Two Counties Jungle Bell Run 10k

When: December 17th 2019
Where: Merchant Taylors’ Senior School, Sandy Lodge, Northwood, Middlesex, HA6 2HT
Course: Twisty turny, MUDDY, route around the grounds of Merchant Taylor’s School with a lap of the lake and following a section of the River Colne.
Other routes touched: course of the River Colne
Finish time: 57 minutes

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Richard gowerRun, 10k, Hertfordshire, Middlesex, EnglandComment
Completing all Essex parkruns
Essex parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 26 parkrun events in present-day Essex of which I have done 6. The first was Gunpowder which started on October 22nd 2011 and the newest is Walton Promenade which started on February 28th 2026. Hatfield Forest was also an Essex event but has now closed. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “PIED (parkruns in Essex Done)”.

The Historic County of Essex has a further 9 events, totaling 35. These 9 are now part of Greater London. Completing these is “Completely PIED”. Victoria Dock, which was part of Greater London and within the Historic County of Essex, has been permanently cancelled.

For the absolute completists there’s also the “Completely PIED +” which includes the 12 parkrun events in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Suffolk whose Voronoi area extends into Essex.

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

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

PARKRUNS IN PRESENT-DAY COUNTY OF ESSEX

ARU Writtle

 

Basildon

 

Billericay

 

Brentwood

 

Burnham-on-Crouch

 

Chalkwell Beach

 

Chelmsford Central

 

Clacton Seafront

 

Colchester Castle

 

Great Dunmow

 

Great Notley

 

Gunpowder

 
elevation_profile - Gunpowder.jpg

Hadleigh

 

Harlow

 

Harwich

 

Hatfield Forest

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

  • Inaugural: March 21st 2015. Final event: #131 on September 23rd 2017

  • Reason for cancellation: The venue couldn't sustain the growing event, mainly due to a lack of all-weather parking, leading to difficult conditions in winter and limited space

  • Replaced by: Castle Park

  • Links: Event Home Page

 

Highwoods

 

Hockley Woods

 

Maldon Prom

 

Markshall Estate

 

Mersea Island

 

Roding Valley

 
elevation_profile - Roding Valley.jpg

South Woodham Ferrers

 

Southend

 

Thurrock, Orsett Heath

 

Walton Promenade

 

Wickford Memorial

 

PARKRUNS IN HISTORIC COUNTY OF ESSEX BUT NOW IN GREATER LONDON(“COMPLETELY PIED”)

See the LonDone blog post for maps and stats for these:

*Hackney Marshes starts and ends in Historic Essex but most of the course is in Historic Middlesex

COMPLETELY PIED+: The Voronoi overlappers.

Once you’ve completed all of the parkrun events in Historic Essex the icing on the cake is to complete the 12 parkrun events in Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Suffolk whose Voronoi area extends into Essex. Note that different parkrun apps have slightly different calculations for their Voronoi maps. For this page I’ve used the Voronoi map from the Running Challenges Chrome Extension.

In the images below the light blue polygon is the non-Essex parkrun event whose Voronoi area extends into Essex. The red line is the county border.

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:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Essex, England Comments
Completing all Hampshire parkruns
Hampshire parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 25 parkrun events in present-day Hampshire of which I have done 15. The first was Basingstoke which started on July 5th 2008 and the newest is Fordingbridge Recreation Ground which started on July 19th 2025. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Champshire”.

The Historic County of Hampshire has a further 5 events, totaling 30.

  • Bournemouth, Highcliffe Beach, Moors Valley were in historic Hampshire but are now part of present-day Dorset and are in the South-West region.

  • Tidworth: South Tidworth where the parkrun takes place was moved from Hampshire into Wiltshire in 1992 but houses there still have Hampshire on their address for post.

  • Medina IOW was in Historic Hampshire but is now in the present-day county of the Isle of Wight.

A special mention goes to Sandhurst Memorial. The course starts and ends in Berkshire but crosses over into Hampshire which is on the south side of the River Blackwater.

Mountbatten School parkrun was active until the Covid-19 parkrun pause and is now permanently closed.

You can spell out the word ‘Hampshire’ by running various parkrun events in the county of Hampshire. For example: Havant, Andover, Meon Valley Trail, Portsmouth Lakeside, Southampton, Hogmoor Inclosure, Itchen Valley Country, Rushmoor, Eastleigh. (thanks to Helen Rees for this info)

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

A map of the parkrun events in the county of Hampshire.

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

Alice Holt

  • I completed this event on: New Year’s Day 2020 with a finish time of: 28:09

  • Other routes touched (walk): The Shipwrights Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 22, 224

  • Inaugural: November 17th 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Andover

  • I completed this event on: December 7th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:54

  • Other routes touched (walk): The Brenda Parker Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): Charlton Lakes Cycle Path

  • Inaugural: July 16th 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
elevation_profile - Andover.jpg

Bartley Park

  • I completed this event on: July 26th 2025 with a finish time of: 26:59

  • Other routes touched: None

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Basingstoke

  • I completed this event on: July 1st 2017 with a finish time of: 23:57

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 23

  • Inaugural: July 5th 2008

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
elevation_profile - Basingstoke.jpg

Bournemouth

 

Brockenhurst

 

Eastleigh

 
elevation_profile - Eastleigh.jpg

Edenbrook Country

 

Fareham

 

Fordingbridge Recreation Ground

 

Ganger Farm

  • I completed this event on: December 2nd 2023 with a finish time of: 27:37

  • Other routes touched: None

  • Inaugural: November 19th 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Great Salterns

  • I completed this event on: Christmas Day 2022 with a finish time of: 27:28

  • Other routes touched: none

  • Inaugural: January 22nd 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Havant

 

Highcliffe Beach

 

Hogmoor Inclosure

 

Itchen Valley Country

  • I completed this event on: November 12th 2021 with a finish time of: 27:05

  • Other routes touched (walk): Forest Trail, Woods and Meadows Walk, Purple Trail

  • Inaugural: February 29th 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Lee-on-the-Solent

 

Lymington Woodside

 

Medina I.o.W.

 

Meon Valley Trail, Wickham

 

Moors Valley

  • I have not yet completed this event

  • This event is now part of present-day Dorset and in the South-West Region. While most of the course is in present-day Dorset, the 3km turn-around point is just inside Hampshire.

  • Inaugural: November 7th 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Mountbatten School

***Mountbatten School parkrun is now permanently cancelled ***

  • I did not complete this event before it was closed

  • Inaugural: March 2nd 2019

  • Final event: #46 on March 14th 2020

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Netley Abbey

  • I completed this event on: July 22nd 2023 with a finish time of: 26:58 on their alternative course as there was an event on the main course

  • Other routes touched (walk): N/A, although the Solent Way runs very close by.

  • Inaugural: March 17th 2012

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Netley Abbey alternative course (5.5 laps)

Portsmouth Lakeside

  • I completed this event on: June 1st 2024 with a finish time of: 27:53

  • Other routes touched (walk): Pilgrims’ Trail

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 22, 236

  • Inaugural: April 30th 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Queen Elizabeth

  • I completed this event on: March 30th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:58

  • Other routes touched (walk): South Downs Way, Staunton Way, Hangers Way, The Shipwrights Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 89

  • Inaugural: May 18th 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Rushmoor

 
elevation_profile - Rushmoor.jpg

Southampton

 

Southsea

  • I completed this event on: April 22nd 2023 with a finish time of: 26:01

  • Other routes touched (walk): Solent Way, The Shipwrights Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2

  • This event is also part of parkrun Compass Club

  • Inaugural: October 5th 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Whiteley

 

Winchester

  • I completed this event on: January 11th 2020 with a finish time of: 26:37

  • Other routes touched: N/A

  • Inaugural: April 27th 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:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Hampshire, EnglandComment
Completing all Sussex parkruns
Sussex parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 23 parkrun events in the present-day county of Sussex. The Historic County is now made up of 3 present-day counties:

  • East Sussex with 6 parkrun events, the oldest of which is Eastbourne which started on January 28th 2012 and the newest is Malling Rec which started on July 6th 2024. I have completed 2 of these events.

  • West Sussex with 12 parkrun events, the oldest of which is Tilgate which started on June 9th 2012 and the newest is Downs Link, Shoreham-by-Sea which started on October 11th 2025. I have completed 6 of these events.

  • Brighton and Hove Unitary Authority with 5 parkrun events, the oldest of which is Brighton and Hove which started on November 3rd 2007 and the newest is East Brighton which started on December 8th 2018. I have only completed Bevendean Down.

The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Sussexful”.

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

A map of the parkrun events in the county of Sussex.

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

Bevendean Down

 

Bognor Regis

 

Brighton & Hove

 

Chichester

 

Clair

 
elevation_profile - Clair.jpg

Downs Link, Shoreham-by-Sea

 

East Brighton

 

East Grinstead

 

Eastbourne

 

Hastings

 

Horsham

Horsham has an alternative location for winter parkruns at Southwater Country Park, a few miles away.

 

Hove Promenade

 

Ifield Mill Pond

 
elevation_profile - Ilfield Mill Pond.jpg

Lancing Beach Green

 

Littlehampton Prom

 

Malling Rec

  • I completed this event on: July 20th 2024 with a finish time of: 27:19

  • Other routes touched (walk): None, but the Sussex Ouse Valley Walk runs close to the start and end of the course.

  • Present Day County: East Sussex

  • Inaugural: July 6th 2024

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Peacehaven

 

Preston Park

 

Seaford Beach

 

Tilgate

 

Uckfield

 

Wakehurst

 

Worthing

 

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:

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Richard gowerparkrun, Sussex, England, Run Comments
Adidas City Runs - Fulham 10k

When: November 17th 2019
Where: Fulham, London, UK
Course: Twisty turny on-road route around Waltham Green, Fulham and Parson’s Green including a loop of Stamford Bridge stadium. Start and end at Eel Brook Common.
Other routes touched: None
Finish time: 54 minutes

 
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Richard gowerRun, 10k, London, Middlesex, EnglandComment
Trust 10 Saltram

When: October 27th 2019
Where: Saltram National Trust, Plymouth, Devon, UK
Course: Figure of 8 around the grounds of the National Trust property including a stretch of the River Plym embankment.
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2,27
Finish time: 65 minutes (due to being massively hung over)

 
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Richard gowerRun, 10k, National Trust, Devon, EnglandComment
parkrun Alphabet Challenge

After 291 parkruns, including 154 different locations, I finally cracked the Alphabet challenge. This is the Holy Grail for many parkrun obsessives, especially those in the parkrun Tourist community. I’d heard about it since I started parkrun 6 years ago, but with a lot fewer events at the time it was really hard. By the time I’d done 100 different events, I’d ticked off 21 letters without any targeted Alphabet bagging. All that remained were I, J, Y and Z. As there’s no X anywhere in the world, it doesn’t count (yet).

With 4 left to go I was now on a mission. At the time there were only 2 "I" parkruns in the country: Inverness and Ipswich. I very nearly did Inverness on our LEJOG adventure but decided against a run that day as we had 105 miles to cycle. A parkrun would have added an extra 5 miles and have delayed our cycle for 2 hours. It wasn’t going to happen. By the time I was planning my trip to Ipswich, a new event called Isabel Trail popped up in Stafford and I pounced on that one.

A weekend trip to Jersey bagged me the J and I got the island’s Half Marathon in on the same weekend. If I’d waited a year I could have used the new Jersey Farm event for my J and avoided a flight. I’m glad I did it though. It gave us a great weekend away and also contributed to my Channel Islands Regionnaire. Y was a relatively easy one. I had the choice of York and Yeovil Montacute. I chose the latter as we were visiting friends in Somerset so Yeovil was a short drive from there.

Then there was Z. Scroll down for the end of the story ……

Alphabeteer Bar Chart.JPG

Events by Letter

… that i had completed by the time I achieved my first alphabet.

Note that Yeovil Montacute has been permanently cancelled. It was one of the events that didn’t come out of the other side of the Covid pause. York, Yarborough Leisure Centre, Y Promenâd parkrun, Aberhonddu, and Y Promenâd, Abermaw are now the UK’s 4 Ys

Zamek w Malborku

This was my second attempt at completing my Alphabet at Malbork. The first try was at the end of August. My parkrun mates and I had been trying to find a mutually convenient date all year. It looked like it wasn’t going to happen but then we found a date that would work as long as we were back by Saturday night before the wives had noticed we were missing.

This would be an especially important trip for Mark. He had come to parkun a bit later and had set himself the challenge of achieving the alphabet in his first 25 events. He claims that he was the first man and second human to have done this.

Shortly before the weekend came I had to make a last minute work trip to New Jersey. I had booked an overnight flight back to London to land at 10:00 on Friday morning. This would give me 3 hours before Neil would need to pick me up for our drive to Luton for the Wizz Air flight to Gdańsk.

After a nightmare trip out to New Jersey I decided that I needed a bit of extra contingency. I paid an extra £300 to get the earlier flight back which would give me another 3 hours. That was plenty of time to make the afternoon flight. What could go wrong?

Lots as it turned out. The combination of a broken plane, a storm and general ineptitude by United meant I was trapped in Newark Airport for 27 hours. I finally landed at Heathrow 23 hours late at 06:30 on Saturday morning. I’d long since missed my opportunity to get to Poland. The faint silver lining was that I didn’t have to miss parkrun altogether. I was still able to get home, get changed and get to Bedford to complete my Bedfordshire County collection.

Seeing how annoyed I was about missing my Malbork trip, Timea (wife) offered to come with me on my second attempt. This was a big deal as she has a general disinterest in running except that it gives her an extra few hours sleep on a Saturday. The following few weeks were a mixture of fighting with United for compensation and planning the return trip.

I’d lost faith in things going to plan after a Summer of flight delays and cancellations. I was checking the parkrun website every day for the 2 weeks leading up to it to make sure it wasn’t cancelled. As it happened all went to plan. The flight was on time, none of the usual nonsense from the rental car company and the hotel was just what we needed.

There were 43 parkrunners there that morning. 11 were locals and 32 were Brits like me who had flown over for the event. Any town with a park that begins with a Z (and definitely those with an X) will do very well from tourist income.

The run itself was great: a simple out and back course along the River Nogat next to the Castle. Once I was finished I popped back to the hotel to wake up the wife, have a quick shower then back to the castle for breakfast. The castle is also a UNESCO World Heritage site so it also gave me a tick on that list too.

There's a few options for a Z in Poland, and several in other countries too. Zamek w Malborku is a really great option for a relatively easy trip from the UK and plenty of other things to do for a weekend away.

 

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:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Poland, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, USA Comments
Completing all Kent parkruns
Kent parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 26 parkrun events in present-day Kent of which I have done 20. The first was Whitstable which started on November 6th 2010 and the newest is Whitecliffe Lake which started on November 1st 2025.

The Historic County of Kent has a further 15 events, totaling 41. These 15 are now part of Greater London. Both Bethlem Royal Hospital and Crystal Palace cross the Surrey/Kent border but are mostly in Historic Kent.

Completing all of the parkrun events in Kent is often called being “A Complete Kent”. “A Complete Kent +” would be completing all events in the Historic County of Kent, including those now in Greater London. For the absolute completists there’s also the “Complete Kent ++” which includes the 5 parkrun events in Essex and 2 in East Sussex whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. Scroll down for more on this. An alternative completion name is “Gar-Done of England”.

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

A map of the parkrun events in the county of Kent.

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

PARKRUNS IN PRESENT-DAY COUNTY OF KENT

Ashford

 

Bedgebury Pinetum

  • I completed this event on: January 22nd 2022 with a finish time of: 26:23

  • Other routes touched: Bedgebury Pinetum Mountain Bike Routes

  • Inaugural: March 19th 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Canterbury

 

Cyclopark

 

Dartford

  • I completed this event on: December 22nd 2018 with a finish time of: 29:06

  • Other routes touched (walk): Darent Valley Path

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 125

  • This event is also part of LonDone +

  • Inaugural: June 26th 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Dartford Heath

 
route-31325370-map-full - Dartford Heath.png

Dover Waterfront

  • I completed this event on: May 24th 2025 with a finish time of: 26:57

  • Other routes touched (walk): Saxon Shore Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2

  • Inaugural: September 9th 2023

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Folkestone

 

Great Lines, Medway

 

Kingdom

 

Leybourne Lakes

  • Formerly Malling parkrun, but changed its name in October 2024 to avoid confusion with Malling Rec in Sussex.

  • I completed this event on: April 2nd 2022 with a finish time of: 25:29

  • Other routes touched: None

  • Inaugural: October 3rd 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Lullingstone

 

Maidstone River Park

  • Formerly just called Maidstone parkrun

  • I completed this event on: April 9th 2022 with a finish time of: 25:46

  • Other routes touched (walk): KCC Centenary Walk

  • Inaugural: April 13th 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Margate

 

Mote Park

  • I completed this event on: July 19th 2025 with a finish time of: 26:42

  • Other routes touched (walk): Len Valley Walk

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 177

  • Inaugural: June 4th 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Pegwell Bay

 

Royal Tunbridge Wells

 

Shorne Woods

  • I completed this event on: March 26th 2022 with a finish time of: 26:14

  • Other routes touched: Several trails inside the country park

  • Inaugural: March 30th 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Sittingbourne

 

Squerryes Winery

 
elevation_profile - Squerreys Winery.jpg

Swanley

 

The Leas, Minster

 

Tonbridge

  • I completed this event on: January 15th 2022 with a finish time of: 26:13

  • Other routes touched (walk): Weald Way, Eden Valley Walk, The Tudor Trail

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 12

  • Inaugural: November 9th 2013

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Walmer and Deal Seafront

  • I completed this event on: July 12th 2025 with a finish time of: 26:17

  • Other routes touched (walk): Saxon Shore Way, England Coast Path

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 2

  • Inaugural: September 15th 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Whitecliffe Lake

 

Whitstable

  • I completed this event on: August 3rd 2024 with a finish time of: 28:35

  • Other routes touched (walk): Saxon Shore Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 15: Viking Way

  • Inaugural: November 6th 2010

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

PARKRUNS IN HISTORIC COUNTY OF KENT BUT NOW IN GREATER LONDON (“Complete Kent +”)

See the LonDone blog post for maps and stats for these:

* The Bethlem Royal Hospital Crystal Palace courses are partly in Historic Surrey and mostly in Historic Kent

Complete Kent ++: The Voronoi overlappers.

Once you’ve completed all of the parkrun events in Historic Kent the icing on the cake is to complete the 5 parkrun events in Essex and 2 in East Sussex whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. Note that different parkrun apps have slightly different calculations for their Voronoi maps. For this page I’ve used the Voronoi map from the Running Challenges Chrome Extension.

In the images below the light blue polygon is the non-Kent parkrun event whose Voronoi area extends into Kent. The red line is the county border.

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:

Back to Run Index


Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Kent, England Comments
Walking The Camino Finisterre
Finisterre

Finisterre

For the story so far, see Walking The Camino Inglés

We got up early to leave Santiago de Compostela. Unlike our first trip there were were not going home. This time we were about to start a new chapter of our second Camino adventure. We were starting the Camino Finisterre.

The Finisterre route is often done as an extension to one of the longer Caminos that end in Santiago. For many pilgrims the Camino is all about the journey rather than the destination. Santiago is a wonderful place with the cathedral as the natural end point. The end can often feel like it's come too quickly or can be an anticlimax. The solution to the problem of not wanting to finish is to continue. The Finisterre provides this solution taking you from the city to the coast at the "end of the world".

Our first day on the Finisterre was damp and cloudy. We followed the route west out of the city often looking back to see the cathedral spires staying on the horizon for any miles. Day 2 and 3, through Negreira to Oliviera via Santa Marina kept similar weather. It was a nice contrast to the baking heat of the Ingles week and added another point of difference to this trip.

Shortly after Oliviera on Day 4 the Camino Finisterre splits. Continuing south-west you'll take the direct route to Finisterre. Taking the north-west option, as we did, takes you to Muxia. From Muxia you can continue along the coast to Finisterre. We were in no rush to complete the journey and wanted to experience both destinations.

We weren't disappointed. The approach to Muxia follows a coastal path descending from the cliffs and along the beach. We spent a lovely, now sunny, afternoon exploring the town. From the seafood to the hill-top monument to the church at the end of he peninsular, we loved this town.

From Muxia, Finisterre is another 33km over 2 days to the south. Unlike most of the Camino trails, you'll meet pilgrims coming from the opposite direction. These are the ones that continued to Finisterre from Oliviera and have chosen Muxia as their final destination. There's fewer cafes and accommodation in this stretch so Lires is the obvious place to rest for the final stretch.

The final approach to the next of the world goes through Fistera town. We were staying the over night so we dropped off our bags to lighten the load for the last stretch. From Fistera, the route climbs up the eastern side of the hills to the iconic Faro de Finisterre. The 0km pillar is next to the lighthouse and beyond it the steep rocky cliffs to sit for an hour and contemplate the journey that's now ended.

On the beautiful clear day that we had it was hard to feel anything but satisfaction and wonder. Our first Camino, the Portuguese, was a deeper more spiritual journey for us. Despite not being religious, the cathedral in Santiago was a fitting end to that trip. The two weeks of our Inglés and Finisterre walk was different. We had fewer life decisions to make, fewer thoughts to process and the stress of the start of the journey had disappeared quickly. Instead we took in more of the changing landscape, enjoyed the towns and had fun together. For some, this wouldn't have been an "authentic" Camino. For us it was a different chapter in a Camino story that we'll come back to many times.

That next chapter would have to wait a while. In the winter that followed our return to the UK a pandemic would emerge that would change the world and put the brakes on many pilgrim journeys for a long time to come. We didn't stop walking though but stayed local and explored more near where we lived. We'll be back on the Camino one day though for the next chapter to be be written.

DAY 1: Santiago de Compostela To Negreira

Date: Saturday September 21st 2019
Start: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Praza do Obradoiro, s/n, 15704 Santiago de Compostela
Finish (Albergue): Albergue El Carmen (Private Rooms also available), Rúa Carmen, 2, 15830 Negreira
Rest stops: Os Arcos, CP-7802, 15896 Santiago de Compostela / O km 79, Aldea Augapesada, 8, 15229 Ames / Restaurante Pontemaceira, Lugar Pontemaceira, 3 15870 Ames
Distance: 21.2 km / 13.3 miles
Elevation Change: +467m / -556m / Net -89m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 4 hours 40 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 2: Negreira To Santa Marina

Date: Sunday September 22nd 2019
Start: Albergue El Carmen, Rúa Carmen, 2, 15830 Negreira
Finish (Albergue): Casa Pepa (Private Rooms also available), Lugar Santa Mariña, 4, 15256 Santa Marina
Rest stops: Albergue Cafetería Alto da Pena, Piaxe, 5 15838 Negreira / Albergue O Rueiro, Vilaserio, 28 15838 Vilaserío
Distance: 21.1 km / 13.2 miles
Elevation Change: +483m / -327m / Net +156m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 4 hours 36 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 3: Santa Marina To Olveiroa

Date: Monday September 23rd 2019
Start: Casa Pepa, Lugar Santa Mariña, 4, 15256 Santa Marina
Finish (Albergue): Casa Loncho (Private Rooms also available), Lugar Olveiroa
Rest stops: Casa Xalleiro Tienda-Cafetería, Lago 13 15256 Mazaricos / Albergue Ponte Olveira, Ponte Olveira 3 15256 Mazaricos
Distance: 13.1 km / 8.2 miles
Elevation Change: +231m / -291m / Net -60m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 4: Olveiroa To Dumbria

Date: Tuesday September 24th 2019
Start: Casa Loncho (Private Rooms also available), Lugar Olveiroa
Finish (Hotel): Mesón O Argentino, Calle Dumbria, s/n, 15151 Dumbría
Finish (Albergue): Albergue de Peregrinos de Dumbría, 15151 Dumbría
Rest stops: Albergue Bar O Logoso, 15151 O Logoso / O Casteliño, Calle Hospital, 0 S/N 15151 Dumbría
Distance: 10.6 km / 6.6 miles
Elevation Change: +188m / -266m / Net -78m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 2 hours 28 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 5: Dumbria To Muxia

Date: Wednesday September 25th 2019
Start: Mesón O Argentino, Calle Dumbria, s/n, 15151 Dumbría
Finish (Albergue): Albergue Delfín, Av. López Abente, 22, 15124 Muxía
Rest stops: Casa da Coxa, Rua Senande, 91, 15124 Senande / Bar Pataca, 15125 Os Muíños
Distance: 24.3 km / 15.2 miles
Elevation Change: +490m / -650m / Net -160m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 6 hours 13 minutes
Other Routes Touched: Camiño dos Faros

DAY 6: Muxia To Lires

Date: Thursday September 26th 2019
Start: Albergue Delfín, Av. López Abente, 22, 15124 Muxía
Finish (Hotel): Casa Raúl, 15138, Lires
Finish (Albergue): As Eiras Lires, Lugar de Lires, 82, 15138 Santo Estevo de Lires
Rest stops: O Muino, Guisamonde
Distance: 15.5 km / 9.7 miles
Elevation Change: +325m / -352m / Net -27m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 4 hours 07 minutes
Other Routes Touched: Camiño dos Faros

DAY 7: Lires To Finisterre

Date: Friday September 27th 2019
Start: Casa Raúl, 15138, Lires
Finish: Cape Finisterre Lighthouse, Cabo Fisterra, s/n, 15155 Fisterra
Rest stops: Bar La Razon, Candelas, A Lugar San Salvador Duio, 7 15154 Fisterra
Distance: 16.9 km / 10.6 miles
Elevation Change: +378m / -284m / Net +94m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 4 hours 28 minutes
Other Routes Touched: Camiño dos Faros

The Full Route - Camino Finisterre from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre

Each colour represents a different day.

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Richard gowerTrek, Camino, SpainComment
Walking The Camino Inglés

Pontedeume

It only took one taste of the Camino to get hooked. Shortly after returning from the Camino Portuguese in May we had already started planning our next one for the following Autumn. It didn't take a lot of deliberation to work out what would come next. My work schedule would only allow us another 2 week trip. We also had a strong desire to see Finisterre, the end of the world. The combination of the Camino Inglés and the Camino Finisterre would fulfil both criteria.

With the Inglés at 110 km and the Finisterre via Muxia at 122 km, they are easily achieved within 2 weeks. You can do either in less than a week each but we were in no rush. We had learnt on the Portuguese that 15 to 18 km per day was the right place for us.

The Inglés is the shortest of the main Camino routes into Santiago de Compostela. Its name comes from the pilgrims who would start their journey in England, take a boat to the northern Galician coast and continue from there. Nowadays there's two options for starting the Inglés, A Coruña and Ferrol, both connecting at Hospital de Bruma. It's more likely that olden-days pilgrims would have arrived in A Coruña as there would have been very few options to arrive by boat from England to Ferrol. Despite the authenticity, the route from A Coruña is shorter than the 100km needed to get the Compostela certificate. At 110km, Ferrol is the more popular route, especially for pilgrims like me who need the certificate.

As the date for our trip approached I was in desperate need of a break. Work had been intense, and getting stuck in Newark Airport on a 27 hour delay didn't help. I'd wished to not travel again for work any time soon. As it turned out that wish came true as Covid scuppered all work travel for the following 2 years.

My wish for uneventful air travel didn't come through though. Our plan was to fly from Heathrow to A Coruña then take a taxi to Ferrol. A broken piece of engine kept us at Heathrow for four hours before our flight was cancelled and we had to return home. The expensive, albeit insurance-covered, Plan B was to take a taxi to Gatwick the next morning into then an early flight to Santigo via Barcelona and a taxi to Ferrol. We arrived at the harbour in time for our scheduled start time for the walk.

With the stress of the travel and a very hot day, the first leg to Neda was hard going. I still had a lot of work thoughts running around in my head. This didn't feel like the mindful Camino experience that we remembered from a few months before.

This trip was also different in that we were a group of three rather than two. Adina, a good friend of ours whose previous Caminos had inspired our Portuguese trip, joined us for what would be her third Camino.

As we arrived in Neda for the first night we checked into our different accommodations. Adina preferred to stay in the communal Albergues. One sleepless Albergue experience on the Portuguese was enough for us and we opted for comfortable B&Bs and small hotels instead. We soon got over any anxiety about doing an "authentic" Camino. We saw a lot of snobbery around what constitutes a genuine Camino experience. There's always someone doing it with more hardship than you. For us, that wasn't what the experience was about. Everyone has their own Camino experience however they do it. We found our way of doing it and it worked well for us.

As it turned out Adina had a great first night's sleep in her newly built Albergue. Our hotel experience wasn't so great due to the combination of thin walls and partying neighbours. The rest of the trip's accommodations, with one exception, were much better and more like what we were used to on the Portuguese.

The one exception to the good night's sleep was in Presedo. This was on a longer stretch of the route with few accommodation choices. Our only option was the Albergue. It was .....fine .... as Albergues go, but we'd got used to having our own rooms and this was a bit of a shock to the system. Food choices were limited too with the only restaurant 20 minutes walk away. The reviews for the restaurant were good but we must have been there when the staff were having an off night. We got through the snoring, the humid room and the bed bugs and set off early the next day. The reward was a great hotel (for us) and another new Albergue (for Adina) on the next night.

The route in general was interesting and enjoyable. It didn't have the "wow factor" of the Portuguese so we were glad to have done that one as our first Camino experience. Instead this was a satisfying continuation of our Camino story, a middle chapter of a longer book that we're still writing. Having a friend join us also gave us a different perspective on the trip.

Entering Santago de Compostela at the end of the Portuguese was a magical and emotional experience. This was different. It didn't give us the big sense of achievement or the thrill of the new. Instead, it felt like coming home. Although this was only our second visit, we were already in love with the place and it was starting to feel like a place we would return to often.

The other big difference to our first Camino was that Santiago was a stop on the way, not the final destination. The next day we would wake up, have breakfast and start walking again. We would continue towards the West in search of the end of the world: Finisterre.

DAY 1: Ferrol to NEDA

Date: Saturday September 14th 2019
Start: Inicio del Camino Inglés a Santiago de Compostela, Paseo Mariña, s/n, 15401 Ferrol
Finish (Hotel): Pensión Residencia Maragoto, Av. Xubia, 12, 15510 Neda
Finish (Albergue): Albergue de Peregrinos de Neda, 15510 Neda
Rest stops: (Before start): La Gruta Sofdan, Paseo Mariña, 8- 10, 15401 Ferrol,
Distance: 13.8 km / 8.6 miles
Elevation Change: +186m / -174m / Net +12m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 3 hours 41 minutes
Other Routes Touched: Camino de San Andres de Teixido

elevation_profile - Camino Ingles - Day 1 - Ferrol To Neda.jpg

DAY 2: Neda to Pontedeume

Date: Sunday September 15th 2019
Start: Pensión Residencia Maragoto, Av. Xubia, 12, 15510 Neda
Finish (Hotel): Hotel Eumesa, Av. Coruña, s/n, 15600 Pontedeume
Finish (Albergue): Albergue de peregrinos de Pontedeume, Rúa Peirao, 15600 Pontedeume
Rest stops: El Camarote, Av. Naturais de Fene, 42, 15500 Fene / Restaurante Vilar do Colo, Pol. Ind. Vilar do Colo, Rua Astano, 3B, 15500 Fene,
Distance: 15.3 km / 9.6 miles
Elevation Change: +318m / -323m / Net -5m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 4 hours 36 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

elevation_profile - Camino Ingles - Day 2 - Neda to Pontedeume.jpg

DAY 3: Pontedeume to Betanzos

Date: Monday September 16th 2019
Start: Hotel Eumesa, Av. Coruña, s/n, 15600 Pontedeume
Finish (Hotel): Hotel Villa de Betanzos, Avenida de Castilla, 38, 15300 Betanzos
Finish (Albergue): Albergue de Peregrinos "Casa da Pescadería", Rúa Pescadería, 4, 15300 Betanzos
Rest stops: Ultreia et suseia, Puente Bajoy, s/n, 15639 / Café 15 Once, Rúa a Carreira, 3 Bajo, 15630 Miño
Distance: 21.0 km / 13.1 miles
Elevation Change: +568m / -545m / Net +23m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 5 hours 59 minutes
Other Routes Touched: Camino Real de Obre

DAY 4: Betanzos to Presedo

Date: Tuesday September 17th 2019
Start: Hotel Villa de Betanzos, Avenida de Castilla, 38, 15300 Betanzos
Finish (Hotel): N/A: Albergue is the only option here.
Finish (Albergue): Albergue Presedo, Lugar Campo de Ntra. Sra. de la Saleta, 10, 15318 Abegondo
Rest stops: Bar Carabel, Meangos 4, 15318 Abegondo / Meson-Museo Xente No Camino, Lugar Campo de Ntra. Sra. de la Saleta, 30, 15318 Abegondo
Distance: 11.4 km / 7.1 miles
Elevation Change: +306m / -201m / Net +105m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 2 hours 53 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 5: Presedo to A Rua

Date: Wednesday September 18th 2019
Start: Albergue Presedo, Lugar Campo de Ntra. Sra. de la Saleta, 10, 15318 Abegondo
Finish (Hotel): Casa Rural Antón Veiras, Outeiro de Abaixo 2, poulo, 15680 Ordes
Finish (Albergue): Albergue de peregrinos de Poulo, Lugar, Outeiro, 3, 15687 Ordes
Rest stops: Bar Casa Avelina, Travesas, 38, 15183 Carral / Cafe Bar Uzal, Cruz, 4, 15685 Ordes
Distance: 22.1 km / 13.8 miles
Elevation Change: +479m / -333m / Net +146m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 6: A Rua to Sigueiro

Date: Thursday September 19th 2019
Start: Casa Rural Antón Veiras, Outeiro de Abaixo 2, poulo, 15680 Ordes
Finish (Hotel): Sigüeiro Hostel, Praza de Alexandre Bóveda, 1 bajo, 15888 Sigüeiro
Finish (Albergue): Albergue Camiño Real, Rúa Ourense, 9, Bajo, 15888 Sigüeiro
Rest stops: Cafe-Bar O Cruceiro, Calle, 28, 15687 A Calle
Distance: 15.6 km / 9.8 miles
Elevation Change: +187m / -254m / Net -67m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 3 hours 57 minutes
Other Routes Touched: N/A

DAY 7: Siguero to Santiago de Compostela

Date: Friday September 20th 2019
Start: Sigüeiro Hostel, Praza de Alexandre Bóveda, 1 bajo, 15888 Sigüeiro
Finish: Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Praza do Obradoiro, s/n, 15704 Santiago de Compostela
Hotel: Pensión Residencia Hedrass, Rúa da Fonte de Santo Antonio, 25, 15702 Santiago de Compostela
Rest stops: Hotel Castro, Formarís, 22-23, 15884 Santiago de Compostela
Distance: 16.1 km / 10.1 miles
Elevation Change: +316m / -296m / Net +20m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Walking Time: 3 hours 56 minutes
Other Routes Touched: All other Caminos de Santiagos converge at the Cathedral.

The Full Route - Camino Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela

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Richard gowerTrek, Camino, SpainComment
Chiltern Walks: Naphill and West Wycombe
View across Bradenham Cricket Green to the church and manor

View across Bradenham Cricket Green to the church and manor

Start / Finish: The Black Lion, Woodlands Drive, Naphill, High Wycombe, HP14 4SH
Distance: 10 km (6.1 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 191m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: None
Other Pubs / Cafes on route: The Apple Orchard Coffee Shop, West Wycombe High Street, Red Lion Team Room both at 4 km in
Map: OS Explorer Map (172) Chiltern Hills East
Links: Naphill, West Wycombe, West Wycombe Park National Trust, Hellfire Caves, Bradenham

Having been West Wycombe and Naphill a few times recently I was keen to check out a circuit that connects them. 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.

There’s many places that you could start, but we chose the Black Lion Pub at the Northern most point of the route. From here follow the edge of Naphill Common on a straight South-Easterly direction for ~1.5 km. Take a right turn and follow paths through fields and woodland for ~2 km to the A40 / West Wycombe High Street.

West Wycombe village is a lovely Chiltern village spoilt slightly by the really busy road that runs through the middle of it. There’s a few options for rest stops but we chose the Apple Orchard cafe behind the shop of the same name. You can also visit the West Wycombe Park National Trust property or the Hellfire Caves. Having been to both a couple of times before we moved on, heading North West out of the village. The Dashwood Mausoleum and St Lawrence Church are well worth a stop on the way.

At ~2 km North of the Mausoleum take a right-hand / Easterly footpath which takes you down the hill to the A4010 and the Red Lion Tea Room. We were there on a very hot Summer’s day and looking forward to a rest but arrived to find it closed. Continuing East the route takes you through Bradenham Village, a highlight of the walk. If you were to draw a picture of what a Chiltern village should look like, you’d probably draw Bradenham. Heading out of the village, the path climbs steeply up a wooded hill, back to Naphill Common and the Black Lion Pub.

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Richard gowerTrek, Chilterns, National Trust, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Completing all Bedfordshire parkruns
Bedfordshire parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 8 parkrun events in present-day Bedfordshire. The first was Bedford which started on June 11th 2011 and the newest is Jubilee, Bedford which started on June 21st 2025. The name for having completed all parkrun events in the county is “Made the Beds”.

I first completed the county on August 24th 2019 at Bedford.

Note that the address for Rushmere parkrun is in Bedfordshire, but the whole of the parkrun course is in Buckinghamshire, so I have listed it there.

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

A map of the parkrun events in the county of Bedfordshire.

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

Bedford

 

Dunstable Downs

 
elevation_profile - Dunstable Downs.jpg

Great Denham

 

Henlow Bridge Lakes

  • I completed this event on: November 6th 2021 with a finish time of: 26:47

  • Other routes touched (walk): Hicca Way, Kingfisher Way

  • Other routes touched (cycle): None but NCN 12 runs past the entrance.

  • Inaugural: September 18th 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 

Houghton Hall

 
elevation_profile - Houghton Hall.jpg

Jubilee, Bedford

  • I completed this event on: January 3rd 2026 with a finish time of: 27:47

  • Other routes touched (walk): John Bunyan Trail

  • Inaugural: June 21st 2025

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Luton Wardown

 
elevation_profile - Luton Wardown.jpg

Millennium Country

  • I completed this event on: July 13th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:09

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 5

  • Inaugural: March 23rd 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up

 
elevation_profile - Millennium Country.jpg

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:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Bedfordshire, England Comments
Cycling The Tring 5 & Berkhamsted 6 Routes
Ashridge

Ashridge

Start/Finish: Aldbury Village Green, Tring HP23 5RT
Distance: 52 km (32 miles)
Elevation Change: +/- 316m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): Chilterns Cycleway, Grand Union Canal Towpath
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Grand Union Wendover Arm Canal Towpath, Grand Union Aylesbury Arm Canal Towpath, Chiltern Way, The Ridgeway, Ashridge Boundary Trail
Pubs / Cafes on route: Church Farm Cafe and The Greyhound Inn (at start and end), The Greyhound Pub (4 km in), The Half Moon (16.7 km in), The Red Lion (22 km in), Waters Edge (23 km in), Bridgewater Arms (46.5 km in) plus many in Tring and Berkhamsted town centres.
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Hertfordshire.gov.uk leaflet on Tring 5 and Berkhamsted 6, Aldbury, Tring, Berkhamsted, Ashridge

This is actually 2 separate cycle routes with a 2.5 km overlap along Newground Road. They’re distinctive individual rides but we decided to join them together to make the most of a long drive to get there. Aldbury is a great place to start as it has a few nice pubs and free parking around the village green. The Church Farm Cafe is a great cycle cafe in Albury. It opened since we did the cycle ride but I’ve visited on a few walks through the village. It’s a good base for a coffee, cake and cycle accessories.

From Aldbury we headed South towards Cow Roast on the Tring 5 taking a clockwise route. At the Southern point near Cholesbury there’s a choice between the standard route along Shire Lane or, as we chose, the off-road option along Kiln Lane and Brown Lane. Both options join back together at Hastoe, then head North through Tring, Little Tring and Wilstone. North of Tring you’re in Canal Country as the route crosses over the Grand Union a couple of times plus both the Aylesbury and Wendover Arms. From Long Marsworth the route heads South-East back to the start at Aldbury.

Part 2 is the Berkhamsted 6 route which follows the Chilterns Cycleway on a steep climb out of Aldbury. After a sharp left (North) on New Road the route cuts through the woodland around Ashridge up to its most Northerly Point at Ringshall. Turning South, the route follows the Chilterns Cycleway for about a mile, then diverts right (South) at Little Gadsden to enter the Ashridge College Estate (see photo above). Continue South for approx 4 miles into Berkshamsted Town Centre for a rest, coffee and cake.

Compared with the scenic Ashridge Estate, the final North-Easterly stretch out of Berkshamted is fairly unremarkable. The first part to the East of Northbury is a climb up to Tinkers Lane. All that climbing is then repaid with pleasant descent back to the start.

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Richard gowerCycle, Chilterns, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The Thames and Severn Canal
Bowbridge

Bowbridge

Start: Gloucester Railway Station, Bruton Way, Gloucester GL1 1DE, UK
Finish: Kemble Railway Station, Kemble, Cirencester GL7 6AU, UK
Distance: 48.5 km (30 miles)
Elevation Change: +313m / -221 m / Net -92m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (Cycle): NCN 41, 45
Other Routes Touched (Walk): Gloucester & Sharpness Canal Towpath, Wysis Way, Glevum Way, Stroudwater Navigation Towpath, Thames & Severn Way, Cotswolds Way, Macmillan Way, The Monarch’s Way, Thames Path
Maps:
- OS Explorer 179 Gloucester, Cheltenham & Stroud
- OS Explorer OL14 Wye Valley & Forest of Dean
- OS Explorer 168 Stroud, Tetbury & Malmesbury
Links: : Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Thames & Severn Canal, Gloucester, Stroud, Kemble

This was a short cycle ride that was 22 years in the making. Back in 1997 my mate Charles and I visited Kemble in Gloucestershire to kick off our 3-day Thames Path Adventure. With some time to kill on the evening before the ride we explored the area around the source. Just behind the stone that marks the source we found an abandoned canal and followed it for a mile and a half until reaching a tunnel. I made a mental note to find out more about it and follow it to the end one day.

I quickly forgot about the canal and only remembered it a few months ago. With a bit of web research I found out that we had stumbled across the Thames and Severn Canal. It was completed in 1789 to connect the 2 rivers but abandoned in 1927 and fell into disrepair. With some further research I discovered an interesting 50k point-to-point trip along the both the Gloucester & Sharpness and Thames & Severn canals.

After the obligatory Saturday morning parkrun at Tetbury Goods Shed we parked at Kemble railway station. From here we took the bikes on the train for a 40 minute trip to Gloucester station. The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal basin is 1 km from the station via the High Street. The basin is a good start point for a few different adventures. The Severn Way runs through it and you can take it north through Wales to Plynlimon or South to Bristol. We headed South along the NCN 41/45 following the canal.

The Gloucester and Sharpness runs for 16 miles from Gloucester basin to Sharpness Docks. I had visited the Southern end of it a few years ago to see the old barges at Purton. The towpath from Gloucester to the junction with the Thames and Severn at Saul is well maintained and good for cycling. The NCN follows the towpath for 2.5 miles before diverting to the West. Here you have a choice of continuing along the towpath (as we did) or following the NCN and rejoining the canal at Saul Junction.

At Saul Junction you need to dismount and walk the bikes 500 metres to Whitminster Lane. Here you rejoin the NCN 45 which follows a parallel course to the North of the Stroudwater Navigation. After ~10km / 6 miles, the NCN diverts South following the Nailsworth Stream. Instead, turn left / North to Dudbridge and pick up the Stroudwater Navigation east into Stroud.

The Upper Lock Cafe is a great place to stop for a rest. From here the route is now called the Thames and Severn Canal Towpath. You can follow this without significant diversion all the way to Sapperton. The path gets quite narrow after Stroud but it's easily cycled if you keep your eyes peeled for root branches and steep cambers. There's many places where the canal disappears completely having been covered by abandoned industrial units and dense vegetation.

The Daneway Inn at Sapperton is the next obvious place to stop for a drink. Check out the cross-section diagram of the tunnel and hill on the wall near the main door. From here, navigation is trickier as the canal disappears into the tunnel and the cycle route diverts up and over the hill. There's a steep climb from the Inn to Sapperton Village, so make sure that you're well rested.

You'll now be following the Wysis Way all the way to the Source of Thames. Its primarily a footpath, but easy enough for passing and no styles to prevent cycling. Just remember to go slow and dismount for the very occasional walker coming the other way. Even in the height of Summer we only passed a handful of walkers on the whole trip.

The Source of The Thames is marked by a large stone next to a wooden National Trail sign pointing 184 miles away to London. Part of me wanted to carry on, but the main part of me (and all of Charlie) was happy just to cycle the final couple of miles back to Kemble Station.

On most adventures I miss a sense of completion as they always inspire at least 2 new trips. This was different as it closed the circle on an idea I had 22 years ago. Yes, I do want to explore the Severn Way and the rest of the Wysis, but they can wait. This adventure is done.

Start: Gloucester Railway Station

 

End: Kemble Railway Station

 
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Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Canal, Railway, Cotswolds, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The Assendon Stream
IMG_2444.jpg

Part of the Chilterns Rivers series
River start: Just off B480 at Stonor, Oxfordshire
River end: Confluence with River Thames at Phyllis Court Club, Henley-on-Thames
River length: 6.5 km (4 miles)

Cycle route start / end: The Quince Tree, 21 B480, Stonor, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6HB
Cycle route length: 15.1 km (9.4 miles)
Cycle route elevation change: +/- 205m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Oxfordshire Way, Shakespeare’s Way, Chiltern Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chilterns Cycleway
Map: OS Explorer 171 Chiltern Hills West, Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford
Links: Assendon Stream, Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Jimmy The Marmoset

Having described yesterday’s Ouzel trip as “obscure and tenuous”, this one goes one step further by not even being there. The Assendon is an ephemeral chalk stream that is dry, even in wet winters. The best source that I could find on the stream is the JBA Trust Report about the last time the stream appeared in 2014. The document also shows the course of the stream, starting in Stonor Village and flowing South-East to the Thames just North of Henley-On-Thames town centre.

Cycling along the course of the stream is very straightforward as the B480 and then A4130 follow it all the way to Henley. The map in the JBA report is too low-res to tell, but it looks like the source is on the West side of the road then switches the the East side for most of the route. There’s a small green in Middle Assendon with a big ditch and a wooden bridge which I assume crosses the stream. Once you get onto the Fairmile cyclepath along the A4130 you’ll follow a long grassy ditch which becomes a concrete ditch following the pavement. Look out for the gravestone of Jimmy The Marmoset next to a tree before the stream diverts from the road under some houses. Presumably the stream meets the Thames in the grounds of the Phyllis Court Club. It’s a private club so if you’re not a member you can access the Thames via a footpath to the North.

To return to the source via a more challenging route, take the Marlow Bottom Road for 1.5km North and turn left up Icehouse Lane towards Fawley. Turn right at Dobson’s Lane, then left at St Mary The Virgin Church At Fawley. Here you can see two impressive mausolea in the grounds before you take a steep descent down to Fawley Bottom Lane. The rest of the ride is a steep climb North, then an even steeper descent on a bridleway through woodland along the boundary of the Stonor Park estate.

The Quince Tree cafe used to be a great place to start and end the ride but it closed down in 2016. Its still a good place to park but you’ll need to find other places for rest stops. For the childish amongst you there’s also the enjoyment of getting the full-house of smutty signs: Pishill, Bix Bottom, Lower Assendon and Cockslease Farm. Not that I would do such a thing …

Blue = course of the stream, red = cycle route

Elevation for cycle route

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Richard gowerCycle, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, EnglandComment
Chiltern Walks: Miswell Farm & Wendover Arm
Miswell Farm Trig pillar

Miswell Farm Trig pillar

Start / Finish: Layby on Little Tring Road, North of Tringford Pumping Station, HP23 4NR
Distance: 3.4 km (2.1 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 22 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Grand Union Canal Wendover Arm
Other Routes Touched (walk): Tring Route 5
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: Miswell Farm Trig Pillar, Wendover Arm Canal

This is a really short but interesting walk in the North Chilterns. I only discovered it when setting off to bag the Miswell Farm Trig Pillar but also found a nice circular walk around an abandoned section of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. 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 best place to park is a small layby just North of the Tringford Pumping Station. A footpath from here leads to the West and joins a dry section of the Canal. This is in the process of being restored and presumably will be re-filled and reconnected with the wet bits at either end of the walk. About 1 km along the towpath you can cross a footbridge that marks the end of the dry section and take a steep South-Easterly path up the hill. At the top of the hill there’s a locked farm gate which gives a short-cut to the Trig Pillar at the other side of the field. For an easier and less trespassy route to the pillar, continue down the hill until you reach a footpath heading North-East at the bottom of the field. When you reach the far fence of the first field you can follow the fence until you reach the Pillar, returning the same way.

The rest of the walk follows a straight north-east line along the edges of sheepy fields until you reach the Canal. This marks the end of the Eastern part of the restored section and you can follow this to road with the Pumphouse and the layby.

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Richard gowerTrek, Trig Pillar, Chilterns, Canal, Buckinghamshire, EnglandComment
Cycling The River Ouzel
Bridge over the River Ouzel near Edlesborough

Bridge over the River Ouzel near Edlesborough

Part of the Chiltern Rivers Series
River start: Dagnall, Buckinghamshire
River end: Confluence with the River Great Ouse and Newport Pagnall
River length: 32 km (~20 miles)

Cycle route start / end: Dagnall Church, HP4 1RL
Cycle route length: 31.2 km / 19.4 miles
Cycle route elevation change: +/- 191 m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Icknield Way, Grand Union Canal, Two Ridges Link
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN Route 6
Map: OS Explorer Map (181) Chiltern Hills North
Links: River Ouzel, Dagnall, Edlesborough, Leighton Buzzard

This one firmly belongs in the “obscure and tenuous” section of my Chilterns Rivers project. It counts because the source of The Ouzel is in Dagnall which is firmly within the boundary of the AONB. However, it soon escapes and 95% of its course is outside of the Chilterns. From Leighton Buzzard the river follows the course of the Grand Union Canal to Milton Keynes where it splits off and joins the River Great Ouse at Newport Pagnell. I wasn’t up for cycling the Grand Union yet again so I confined my ride to exploring the first 12km.

Dagnall Church is a good place to start the ride. From here take the B440 North and take a right onto the B489. The Ouzel rises in the farm bounded by these 2 roads and crosses the B489 before the sign for Central Bedfordshire. This is the first first and most underwhelming of the 5 road crossings en route its way to Leighton Buzzard. The rest of this outbound section is a pleasant meander through small country lanes and villages with a few pubs and cafes for rest stops along the way.

At Leighton Buzzard, the return is very simple as it follows the Grand Union Canal towpath for approx 6.5 miles to Cheddington. From here, cross over at the lock and, after a farm, follow Chapel Lane through Ivinghoe Aston back to the B489. The end point at Dagnall is 3 km from this junction.

Its a bit of a weird route but actually quite interesting. There’s good views of Ivinghoe Beacon and the Whipsnade White Lion from several parts. From Dagnall you can pick up the River Ver and trace that South to the Colne. Alternatively, the Ridgeway and Icknield Way converge at Ivinghoe Beacon.

Blue = River, Red = Cycle Route

Elevation for cycle route

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Richard gowerCycle, NCN, Canal, Chilterns, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, EnglandComment
Traverse of The Picos de Europa
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Unlike most of my adventures which are conceived and planned a year in advance, this was a last minute affair. This year’s summer trip was meant to be Part 3 of the big cycle trips following LEJOG and Titanic Ireland. LEJOG started with 6 of us, finished with 5 and by Belfast we were down to 3. By early June this year it was pretty clear that no-one else shared my excitement about the 2019 trip.

I loved last year’s High Peaks of The Balkans trip so much that the KE Adventures website was my first port after killing the cycle trip. Of the 4 possible trips in July the Picos de Europa Traverse stood out. With my current Camino obsession it also ticked a couple of boxes. This would be another Northern Spain trip tucked between the routes of the Caminos Frances and Norte. I could even do a tiny bit of the Norte when passing through Bilbao.

So, 6 weeks later, I was wandering around Bilbao airport looking for 11 random people that I would spend the next week with. I'd done group trips like this a couple of times before so I knew what to look for: rugged types, alone or in couples with big bags, also looking lost. Eventually we all found each other and the local Guide and started the 2 hour drive into the National Park.

The Picos de Europa is split into 3 massifs by the Cares and Duje rivers. This trip covers the Western and Central Massifs in a continuous 6 day trek. Day 1 was a good intro with a long, steady day, a 2,026m summit and a variety of terrain. As well as a taster day for the trip, it gave our guide Rosanna an idea of abilities in the group.

The first night was the Vegarredonda Refuge where we had an outbuilding to ourselves. Even having done my share of refuge/albergue stays, it still takes a night or 2 to get used to the communal sleeping and basic toilet facilities. This wasn’t a bad start though and still luxury compared some of the stops in the Balkans.

Day 2 was the least memorable and mostly covered in low clouds. It started with retracing our route back to the parking spot then heading East to Lago de la Ercina. This was the day where I wasn’t sure that I would enjoy the trip. In hindsight it was the Balkans that set my expectations too high. Having had such a great experience on that one I was too eager for this to match it from the outset.

Any fears of being underwhelmed vanished on day 3. This started with a 4-hour steep descent into the Cares Gorge. The gorge splits the Western and Central Massifs and it’s a beauty. The footpath follows a man-made channel that takes water from the Cares River to a hydroelectric plant further North. The trail provides some easy walking with dramatic views along the steep limestone walls.

That evening gave us a break from the refuges as we stayed in a nice hotel in Poncebos. We were now at the lowest elevation of the trip so the only option now was up. Day 4 gave us the most elevation in 1 day at nearly 2,000m metres. We had the option of taking the funicular railway to avoid the first third of the climb. We’d already learnt not to take any of the easier options as there was always something amazing to be missed. This was no exception as the completely enclosed funicular misses a rewarding climb. This day finished at the Vega de Urrielu refuge under the imposing Naranjo de Bulnes, a popular climbing spot.

Day 5 was the technical day with more steep scrambling sections. Our guide did well to manage our expectations on the difficulty of it. After last year’s tricky climb of Montenegro’s Zla Kolata I figured that it couldn’t be so bad. It definitely wasn’t, but it was still an exhilarating diagonal traverse of the back of Torre de los Horcados. The end of this section rewarded us with a summit of that peak and a lunch stop at the quirky Cabaña Verónica.

The rest of the trip was mostly downhill with pleasant walking. There were still interesting diversions like the stay in a hotel once owned by the King of Spain, an abandoned mine, a final summit and an excursion to Potes, an historic town near the end of the trek at Espinama.

While this didn’t have the drama of the Balkan peaks or any country high points, this matched that trip in overall enjoyment. The lack of heavy tourism will keep it a hidden gem and one for those of us wanting something different. As a tour company, KE Adventures more than lived up to expectations and I'm sure I'll be signing up for several more of their trips.

Day 1 - Lago de Enol to Vegarredonda Refugio

Date: Monday July 15th 2019
Start: Aparcamiento Pandecarmen near Lago de Enol, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Finish: Vegarredonda Refugio, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Rest stops: Mirador de Ordiales, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Distance: 12.4 km / 7.7 miles
Elevation Change: +958m / -577m / Net +429m
Walking time: 6 hours 32 minutes
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: El Anillo de Picos, PR-PNPE 5 Bufferera-Ordiales
Summit: Pico Cotalba (2026m)

 

Day 2 - Vegarredonda Refugio to Refugio Vega de Ario

Date: Tuesday July 16th 2019
Start: Vegarredonda Refugio, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Finish: Refugio Vega de Ario, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Distance: 14.7 km / 9.1 miles
Elevation Change: +694m / -521m / Net -173m
Walking time: 6 hours
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: El Anillo de Picos, PR-PNPE 4 Vega de Ario

 

Day 3 - Refugio Vega de Ario to Puente Poncebos

Date: Wednesday July 17th 2019
Start: Refugio Vega de Ario, 33556, Asturias, Spain
Finish: Hotel Garganta del Cares, Lugar Puente Poncebos, 0 S N, 33554 Camarmeña, Asturias, Spain
Distance: 17.6 km / 10.9 miles
Elevation Change: +830m / -2,168m / Net -1,338m
Walking time: 8 hours 34 minutes
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: El Anillo de Picos, PR-PNPE 3 - Ruta del Cares

 

Day 4 - Puente Poncebos to Naranjo de Bulnes

Date: Thursday July 18th 2019
Start: Hotel Garganta del Cares, Lugar Puente Poncebos, 0 S N, 33554 Camarmeña, Asturias, Spain
Finish: Naranjo de Bulnes: Refugio Vega de Urriellu, 33554 Cabrales, Asturias, Spain
Rest stop: Refugio de la Terenosa
Distance: 11.9 km / 7.4 miles
Elevation Change: +1,748m / -20m / Net +1,728m
Walking time: 6 hours 42 minutes
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: El Anillo de Picos, PR-PNPE 3 - Ruta del Cares, PR-PNPE 19 Canal de Camburero, PR-PNPE 19 Vega de Urrielu, GR202 Ruta de la Reconquista

 

Day 5 - Naranjo de Bulnes to Refugio Aliva

Date: Friday July 19th 2019
Start: Naranjo de Bulnes: Refugio Vega de Urriellu, 33554 Cabrales, Asturias, Spain
Finish: Hotel Áliva, Puerto de Áliva s/n, 39588 Puerto de Aliva, Spain
Rest stops: Cabaña Verónica, Parque Nacional Picos de Europa, s/n, 39570, Cantabria, Spain
Distance: 11.8 km / 7.3 miles
Elevation Change: +685m / -989m / Net -304m
Walking time: 6 hours 42 minutes
Other Routes Touched: El Anillo de Picos, PR-PNPE 23 Horcados des Rojos, Mirador de El Cable - Cabana Veronica
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Summit: Torre de los Horcados Rojos (2,506m)

 

Day 6 - Refugio Alvia to Espinama

Date: Saturday July 20th 2019
Start: Hotel Áliva, Puerto de Áliva s/n, 39588 Puerto de Aliva, Spain
Finish: Hostal Restaurante Nevandi, Barrio Espinama, s/n, 39588 Espinama, Cantabria, Spain
Distance: 10.3 km / 6.4 miles
Elevation Change: +255m / -1,036m / Net -781m
Walking time: 4 hours 21 minutes
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched: PR PNPE 24 - Puertos de Aliva - Fuente de, , GR202 Ruta de la Reconquista
Summit: Pico Valdecoro (1,841m)

 

The Full Traverse

The full 6-day Traverse from North West to South East. Note the overlap between Days 1 (Red) and 2 (Blue)

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Richard gowerTrek, Mountain, SpainComment
Completing all Oxfordshire parkruns
Oxforshire parkrun banner.JPG

There are currently 13 parkrun events in present-day Oxfordshire. The first was Abingdon which started on May 7th 2011 and the newest is Kilkenny Lane Country which started on October 18th 2025. The name for completing all of the events in the county is Oxford Don(e)

Three events in present-day Oxfordshire (Harcourt Hill, Didcot and Grove Fields) were part of Historic Berkshire. Abingdon gets an honourable mention as, although it was in Historic Oxfordshire, there’s a small section by Abingdon Lock that was in Historic Berkshire.

I first completed the county on July 6th 2019 at Banbury.

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

A map of the parkrun events in the county of Oxfordshire.

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 show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then.

Abingdon

  • I completed this event on: March 16th 2019 with a finish time of: 25:38

  • Other routes touched (walk): Thames Path, Oxford Green Belt Way

  • A small section of the course at Abingdon Lock was in Historic Berkshire

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: May 7th 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Banbury

  • I completed this event on: July 6th 2019 with a finish time of: 26:08

  • Other routes touched (walk): N/A, although the Western edge goes very close to, and parallel with, the Oxford Canal Walk.

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: September 27th 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
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Bicester

  • I completed this event on: January 27th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:15

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 51

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: April 16th 2016

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
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Chipping Norton School

  • I completed this event on: December 14th 2019 with a finish time of: 28:13

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

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: December 14th 2019

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Didcot

  • I completed this event on: February 9th 2019 with a finish time of: 24:48

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 5

  • Historic County: Berkshire

  • Inaugural: February 21st 2015

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Grove Fields

  • I completed this event on: September 11th 2021 with a finish time of: 24:53

  • Other routes touched (walk): Wilts and Berks Canal Towpath

  • Historic County: Berkshire

  • Inaugural: August 21st 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
elevation_profile - Grove Fields.jpg
route-37479660-map-full - Grove Fields.png

Harcourt Hill

  • I completed this event on: February 16th 2019 with a finish time of: 24:55

  • Other routes touched (walk): Ramblers’ Jubilee Circular Walk

  • Historic County: Berkshire

  • Inaugural: October 18th 2014

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
elevation_profile - Harcourt Hill.jpg

Henley-on-Thames

 

Horspath

  • I completed this event on: September 18th 2021 with a finish time of: 24:44

  • Other routes touched (cycle): None, however NCN 57 runs past the entrance and parallel to the southern edge of the course.

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: August 14th 2021

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
elevation_profile - Horspath.jpg
route-37541506-map-full - Horspath.png

Kilkenny Lane Country

 

Oxford

  • I first completed this event on: Christmas Day 2017 with a finish time of: 26:17

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 51

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: November 5th 2011

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

University Parks

  • I first completed this event on: March 5th 2022 with a finish time of: 25:18

  • Other routes touched: None, although NCN 51 runs parallel to the western edge of the route.

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: February 5th 2022

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 

Witney

  • I completed this event on: June 29th 2019 with a finish time of: 25:56

  • Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 57

  • Historic County: Oxfordshire

  • Inaugural: March 10th 2018

  • Links: Event Home Page, Course Page

 
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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:

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Richard gowerRun, parkrun, Oxfordshire, EnglandComment