parkrun tourism: Jesmond Dene

Posted on May 5, 2024 by lindaharley

parkrun #372 event#99

Reason for visit: seeing the amazing Jemima Brown in a performance of award nominated Surge.

Access:

I’d never been to Newcastle before, and the journey was fairly straightforward. Well, a 7 a.m flight isn’t the easiest to negotiate, particularly with the frankly sub-standard public transport links to Aldergrove, but security and boarding were smooth and quick, and 40 minutes later we were touching down in “the Toon”. I was mightily impressed by the frequent, clean, and cheap Metro services to and from the airport, which took me (via the Jesmond stop) to Central Station, right across from the County Hotel, where I was staying. By 9 am I had dropped off my bags, done a recce wander, and by 11 I was sharing a cappuccino with darling daughter.

For Jesmond Dene parkrun, I got the metro back out to Jesmond. As it’s on the airport route, the service is quite frequent, about every 15 minutes on a Saturday, and the journey takes about 10 minutes. From the metro station, turn left, and walk all the way down Jesmond Road until you see signs for Jesmond Dene. It’s about a 15 minute walk. I got a 38 bus back into the city centre.

Facilities:

The briefing takes place near Millfield House, where there are loos and a cafe (and an ice cream van and a pets corner). When I visited there was a great market happening on Armstrong Bridge, where I enjoyed an iced latte and a granola breakfast cookie. Coats and bags can be left at the scanning area.

Course:

Oh my stars it is hilly! And has steps! And a resident puddle known as “Mr Puddle”. I’m pretty sure I also encountered Mrs Puddle as well as various Masters and Misses Puddles. But it is stunningly beautiful. Definitely no prams, and no dogs, though there were plenty of dog walkers around.

Crowd:

200 or so, I got chatting to a cow-legging wearer, and a local runner. But by the time I’d finished they had all disappeared, so I didn’t get much park-faffing.

Gear:

It was May 4th, so of course I had to wear some Star Wars clothing! I have an R2D2 dress, and Chewbacca/ Big Bang T shirt, so I wore them both. Black windproof leggings, parkrun world tourist cap, and had my cross body bag slung around me. Blue Hokkas that I’d travelled in, and was very worried about returning in, following my encounter with Mr Puddle. Dress code around here seems to be skirt the size of a hanky, and shoes like housebricks. (Not for parkrun, though. )

Strangely Appropriate Song On Shuffle:

I had no headphones with me, but was enjoying the birdsong in the trees.

Time:

I was very slowly jog walking, barely keeping ahead of the tail walker, so 51 minutes. Do I care? I’m out there taking some exercise in the fresh air.

And the Rest:

Well, I certainly made the most of my time in this friendly and scenic city! I managed to get a walk on the beach followed by fish and chips, charity shop bargain hunting, sipping a cocktail in a rooftop bar, an art gallery, science museum, castle, and of course as a bridge aficionado there are 7 unique and stunning ones to enjoy. Highly recommended!

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

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parkrun tourism: Montalto Estate

Posted on April 21, 2024 by lindaharley

parkrun#371 event#98

Regionaire Regained!

I’ve got a wee summer job (yay!). But it means I often have to work on Saturdays (boo). A couple of weeks ago I had a Saturday off, AND it was scheduled to be Montalto’s inaugural (yay!), But then along came Storm Olivia, and the whole estate was closed (booo). Last week they were able to have their inaugural, but I was working (boooo), but I did manage to make it to their event number 2 (yay!)

Access:

You need a car, there is no public transport option. We are currently a one-car family, and the real pinch point is that my husband needs the car each Saturday morning, where he has to be in Ballynahinch at 10 am. Handily enough, Montalto is just around the corner from the town, and those times aren’t too bad for a drop-off /pick-up for me, so I suspect Montalto Estate will become a common feature of my parkrun journey over the next few months. (On those Saturdays when I’m not working ). And as it’s dog friendly and has a great cafe, this will be no hardship!

Plenty of car parking, and it was being efficiently marshalled.

Facilities:

Super cafe, and you get to spend some time in the beautiful grounds afterwards if you aren’t rushing off. There are toilets in the courtyard, as well as in the next block along. There’s also an enclosed dog exercise area beside the car park, so Toby could have a bit of a meet’n’greet with the other pooches before setting off.

Course:

The estate is home to some charming views and gorgeous flora. But oh my it is HILLY! I was discussing with other parkrunners, and we reckon this may just be the most brutal course in Norn Irn. Brutal, but bootiful.

There’s a narrow funnel to get through before the start, and the paths are mostly gravel and not very wide. 2 laps, so there’s more room to choose your line on the second one.

Crowd:

There had been over 400 at the inaugural, with 250 when I attended. I’d expect it to level off at around 100. Lots of dogs, it’ll appeal to those who just want to take Fido for walkies. A few prams, bravely coping with those hills. And quite a few young uns. I spotted my first “bring back the stats” T shirt in the wild.

Gear:

I wore my 250 top, though the numbers are peeling off, warm trousers, cow cowl and headband. Toby was in a purple harness.

Strangely Appropriate Song on Shuffle:

I was listening to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest entries, and was inspired by Luxembourg’s “Fighter” as I struggled on the upward sections.

Time:

I was walking the ups and running the downs (though they are so steep that it was hard to make up much time on them) So 49 mins. Hey, it looks like I’ll be revisiting a few times, so I’ll get to improve on that.

All my parkruns:

NI (and other) parkruns: summary list

Filed under: Dogs, Parkrun, running | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »