Always I pleasure to be back in my home county of Bedfordshire at another stunning event at Rushmere Country park, once again I have been blessed with another course that will live long in the memory!

So Rushmere is a 400 acres park that has been combined with other existing woodlands including Stockgrove, Oak Wood and the complete site now known as Rushmere Country park was opened in 2011 for the public to enjoy its splendour!!!

Run by the Greenland Trust in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council on a non for profit basis, I love what they have done with the sculpture trail that gives the parks woodland a feeling you have entered a world of enchantment with a Giants Chair, Beetle and Wild Things Gate, the big kid came out in me and I had to explore!!!!!

 

Good Friends

Being so close to the end of my current adventure it was a great pleasure to bump into fellow Stopsley Striders tourist friends again in (from left to right) Liz Davies, Stewart Read, Terry Willis, Chris and Kim Caddy 🙂

Course

A beautiful 2 anticlockwise woodland laps of Rushmere Country park that is undulating and run entirely on earth trail paths!

Points to Note:

• Love the sculpture trail that is dotted around this course!!!
• In wet conditions definitely a trial shoes run
• Steep decent down to Charcoal pond
• Be aware of exposed tree roots
• No spike trainers allowed
• No dogs allowed to run with their owners on this course

This course is a joy to run with a soft cushion of pine needles on a large parts of the route, my time was 38.09 and thank you Liz for keeping me honest by pacing me around the course 🙂

Finally it would have been rude not to I had to ring Rushmere’s famous PB gong and what great fun that was too…..:)

Facilities

There is paid parking available at Rushmere costing £3.00 on exit from the car park Sat Nav LU7 0EB, if you are planning to have this as your home parkrun cheap discounted season tickets are available from £40

There are toilet facilities on site and available before the start of run! After this enjoyable run we retired for the post run coffee to the parks Tree Top cafe that has stunning views from the balcony of the woodland vista below that was simply breathtaking!!!!!

Other Facilities

• Networks of trails for walking and riding
• Children play area
• The Heronry

Final Verdict

I would like to thank the charming David Ayers and his team of volunteers for making us all feel extremely welcome at Rushmere, well done guy’s!!!!

So finally Rushmere with its beautiful woodland course and stunning views from the cafe of Heron Valley this surely must be up there on your tourist parkrun to do list, you have been told!!!!!!

Best

Mark aka Silent Runner

Extra News

Running vests

Over the final four parkrun events I will be wearing different running tops for each week with everyone having a close place in my heart!

97 Rushmere – Stopsley Striders training vest
98 Gladebridge – Keech Hospice after my year of charity running for this noble charity!
99 Letchworth – Luton, Wardown home parkrun
100 Houghton Hall – Spurs top worn by my dad who I miss deeply

100th Celebration

Special mention to Val Nix who run her 100th event at Kettering parkrun and is on course at 95 to run all the first 100 events held at her hometown course, she even run a new PB of 23:47, wow outstanding achievement Val 🙂