So today at Catford in the London Borough of Lewisham I have come full circle on my tourism adventures as back in June 2016 I started my capital adventures in running all the parkrun in Greater London region in a year for charity and back then there was a total of 47 events.

Now it is great to be back in my beloved London to run event 53 at Catford that is based at Mountsfield park🙂

Parks History

The origins of this park date back to 1845 when the father of the noted microlepidopterist Henry Tibbats Stainton built Mountsfield house including 6 acres of land and gave it to his son as a wedding present!

In 1903 the widow of Henry in her will gave the land over to become a park for the local community with its official opening in August 1905. Since then the park as expanded to now cover 32 acres and annually holds events such as the free Peoples Day festival that attracts 25,000+ visitors.

Course

The course is three clockwise laps of the parameter of Mountsfield park that surface is a mixture of tarmac and trail paths with a large section also run on grass fields!

You start and finish by the bandstand on top of the hill, but on the final lap you run a shorter distance that is when you run up the slope for the final time you turn right towards the bandstand and finish funnel instead of running behind the allotments for the first 2 laps!

Points to note

• As at running briefing stated parts of this course can get very slippery especially now with a carpet of leaves laying on the course!
• Love the Strava name for the loop section, “The daft loop” great to see their sense of self honour on this one 🙂

There is a lot to keep you interested on at Mountsfield Park course from a wooded trail path section to a steady incline at the backend of each lap that is a joy for us tourists!

So another course that will stay long in the memory and I would thoroughly recommend this course to my parkrun friends everywhere!!!!!

Facilities

There is free on street parking at Stainton Road next to the park Sat Nav SE6 1AN the parks toilets where available available before the start that is great news!

For the post run coffee to Mountsfield Park Café was first for me as it was lovingly transformed from a shipping container to a vibrate cafe, run by two of the nicest people that you could ever want to meet!

I would like though like to wish everyone involved including Friends of Mountsfield park in trying to get a new cafe for the park all the best in your campaign!!

Other Facilities includes

• Children’s play area
• ball court
• tennis courts
• football pitch
• bandstand
• meadow
• ornamental garden

Final Verdict

I would like to thank Ben Payton and his team of volunteers for being great hosts with special mention to your community who made me feel like I was at home straight from the moment I turned up, outstanding!!!! Well done Catford a real credit to parkrun UK!

So what is next for me is some local parkrun volunteering, a reunion with very good friends at their home event at Basingstoke on 26th January, then after that I am having a break from parkrun tourism for a while!

I will be back rest assured just a little bit quieter that’s all, but until then I would like to wish all 105 different parkrun events I have attended the following, you have all inspired me with your selfless dedication to your local communities, hats off to every last one of you 🙂

Love

Mark aka Silent Runner