When we ran at Tamar Trails at the start of November, it meant we’d run every UK parkrun south-west of Taunton. But by the time we ran it we already knew that the following week another event was due to start in a location that’s about as south-west as you can get in mainland UK – Land’s End.
Like many of our Cornish parkrun trips, the first step of planning involved arranging to visit Ben’s parents for the weekend. Handily this put us just under 45 minutes away in the morning, which is very respectable considering the scale of Cornwall. We’d initially planned to leave KK with his grandparents, but realised a few days before that running as a family is part of who we are. And it seemed wrong to go to such an iconic location without him.
On the very small chance you weren’t aware, Land’s End parkrun is situated around Land’s End, which is the most westerly point in mainland England. It’s pretty easy to find by road, as you just get on the A30 westbound and keep going until the road stops and becomes a car park, which is generously free for parkrunners.
Having parked up plenty early, I was the first to venture out into the cold wind. Even from the car park the views were amazing, particularly with the winter sun still low in the sky. Once I managed to stop looking at the sea, I quickly located the toilets which had been opened early especially for parkrun. That just left the small task of persuading the others to get out of the warm car – one extra other than usual as Ben’s brother Callum was joining us.
The meeting point is right next to all the attractions, but I got a good look round the surrounding area as KK decided to explore (which is fair enough given he was about to go in a buggy). He then joined Lani and Callum for a warm up, before we moved in for the run briefing. As is fairly typical for newer events, the first timers’ information was included in the main briefing. Surprisingly for our preparation track record, the course was described exactly as we expected – a mile out along a path, a mile back, and then 3 laps of path around the grass.
The start was just around the corner, and I only just remembered to take my hoody off before the perfectly audible start. I took the start very gently, knowing that there would soon be gaps I could easily weave through. After a short run by the (closed) road, the main section is on compacted trail path, which made me very happy with my choice of hybrid shoes. Very quickly I became as focused on looking off to the left as looking forward. Perhaps slightly dangerous when pushing a buggy, but kind of irresistible in the face of coastal views.
The path undulated throughout, but about half a mile in there was a sudden short drop down with a fairly loose surface covering. Which made me think that a) I should make sure not to lose control of the buggy and b) I’d have to get back up it later. After this the path wound slightly further inland, and there were significantly more ups than downs. The front runners started coming the other way (keep left!), and Ben and I exchanged half-hearted waves. Struggling with the climbs, I finally gave in and walked one of the up sections, only to turn a corner and see the turnaround point.
For an out-and-back, the return felt pretty different, helped of course by the varying undulations. The downhill sections helped me feel good again, and I even managed to high-five Lani as we passed. Reaching the end of the trail path, instead of turning onto the (now open) road, we turned further onto a narrow path. By narrow I mean in places there were plants rubbing against both sides of the buggy (side-by-side doubles will not fit on this course).
One clothes-covered marshal later and I was on the lapped section of the course, which is mostly tarmac path. The lap is pretty much a triangle, and the first side involves going downhill. Downhill + tarmac + buggy = amazing respite for tired arms and legs. Oh and you’re running straight towards the sea, so pretty awesome views as well. The turn at the bottom is on looser gravel, and then the climb back up begins.
Most of the climb is fairly gradual, although I was certainly struggling a bit with it as KK helpfully shouted “Run, Mummy!” on one of the laps. I did not vocalise my initial response, but did explain that I was actually about to walk. This is because that side of the triangle finishes with a very sharp climb to the top. Rounding the corner was a relatively flat final side of the triangle, ready to turn the corner back down. It’s worth noting that the gradient doesn’t match up on Strava, so don’t base your decision to go on incorrect elevation figures!
The differing gradient made the multiple laps quite interesting for me, as going downhill I was the same pace as those a lap ahead of me, and uphill the same as those a lap behind. As I finished lap 2 I saw Lani and Callum heading over to start their first lap, accompanied by Ben who’d finished long before. On lap 3 you peel off most of the way along the final side of the triangle, and slightly round the corner to the finish. Kudos to the mini marshal who was literally wearing the “To the finish” arrow.
The finish funnel required some careful steering, but I was soon through and scanned. Then onto the next important matter. In the middle of the space we were lapping was a playpark, and so KK was determined to get there as soon as possible. I did pause just outside the playpark to give Lani another high-five as she passed. KK does deserve some credit, as later when he saw Lani was about to finish he stopped (at the top of a climbing frame) and clapped her over the line.
After stopping to thank the RD for such an amazing event, we headed off for a mini explore. We’d planned to go to a café, but being out of season only the hotel restaurant was open (which is a little out of our price range). So we took a few more photos outside and then headed back to the car to raid our cereal bar stash.
As we left, I described the experience as “just what my January needed”. There’s no denying we were lucky with the weather – after storms during the week we were greeted with clear skies. But this parkrun experience had the whole package: varied course, beautiful location, community atmosphere. And a fantastic core team who worked so hard to bring parkrun to this iconic location.
We might have been encouraged to go by a desire to re-complete Cornwall, but this was so much more than a box ticking exercise. To say I’d recommend it is an understatement – it wouldn’t surprise me if we’re back again this year.
