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 »
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