but incredibly rewarding. It absolutely lived up to its reputation. The main lesson learned for next time: keep a much closer eye on the GPS to spot when we wander off track!

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • The Three Sisters: The Three Sisters of Glencoe: Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh, form the striking northern ridges of the Bidean nam Bian massif. Their bedrock belongs to the ancient Glencoe volcanic complex, but their iconic shape is the work of ice, not fire. Repeated glaciations carved deep U‑ and V‑shaped valleys into the mountainside, leaving behind the steep buttresses and plunging gullies that dominate the skyline today.

  • Stob Coire nan Lochan: Rising to 1,115 metres, Stob Coire nan Lochan is one of the most beautiful subsidiary peaks of Bidean nam Bian. Its high corrie shelters a small lochan sculpted by glacial excavation — a perfect amphitheatre of cliffs, snow gullies, and dark water fed by meltwater and mountain runoff. Many walkers visit it en route to the main ridge, drawn by its dramatic, enclosed setting.

  • Hidden Valley (Coire Gabhail): Tucked behind a narrow, rocky gorge, Coire Gabhail, the Hidden or Lost Valley, is one of Glencoe’s most atmospheric places. Its Gaelic name, “the glen of the capture,” reflects its history: the MacDonalds of Glencoe used this secluded hanging valley to hide livestock, including cattle taken during clan raids. The concealed entrance and steep surrounding walls made it a natural refuge, invisible from the main glen below.

  • Geology of the Massif: Bidean nam Bian sits at the heart of the Glencoe caldera, one of the best-preserved examples of volcanic collapse in Britain. Around 410–400 million years ago, vast eruptions produced thick sheets of rhyolitic ignimbrite, collapse breccias, and later andesitic lavas. These volcanic layers form the backbone of the massif, but the rugged cliffs, corries, and ridges seen today owe their dramatic form to much later glacial erosion, which sculpted the landscape into its present grandeur.




Cathkin Braes: Glasgow City County Top

View over Glasgow from the OS Trig Pillar

View over Glasgow from the OS Trig Pillar

Significance: Present-day County Top for Glasgow City
Historic County: Lanarkshire, of which Culter Fell is the Historic County Top
Member of: N/A
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Corse Hill
Elevation: 200m
Date climbed: June 5th 2026
Coordinates: 55° 47' 56'' N, 4° 12' 41'' W

Route Start & Finish: Cathkin Brae Bike Park Top Car Park, B759, Glasgow, G76 9EY
Route Distance: 2.3 km (1.42 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 31m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glasgow Map | Paisley, Rutherglen & Kirkintilloch | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 342
Links: Wikipedia: (Glasgow / Cathkin Braes), Peakbagger, Hillbagging


Cathkin Braes is the Present-day County Top for Glasgow City. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East and West Dunbartonshire and the Historic County Tops of Argyll and Ross and Cromarty.

It had already been a successful hiking day, having conquered both Earl's Seat and Duncolm to successfully claim the high points of East and West Dunbartonshire. This was part of our broader weekend plan and a parallel adventure: while I was out ticking off these local summits, Mark, Matt, and Joel were over on the Isle of Arran to tackle Goat Fell.

With a couple of hours to spare before I needed to drop my hire car back at Glasgow Airport and reunite with the boys, I realised I had the perfect window for a quick detour. I have been saving Cathkin Braes for a few years, waiting for an opportunity to comfortably squeeze it into an itinerary. As the county top for Glasgow City, it is highly accessible and makes for a very straightforward, short walk.

Walking Directions

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

The drive over from Kilpatrick Braes was quick and easy. I pulled into the main Cathkin Braes car park located just off the B759 road. It is a good size, and being late on a Friday afternoon, it was full of people out enjoying a walk with their dogs.

From the car park, you pick up a path that runs close to and parallel with the B759 in a north-easterly direction. The route takes you through some vegetation, pointing you towards a very clear visual target: the large wind turbine. You simply keep heading towards it, eventually passing right through the turbine's car park and out the other side.

From the turbine, you follow a path heading in a slightly northerly direction to hunt down the exact coordinates of the high point. Unlike some of the more dramatic peaks, the true highest elevation here is beautifully unassuming. It is located on a path deep in the woods, with nothing marking the spot other than a distinct fork in the trail. I snapped a quick picture of the fork to officially document the achievement and pressed on.

Taking the north-easterly path from the fork, I headed out towards a clearing. This is where the walk really rewards you: it opens up onto the ridge line, offering a fantastic view stretching right over the city of Glasgow. Sitting just in front of a very large telegraph pole, you will find the trig pillar. It is sporting a little bit of graffiti these days, but it is otherwise in good condition and well looked after.

After taking in the city views, the return leg is incredibly simple. You just follow the path along the ridge in a south-westerly direction, re-enter the woods shortly afterwards, and follow the trail all the way back to where you started at the B759 car park. It was an excellent, short walk to cap off the day before heading to the airport.

Points of Interest along or near to the Route

  • Cathkin Braes Country Park: Sitting among the highest points in Glasgow at around 200 metres, Cathkin Braes offers sweeping views across the city towards the Campsie Fells and, on clear days, the distant Southern Highlands. The Braes are also tied to the story of Mary, Queen of Scots: tradition holds that she watched the 1568 Battle of Langside from a vantage point here, witnessing the defeat of her supporters and the effective end of her reign in Scotland.

  • Geological Significance: The Braes form part of Glasgow’s Carboniferous volcanic landscape, shaped over millions of years as lava flows and volcanic rocks were gradually eroded into the distinctive ridge line seen today. This varied terrain supports a rich mosaic of habitats, from acid grassland and heath to woodland edges and wetlands. It is an important refuge for wildlife, including kestrels, owls, and seasonal migratory birds, making it one of the city’s most ecologically valuable upland areas.