parkrun #208 event #49
It had always been my plan to use the lighter mornings in spring and summer to tick off some of the Irish parkruns that are about an hour – hour and a half away from me. Living south of Belfast, and close to the motorway junction, the journey to Oldbridge, Drogheda, was very straightforward, and on a balmy May day, was very pleasant indeed.
Access:
The event takes place in the Oldbridge estate, site of the Battle of the Boyne.
So there are plenty of brown tourist signs guiding the way. My trip took me over the fabulous Mary Macaleese Bridge, and you will need euro coins for the toll (1.90 at time of writing. Notes are accepted also). There’s plenty of car parking. It was a little late starting the day I visited due to an Orange March, but I gather this is a once a year thing.
Course:
The course is mostly grass underfoot, so it can get slippy, and trail shoes would be a good option.
It starts down near the wooden triangle huts, runs up to and in front of the big house, up a short sharp incline, along a ridge, into a field for a lap, back along the ridge and down the incline, and a few more field laps, with no repeated sections. Finish is close to the start, and you can leave keys in a bag, coats and water bottles under a tree where the scanning takes place. All the junctions are well marked or marshalled.
There are some fabulous old trees in the estate, so there is occasional shade, but a lot of the course is quite exposed. I can imagine during the winter it is a testing course. Fantastic views of the suspension bridge!
Facilities:
Ther are nice clean loos in the car park, and a cafe on site, though runners are asked to change out of grassy shoes if they are going indoors.
Crowd:
Typical numbers are about 100, mostly youngish. There were a few other dog runners there, I don’t think the course would be easy for buggies or wheelchairs. I didn’t get a chance to stick around afterwards, but everyone was friendly and chatty at the start.
Gear:
It was a warm morning, over 20 degrees even at this time of day, but with a bit of a breeze. I was glad I’d opted for the sleeveless apricot shirt and calf length trousers. My garmin died half way round, and I wasn’t using headphones.
Time:
Minnie was struggling in the heat towards the end of the run, so we tucked in just over 30 minutes. Don’t worry, we’ll be back some time and I can snatch a PB!
All My parkruns:
Filed under: Ireland, Parkrun, running | Tagged: Oldbridge, parkrun tourist | 1 Comment »
This of course means that’s there is a sneaky hill hidden behind that clump of trees over there. And you have to do it 3 times. But it’s a wide flat path, and speedy runners will find they can get a good time here. Start and finish are in the same general area. I adored the swans, the daffodils, and the lovely trees. A really pretty park, no wonder it’s a popular spot for locals.
I bumped into old friends from past Summer and Winter Schools, including one who’d stooged for me in my Unit 3 exam! And I even had a spare hour or so to mooch around the delightful Kelvingrove Museum, and enjoy the organ recital.
For leaving your jacket etc beofre the run, many opted for the time honoured “hang it on a fence” tradition, and one of the volunteers had a basket at the start line to collect any discarded coats and belongings.
I could be critical and say it’s a bit boring, you definitely have to dig deep and “just keep running!”, and I’d wished I’d brought some headphones so I could have some music or a podcast.
It’s a dead flat all tarmac course, so very accessible for buggies and wheelchairs. I saw a couple of doggies (Hi Maggie!) and a blind-guide running pair, and I was in the tailwind of a lesser spotted 100 parkrun jacket most of the way. There were some pacers, and some “walk a minute run a minute” guides as well.
It’s also very fast – there were 3 sub-17 times on my visit, and the course record is an astonishing 14:37.
giggling at the plastic dinosaur in the nativity display at York Minster, going to the Cilla show at the Grand Opera House,
Dancing At Lunacy 