parkrun tourism: Victoria Dock

Posted on July 24, 2025 by lindaharley

parkrun#395 event #109

Reason for visit: seeing the fab-u-lous Jemima Brown in Midsummer Night’s Dream!

Access:

OK, I am notorious for being beset by travel problems, and this weekend had them writ large. Flight out on Friday afternoon (Belfast City to Luton) was delayed by an hour because of French air traffic control strike (meant the incoming plane had to take a longer route), but the airport link and train were all pretty good, and I got to London Bridge about 7, time to find my hotel (Premier Inn on Tower Bridge Road), check my route to the Bridge Theatre, chat to security guy Dominic to see where the stage door was and where I might get some flowers, get some pink roses, deposit them at stage door, and go for a kick ass Bloody Mary at The Ivy in time to see Jemima’s post that she had received the bouquet.

Saturday morning should have been a short stroll to Tower Gateway to catch the DLR, but when I got there the barriers were down, and staff told me I’d need to get a replacement bus. Hmmm, choices. Abandon parkrun and go back to hotel for a leisurely breakfast and shower? Walk to previously done parkrun tourism: Southwark? Or put my big girl pants on and find the replacement bus? I mean, how hard can it be?

Finding bus stop L was a bit of a puzzle, if you are ever looking for it it’s tucked inside the bus depot. But safely aboard I enjoyed the ride through “Call the Midwife”‘s Poplar, before alighting at Canning Town. Where I found lots of other parkrunners, and we all made the one more stop to Royal Victoria, from where you can practically see the start line.

Course:

This part of the river is heavily used by other sporty types, so the usual route as described on the web page was not feasible today. Instead we were running an out and back 3 times. Dead flat, but the surface is a bit cobbled. With all that out and backing you’ll have runners going in both directions, so a fairly strict keep left instruction is in force. London City airport is nearby, so there are frequent planes passing overhead.

Facilities:

No loos, though there are a few cafes etc dotted around for parkfaff – I had to dash off to get back and changed ready for the afternoon matinee. The start area is right beside the cable car, although it currently doesn’t start before 9 am. I ruled it out as a return journey option as I assumed it would be taking me out of my way – actually it would have joined me up with the Jubilee line so I really should have looked at a map….

Crowd:

I’d chatted to a South African runner with a 50 venues T shirt on – no, I had no matches. And then someone approached me cos of my cow cowl and said, you’re not local I take it, where are you from? When I said “Norn Irn” she said – you’re Linda aren’t you! It was none other than Cathy, who I’d met before at the NI Cowfest , also in town for a thing. I mean, it’s London, there’s always something on, so this is a big tourist friendly event. Lovely encouraging volunteers, well marshalled course. Lots of dogs!

Time:

Still hobbling and shuffling rather than running, so 50 minutes and some seconds was perfectly respectable.

Gear:

Cow cowl, With Me Now T, blue hokkas.

And the rest:

My baby sister, who resides in Oz, was also in town this weekend, so we managed to squeeze in a quick catch up over coffee, before she queued to get returns to the play wot she wrote her dissertation on.

Well Jemima is just stunning, if you get a chance to see Midsummer Night’s Dream before 20 August 2025, then go there!

My journey home on the Sunday (Stansted to International) saw me getting a bus to Liverpool Street, where there were many signs about the perils of taking the Stansted Express. But look, on the departures board there’s a Greater Anglia train, the livery of the train is GA, and the wifi on board is provided by GA. So I was rather taken aback when arriving at Stansted I was forced to pay a £50 fine as – no madam, that was in fact the Stansted Express. The fact that there was a fully staffed desk and a queue of 20 people in the same position as me reassures me this was not just me being dumb. And they were indicating on the fine ticket how you could lodge a claim. (I have lodged a claim, it has been rejected).

Boarded the plane, in the rain, stairs rolled away, and the pilot comes on to tell us that yes, it’s raining so heavily that air traffic have restricted the number of take offs to 11 per hour, and we are number 29 in the queue. So another 90 minutes was spent on board before take off ….

Seriously, never travel with me!

All my parkruns

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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parkrun tourism: Thames Path, Woolwich

Posted on September 17, 2024 by lindaharley

event #102 parkrun#376

Reason for visit: My daughter’s West End debut, why thank you for asking!

Access:

The meeting point is in James Clavell Square, where the statues don high viz vests so that the many visitors can find it.

The course page is very good at using “what three words”, and when I discovered that the code for this was “tulip.patch.runner”, well, there was a location with my name on it! (Have I told you about the tulips?). I was staying in theatreland, and rode one stop from Leicester Square to Tottenham Court Road, where I changed onto the lovely sparkly new Elizabeth Line (referred to by all as The Lizzy Line) to Woolwich, a journey of about 20 minutes.

The Lizzy Line has great big long trains, so I’ve never found it to be crowded (but then I’m not commuting). I did have to remind myself that parkruns in England start at 9.00, rather than the Irish and Scottish civilised 9.30s that I’m used to.

Crowd:

It’s a fairly recent addition to the London parkruns, so still attracts a lot of visitors. I got chatting to a few fellow cow cowls, as well as someone who was doing their first ever parkrun and had already invested in a barcode wristband! A few buggies and dogs, and a handful of walkers alongside speedier runners.

Course:

The original “Curly Wurly”, with a spiral section, was Somerdale Pavilion, but this course also incorporates a spiral path section in Gallions Park, with a circuit of the bench at the top. So some have christened it the “Walnut Whip”.

Aside from that part, it’s pretty flat, run mostly on the Thames path along the river, affording cracking views. Encouraging signs, featuring the swirly spiral symbol, bring a smile.

Facilities:

There are loos nearby, and any number of cafes for parkfaffing afterwards. Sadly I couldn’t stay as I was meeting J for breakfast (and therefore quite grateful of the 9.00 am start)

Gear:

It was quite a warm day, but I was in my wind-proof black trousers, turquoise top with little zippy pocket, where I kept my bank card for zapping in and out of ticket barriers, and my waist belt for phone and tissues. World tourist baseball cap and sunnies. Wore my Saucony’s for travelling in.

Time:

I am not running regularly at all these days, and was adopting a “jog a bit walk a bit” approach (did not try running up the walnut whip, but ran all the way down), so I was quite happy with a run time in the low 40s.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I had so many earworms from the show the night before, and was also enjoying listening to the birdsong, and the lap of water from the rivers edge.

And the Rest:

Well, J was just amazing in the wonderfully mad, over-the-top, riot of laughs that is Why Am I So Single – it was just beautiful to watch her signing programmes at the stage door afterwards. Go see it!!!!

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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parkrun tourism: Mile End

Posted on June 10, 2024 by lindaharley

event #101 parkrun #374

Back in that London for the second time in a week, this time to see the legend Barry Manilow. After the excitement of my 100th event last week, I wasn’t too bothered whether I ran or not, but the day dawned bright and sunny and so off I went. And a very enjoyable morning it turned out to be.

Access:

Those of us who don’t actually live in London sometimes find it hard to work out which one to choose. It’s all very well looking at a map to see which is closest, but that may not translate into easiest to get to. I toyed with Victoria Dock and Burgess, but in the end decided that Mile End would be the simplest to get to, being only 5 stops on the Central Line from where I was staying near Covent Garden. From the charming tube station, turn left and you’ll soon find yourself at an entrance to Mile End Park. Start and finish is by the stadium.

Facilities:

Loos are in the stadium, bikes can be left there too. There’s a Raggedy School museum and cafe for afterwards, or other cafes nearby.

Course:

The park itself is a long narrow strip crossing over the main road via a bridge. So it’s sort of “out and back” with a tight turnaround point (watch out for those bollards!).

The paths are like a dual carriageway, faster runners tend to use both lanes at the start, but as the crowd thins out keep to the left. Tarmac path all the way, some slight inclines over the bridge, and super views of the city skyline.

Crowd:

I got my first ever “Dolly or Bev” in the wild, from Ruth and Brian, currently on 126 with no repeats. I also chatted to visitors from Manchester and the Netherlands. The crowd seemed youngish in age, and the course is also suitable for buggies or dogs (but not both). Big numbers, so a complicated finish funnel.

Gear:

I had travelled in my blue Hokas, and wore my wind proof black trousers and my With Me Now t shirt, and of course my cow cowl.

Time:

I stopped to take photos, so my time was just under 50 minutes.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I didn’t have headphones in, but we had put Barry on Spotify that morning, so I was humming Copacabana to myself.

All My parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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parkrun tourism: Highbury Fields

Posted on September 12, 2022 by lindaharley

parkrun #319 event #88

Reason for visit – Jemima starring at Sadlers Wells! Oh, and I got to see Hamilton while I was there also….

Access:

Normally when I’m visiting Jem we sit on Friday nights trying to match nearby parkruns with route maps, and they can be quite lengthy and complicated. This time I was staying in the Travelodge Royal Scot, where I could see St Pancras out my hotel window.

Highbury and Islington is one stop on the Victoria line, and the course is only 200m from the station! Definitely one of the easiest London ones to get to by public transport.

Course:

No gonna lie, it’s 5 laps. Mostly on tarmac footpaths, with any obstacles such as “mud corner” marshalled or coloured coned. Starts and finishes on grass, and there’s a designated baggage area. It does go up a slight hill (I was tempted to do a Crocodile Dundee-esque “Call that a hill?”), before a slight meandering path at the top of the park, (no short cuts across the grass!) and then a delightful gentle downhill section. For those at the back of the pack like me, you will be lapped a few times, but the last couple of laps will be quieter and less crowded.

Facilities:

Start and finish is at the same spot, so there’s always someone around near the bag drop. There is a 20p public loo, I asked politely and was allowed to use the ones in the little leisure centre. Plenty of cafes around for parkfaffing – I had to get back and changed as I had a whole day of theatre-going ahead of me. And a snigger-worthy pub.

Gear:

It was just after the death of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, so I wore my black 100 volunteer shirt. (I did see someone in a rarely spotted 250 vol one). Skirty leggings, cow cowl, and zippy belt. Sadly, when I got back to the tube station, my debit card was missing, must have fallen out of the zippy belt while I was taking photos. I was quite glad of the short lap, as I retraced my steps, but to no avail. I wore my Saucony shoes – the What Shoes spreadsheet does suggest road shoes, though the wet grass bits can be slippy.

Crowd:

Having beaten the slugs at (S)Limefield and Knockbraken, this time the slugs beat me!

A few tourists chatted to me having spotted the cowl, and there plenty of cheery volunteers.

Time:

My reported time was 38 minutes, which frankly I don’t believe. But the official result is the official one, so I’ll take it! I wasn’t wearing a sports watch so I can’t corroborate, but it would be the first sub 40 in quite some time if it’s correct.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I wasn’t listening to any music or podcasts- running on busy public footpaths I like to be fully aware of my surroundings. Over the weekend, though, we had several renditions of God Save The King, which we are all trying to get used to.

And the Rest:

Jemima was – of course – amazing! And I got to meet up with my best friend and her husband, and my cousin and his wife, so we had quite a fan club for her.

Hamilton was just mind blowing, so much happens on stage that it’s hard to take it all in.

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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Dulwich parkrun

Posted on October 22, 2021 by lindaharley

Event #77 run #289

Reason for visit: the London marathon, baby!

Access

I was staying with my daughter in Crystal Palace.  I didn’t want to redo that parkrun as I’d already done it ( twice!) and anyway it was cancelled that week. My alternative plan was to run Victoria Dock before dropping my bag off at the Excel. But IT was cancelled too! They knew that a lot of marathoners would have the same plan and didn’t have enough space for a safe event. So Jemima used her expert knowledge of local transport options, and worked out which bus I should get to arrive at Dulwich in time.

Course

This is well known as a fast course, and many parkrun records have been set here. The start and finish are in the same area, with the “ hang it on a tree” option for storing belongings. It’s 3 laps, wide tarmac surface all the way.

Facilities

There are loos behind the cafe by the bowling green.  I didn’t get a chance to try out the café but I believe it does good brownies.

Crowd

Usually about 300 or  so, there were 414 the day I attended. I did get chatting to a few other cow cowls, also in town for the marathon, but checking their what’s app to make sure their home events were running smoothly. A rather sweet grandfather-grandson pair were completing milestone (arbitrary) runs together.

Time

37:53, my fastest this year. But I’ve been focusing on long slow runs in prep for the big one.

Strangely appropriate song on shuffle

“I can’t keep up” by Silhouette

And the rest

Can definitely recommend City Mapper asa useful app for getting about by public transport.

Read all about The London Marathon

And you can still donate here

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/linda-harley6

Also see NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

Filed under: London, london marathon, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

The London Marathon

Posted on October 18, 2021 by lindaharley

Running the London Marathon

I’ve always said I didn’t have a marathon in me – I’m a keen parkrunner, for sure, but there’s a massive difference between running 5km and running 42 of them, all in one go.  But as part of my *cough cough* milestone birthday celebrations, I was somehow persuaded that this would be A Good Idea!

The first hurdle was getting a place.  There is a ballot which takes place every year, but most runners who apply are unsuccessful.  So I decided to go for a charity place instead.  Big events like marathons raise a huge amount for charities, and the absence of races and the like during the pandemic has been a massive blow for many, especially smaller and less well-known charities.  I was able to secure a place for the Smile Train, which provides medical treatment to children born with a cleft.  This can make it difficult for them to eat, drink, or talk, and has a detrimental impact on self-confidence.  I was very moved by the stories and pictures shared, and of just how life changing and enhancing this simple operation can be.  So even a small amount of money makes a very big difference.

Then came the training.  I was following a beginners 16 week training plan, which entailed a couple of running sessions during the week, with a progressively longer one on a Sunday.  Those long runs were vital in identifying what gear was comfortable to wear, most importantly socks and shoes, as well as how I was going to fuel en route.  Trying out jelly-babies versus mint imperials was one of the more enjoyable parts of training!  I also discovered that I got cold very quickly post-run, and that I liked listening to podcasts which distracted me from thinking “how much longer do I have to run?”

The final few weeks flew by, and I really appreciated “tapering” where instead of running for 3 ½ hours my long run was now a “mere” 90 minutes.  I received my kit bag in the post, and carefully packed it with all the things I would need at the finish line – warm clothes, Compeed plasters, and comfy footwear (crocs!) to change into.  Arriving in London, I headed to the Excel centre to drop off the kitbag, which I wouldn’t then see again till the finish line, and pick up my race number.  I double checked that I knew how to get to the starting point in time next day.  There are so many runners taking part that there are actually three different start areas, and within each of those, groups of runners set off in waves at allocated times.  This means quite a lot of hanging around (i.e queueing for the portaloos), and I was glad of the jacket I was wearing to keep me warm.  There are designated bins at the start where discarded clothing is collected and then redistributed to charities and the homeless.

Just after 10.30 my wave was called to enter the holding bay, and the excitement was really building as I chatted with other runners around me, many of them also doing their first marathon.  And then we were off!

Everyone who has run this event will tell you that the atmosphere provided by the crowd and supporters in London is something special.  They are not wrong.  Each side of the road was full of people cheering and calling out our names, with helpful encouragement like “nearly there!” (at mile 1…..).  A pub was playing YMCA as we ran past, and to a woman we all joined in with the actions.  As I passed a bagpiper I did a little bit of Highland dancing.  And the drummers, samba bands, Morris dancers, jazz groups etc all propelled us along on a wave of great spirits.   Many other runners were in fancy dress – I was overtaken by a pair of minions, a few rhinos, the queen, and Freddy Mercury, a telephone and some sort of internal organ.

The route continued past the Cutty Sark, and shortly after that crossed the iconic Tower Bridge, where I took the mandatory selfie.  From there the route weaves out to Canary Wharf, where it started to rain and quite a fierce wind blew up.  I was really struggling by now, and my walk breaks were getting progressively longer and longer.

Once I hit mile 20 I was determined to make it to the finish, and just kept on plonking one big ole foot in front of the other.  I did manage to break into a final jog to cross the line, though I was so emotional at that point that the official photos make me look very sad.  But I wasn’t, I was elated. It had taken me just over 7 hours, but I did it.

Afterwards I had a few blisters to deal with, and going up and down stairs was agony! But I recovered more quickly than I expected, and as is compulsory I now manage to shoehorn a mention of the marathon into every conversation.

It’s still not too late to contribute to my fundraising efforts, at

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LindaHarleyGillespie

or

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/linda-harley6

or contact me for other methods.

Filed under: fundraising, London, london marathon, running | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

parkrun tourism: Kingston

Posted on February 23, 2020 by lindaharley

parkrun #283 event #69
Reason for visit:  a rare chance to see both my little darlings being marvellous!

I was in London as J had been nominated in 2 categories for the National Dance awards, and I was also staying to see H’s latest West End venture. Originally the plan had been to do Bushy for H’s 50th, but when he couldn’t make it I switched to Kingston as the next closest.

Access:

I was staying in the Traveloge Teddington, a handy 4 minute walk from the railway station, and very close to Teddington High Street, along which many buses travel.

From there I was able to jog the mile or so down High Street, trying not to be distracted by the delightful little boutiques. Helpful indicators that I was near the river, across the footbridge, and another 500m down to the Hawker centre.

The 285 bus goes between Heathrow and Kinsgton, handy tourist knowledge.  Allow an hour to get to the airport though, what with traffic and roadworks.

Facilites:

There are clean loos in the Hawker centre, and presentation of your barcode gets 15% off in the cafe.

First timers briefing takes place here also.

Course:

The course is a sort of lollipop shape.  The start is around 200m further towards Kingston, runs on a tarmac path alongside the river, onto the towpath under the footbridge, along to Ham field.  This can get a bit mucky!

From there it’s back along the same route, finishing at the Hawker centre.  There’s one small section where runners are going in both directions, so keep left! And there’s a slight incline coming out of the field, otherwise it’s pretty flat.

There was a minor bit of panic early in the week as the council were carrying out work to the path, with a possible cancellation warning.  But they finished on the Friday, just in time.  I was still able to win “parkrun cancellation Top Trumps” with my Crissy Field story.

It can be a narrow path at times, but the crowd soon thins out.

Crowd:

There’s usually around 400 runners, some buggy runners bravely taking on the field.  I saw a  few dogs, though the sitepage says it’s a “no dogs” course, and quite a few adults accompanying thier under 11s.

It’s a popular one with toruists, I got chatting to a number of cow cowls and bobble hats, as well as some world tourists who were doing their 90th event!  Letter K is also a popular one for alphabeteers and name-spellers.  And look, a lesser spotted 500 shirt.

I got a shout out in the briefing as having come the furthest, and during the run got a “Well done Miss Northern Ireland!”, which was nice.

Gear:

I was wearing my purple Jog Lisburn top, with gloves and headband agaisnt the cold wind.  My purple skort is getting a bit tight, i really must lose weight. I’ve managed to find my missing zippy belt, and theres a ziped pocket in the back of the trousers where i kept my hotel key card, away from my phone.  No watch or music, so I was using counting to 100 and back down again as a distraction technique.  Hokkas were a good choice of footwear for this mixed terrain.

And the rest:

Well J was just amazing.  She looked stunning in her jacket by Adam Brady (not the Scottish dancer) and giant soled shoes.

A cross between Cruella de Ville and will.a.am.

The talent in the garden room at The Barbican was electrifying, and I really enjoyed meeting critic Donald Hutera, who I’ve followed on Twitter for some time.  And the awards ceremony was really well done, with short video clips of all the nominees shown in each category.

The next day I was able to meet up with my son, who’s working backstage on Magic Mike Live, an energetic and exciting show with lots of impressive dancing and cheeky audience interraction.

Thank you Magic Unicorn!

All my parkruns

Filed under: Dance, kids, London, Parkrun, running, travel | Tagged: , | 2 Comments »

parkrun tourism: Ally Pally

Posted on September 17, 2017 by lindaharley

ap1

Event number 42 (for all you Hitchhiker fans), parkrun number number 180 (said in darts commentator voice) and putting the A in DANCER.

Access:

There’s plenty of parking in and around Alexandra Palace.  I walked from a lovely Air BnB nearby, and the W3 bus goes through the grounds.  There’s a nearby railway station, and the closest tube station is Wood Green.

Facilities:

There are loos in the ice rink and in the Phoenix cafe.  We enjoyed coffee and sausage rolls afterwards in the Palm Court bit of the main bulding, but there’s some refreshements available at the ice rink also.

Course:

It’s 2 big laps with a start and finish section.  Start and finish are in the same place, so you can leave bags and belongings there.  The terrain is very varied, from tarmac, to gravel, to grass, and a steep muddy incline!  Not the easiest, but the views over London are just spectacular.

Crowd:

I was impressed at the number of young people here – a confident young man effectively delivered the first timers briefing, there were lots of teenage marshalls giving cheering support along the way, and I was in awe of young Georgia in her white 10 shirt, sharing motivational chat with her Mum all the way round, and managing a brilliant sprint finish. I got chatting afterwards to a 250 shirter called Liberty, who was really friendly, and there was a warm welcome from the RD and team. Numbers are usually in the 200s.

Gear:

I always travel in my second best trainers, and these were a good choice for the sometimes slippery surface.  My Garmin worked OK, but its clippy lead has disintegrated.  My headphones worked for half the yodelling song from Eurovision 2016, but then refused to behave at all. I wore my apricot Wallace top.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

No headphones so no shuffle.  But my earworm was a country song called “What Ifs”, and I distracted myself by trying to remember all the lyrics.

Time:

Tough course, no Minnie, no music, and I stopped to take photos en route.  So 36 something. Bleurgh, it can only improve. I did manage my signature skip-change step over the finish line.

Sticky letter:

IMG_2262

I’ve been trying to get someone appropriate to stick each letter of DANCER as I run them, and what better than an actual p’feshnil dancer to do the honours!  Jemima also took plenty of great action photos for me.

And the rest….:

I was in town to see Evita, which my son is working on, and what a rare pleasure to have both my children in the same room!

And I finished my Saturday with a bit of dancing at the RSCDS London Branch dance, where it was lovely to catch up with old friends, and make some new ones.

apdance

All my parkruns:

all the parkruns I’ve completed

 

 

 

Filed under: Dance, London, Musicals, Parkrun, running, Scottish Country Dance | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

Fagin’s Twist

Posted on October 16, 2016 by lindaharley

I have been the proudest of mammas watching Jemima over the years, but her most recent venture has taken me to depths and heights that I’d never thought I’d see.

img_0831

A dancer’s career is brutal.  It’s a tough competitive industry, work is sporadic, and it is physically punishing.  You need so many things to be in your favour.  You need to be talented.  You need to be lucky.  You need to work your little socks off.  And you need to be nice to everyone.  As my son reminded me recently, in “the biz” there are not 6 degrees of separation, probably only 1 or 2.

img_0692

Jemima is talented.  Very.  But having watched her graduation show last year,  yes so are her other 49 co-graduates.

Lucky? Yes, you can be the most talented dancer in the world, but if your face or look is not what the director has in mind, or if funding can’t be obtained, or if the mix of dancers doesn’t quite work…..

So when the early stages of Fagin’s Twist began, and Jem was reading for the part of Oliver, I could see that the role was maybe a really promising one for her.  She has a vulnerable quality, a fragility and naivety that is very endearing. And which is key to the character of Oliver.

img_0694-copy

Choreographer Tony Adigun likes to take risks.  His retelling of the tale we all think we now so well comprised a small and multi-functional cast, an amazing versatile set, some powerful emotion-stirring music, and a narrative that even included some spoken text.  Modern dance is often a bit wafty and ephemeral, but Fagin’s Twist has recognisable  characters that we can relate to, a story with a beginning, middle and an end, and the audience can’t help but be engaged.

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During the early stages of the show being created, I’d been intrigued at how they used the words of Dickens original text to inspire and develop movements.  The final version (I say final, every time I see it , it’s been changed a bit….!) still has the odd nod to the famous movie musical, with a bit of Food, Glorious Food, Consider yourself one of the family, and always wanting more.  The thumbs-in-braces swagger, the pocket-picking, the top hats and pocket watch, all add colour and content to the story.

I’d first seen it at The Lowry in Manchester, and was just blown away by it.  So I was keen to come to see in in London, at The Place, where I’ve seen many of Jemima’s performances, and who were very important in the funding and promotion of the work.

Jemima’s picture was front and centre of the poster which was appearing everywhere – my cousin even posted on Facebook when he’d seen it at a tube station – I think that’s a bit of an iconic defining moment.

img_0690  Inside (and outside) The Place she was on posters, videos, she even made it onto the wine list!14642491_10156117161143644_228110983077175251_n

The decor in the bar area was lovely –

top hats dangling above the bar, Dickens black and white pictures on the wall, pocket watches on the pillars, a quill pen to write your comments with, graffiti decals, and the old black and white movie version on loop.

img_0702

Jemima and I as Bill and Oliver…..

img_0703

….before we swap roles!

I’d managed to get there in time to see it on Thursday evening.  Made the mistake of getting off at Holborn (cos that’s where her poster is!), when really Euston or Kings Cross are closer.

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And I also went to the Saturday matinee.  Had a lovely pub lunch at The Doric Arch at Euston – highly recommended.

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The show was just amazing.  I loved listening to the audience chatting during the interval and afterwards, and how genuinely excited they had been by it.  It has come to the end of this London run, still a few more dates in the next couple of weeks, and some possibilities for the future are in discussion.

img_0841

Doing “the puppety thing”, aka Fagin’s skank

The cast members are all sweeties, I’ve been privileged to get to know them more each time I visit.  They and Tony and all the backstage and wardrobe etc crew deserve a huge round of applause, a standing ovation, and a resounding 5 stars.

stars

 

 

Filed under: Dance, London | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

parkrun tourism: Southwark

Posted on October 16, 2016 by lindaharley

In town to see Fagin’s Twist,

img_0831and I chose my accommodation based on proximity to a parkrun I had yet to do. So I ended up in a very well located Air BnB in Bermondsey right beside beautiful Southwark Park.

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I took time on the Friday to walk around the park, and I was struck by how beautiful it was.

img_0710Wide tree-lined avenues,

an old English garden,

a duckpond,

bandstand, and plenty of cheeky grey squirrels.

Access:

There are a number of gates/ entrances to the park,

img_0799and car-parking didn’t seem to be an issue.  Most people walked, so I’m guessing they live locally.  Bermondsey tube on the Jubilee line is a 10 minute stroll away, and there are a couple of bus stops near by too.  Sadly, the toilets are in the cafe,

img_0815which doesn’t open till 9, but Surrey Quays shopping centre is the closest alternative.

Course:

It’s a 3 lap course, on wide flat tarmac paths, with just a couple of sharp bends to hamper your speed.  There’s one short section where runners are going in both directions, but it’s very well marshalled at all the junctions.

There are no hills to speak of, so it’s theoretically a fast one.

Crowd:

There were over 200 runners when I visited, most of them quite young.

img_0806 I did spot my first cow cowl “in the wild”, as well as an apricot shirt from Stormont.

Gear:

The “round the tree” approach was taken to coats and belongings, but I didn’t want to leave my key there in case it got lost.

img_0810So I tucked the keys into my grey wrist band, and looped Cracker onto my watch strap.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

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It was a glorious bright autumn morning, with the sun glinting off the pyramid roof of Canary Wharf on the skyline, and I was singing along to Nicky Byrne’s “Sunlight”.

Time:

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I didn’t quite manage to sub 30 minutes, but I was first in my new age-category!

All my parkruns

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