Wimpole Estate parkrun - event 507

On the 2nd November 2024 I ran the Wimpole Estate parkrun which was the 507th event held at the venue, my 209th parkrun and 130th different course I'd attended.

My cousin Nick messaged me a year ago saying that he'd been inspired by my parkrun exploits. He'd seen my Facebook posts and was just about to undertake his first parkrun at Soham Village College. We made plans to meet up and I was going to enjoy his home course with him, but his father-in-law passed away suddenly and he had to make an emergency dash to the Philippines in order to attend the funeral.

We never quite made those plans again as life once again got in the way, until a couple of weeks ago Nick got back in touch and brought the conversation back to the table.

Just as I had gotten with Cyclopark, Nick has developed a home run fatigue and wanted to try somewhere new. We both suggested Wimpole Estate as it was an event that I really wanted to do and he'd heard good things being relatively close to his home town of Newmarket.

So I travelled up early on Saturday morning with Kian in tow, who had requested to participate again after his first parkrun the week before. 

Who am I to turn down youthful enthusiasm and a travel companion?

The Wimpole Estate is a National Trust property and another parkrun venue that takes place on their grounds. Just like Erddig and Wakehurst Place, parkrunners gain free entry to the grounds, although there is a £2 charge for parking. So whilst we can enjoy the grounds and the admire the vast property of Wimpole Hall, we can't gain entry into the building or take a look around some of the other areas which are reserved for full paying guests (unless of course you have a National Trust membership)

From outside of the hall, which is a massive and very impressive looking building is a vast lawn which has far reaching views into the distance. Splitting the lawn in two is a  wide shingle drive way that leads up to the house and at the bottom is where the start of the parkrun event takes place.

When we visited, we ran the winter course. So I cannot tell you if the summer course takes place on the same spot. But before I arrived I only knew that the course was an out-and-back route that meandered around the estate. Looking at Google Maps satellite view I could see that it was made up of pathways, grass and a section in the woods where it was difficult to see due to tree cover.

In the 3D reality of real-life the course was a much more enjoyable affair and vastly more interesting than first thought.

There's perhaps a misconception that says, as it's a winter course, it must be an inferior course. But having now ran the winter course I'd go as far as to say that any course within the Wimpole Estate ground would be quite magnificent. The scenery and grounds are so beautiful that it will be a pleasurable experience whichever specification course takes place.

As it was, we head west from the start, along the drive way into the grounds of the estate. We had to divert off the main driveway through a marshalled gate to avoid the cattle grid before picking the drive back up again and following it around ever further into the grounds.

Via another marshall the course turned off the drive and onto a field where the route ran alongside a fence with cows grazing on the other side. They all looked up bemused as we ran on by and started to climb the hill towards the top of the course.

I had lost Kian at this point, but was pretty sure that was behind me. I wondered how he would get in with the hill as the course we visited at South Woodham Ferrers was virtually flat aside from a few little slopes to traverse different levels of the course.

Feeling my calves burning and screaming at me I avoided the temptation to a) stop and walk, and b) take a look behind to see whether he was in pain or not. But I made it to the top in one piece and felt relief at the change of surface underfoot 

The next section of the course was on nice firm paths and was a long gradual descent into the woods below. The field we ran through consisted of a crop of sorts which had been harvested and left bare so only the branches remained and recently being Halloween did have a slightly spooky feeling to it.

Running down the gradual hill was bittersweet, knowing that whatever speed we was running down it at, we'd have to run it again in reverse shortly after. Once at the bottom, we reached the woodland and turned left where the last section of the out-and-back would take us.

One of the beauties of an out-and-back course is it's social vibe. As people start to turnaround and head back towards you it gives you an opportunity to high-five people and cheer participants along. The first placed person started heading back towards us super early. So much so that I thought we were on a different course! But he was just supremely fast.

After reaching the turnaround point I came up against Kian who was just a little bit behind me. I thought maybe he'd be up ahead, but there was no way I was missing him dressed up in florescent pink shorts and matching t-shirt. You could see him a mile.away

Further along I managed to high-five Nick and give him some encouragement before having to give myself some running back up the gradual incline.

I kept telling myself it was only a little bit further and that once I was at the top it was only the big hill down the field to go. But I kept on going and seeing Kian overtake me didn't put me off my stride.

Eventually I'd made it to the top, made it back along the path and had the grass hill to go. Feeling bouyant or foolish, or both I bounded down the hill and made up plenty of time. You could tell by the distance I managed to cover on the people who were up ahead of me. Goodness knows what the onlooking downs thought of me boing boinging down the hill windmilling my arms as I went.

Once at the bottom, it was a simple case of following the route back it's conclusion and hitting the finish funnel which took place in the long shadows of the house.

I finished in 174th place out of a field of 319 participants in a time of 30:45. 

After we'd all finished and barcodes had been scanned we trotted off to enjoy the fine surroundings of a National Trust cafe and enjoyed a catch-up and a chin wag over coffee and sausage rolls.

Parkrun has been many things for me, but another one to add to the list is the opportunity it provided to meet up with family we don't see often and perhaps should. 

Sounds like the easiest thing in the world doesn't it, a meet up over coffee and cake, or sausage rolls. But it isn't always in a world of hectic lives and so thank you to parkrun for that.