My 41st different parkrun course found me heading for the outskirts of Newport Pagnell to the North of Milton Keynes and the long anticipated Bury Field parkrun. Bury Field has had to wait a long time before finally starting up on the 6th November 2021 after having already gained provisional approval to start up prior to the first Covid outbreak of early 2020, but finding itself on the wrong side of the extended parkrun break which followed. I attended on the 5th event on the 4th December 2021, which was a chilly but dry morning, in short perfect conditions for this course. This is a single lap, cross country route made up of mostly grass trails, which can deteriorate in places to mud after a lot of rain. I understand from the event director they do have some alternative and or shortened lapped routes for when the weather is particularly bad. On the morning I visited it was dry, sunny and fairly calm, and this offered some very scenic views out on the field while out on course. It is the third parkrun in the borough of Milton Keynes, and being a cross country course, has a very different feel to Milton Keynes and Linford Wood parkruns. This is a fairly flat course and is fairly quick for a grass course, although probably not a PB course. You will want trails or hybrids here on wet days in Winter, but you could get away with road shoes on dry days most of the year. [I first visited this parkrun on 4th December 2021]
Difficulty
This fairly flat cross country course, there are a few inclines but nothing major and on the morning I ran it only really one muddy section on a gate between two of the fields. On the morning of my visit I would rate it as a solid 2 out of 5 for the terrain alone, but on a muddy day it would probably be a 2.5 or 3 out of 5. It's got nothing on a properly hilly course like a Wendover or a even a less hilly course like Rushmere. It was quite calm on the day we visited but winds here can be fierce so on a muddy, wet and windy day you'd easily be looking at a 3 out of 5.
Briefings
The visitor first timer briefing gave a very good description of the course, the main takeaway from which is that unless you are a quick runner and likely to be first finisher follow the person in front, it is a complicated course but it is very well signed and marshalled so you should be fine. Please check out my course description below if you are concerned. Also on the briefing was warnings that this is a cross country course so the ground is uneven and muddy in places, reminder to keep left on the gate between the two fields which you cross twice on the course. Plus warnings to give way to other users of Bury Field which may include horses, so slow down so as not to startle them. Most of the course (but not the far field) is visible from the start so most of what is being talked about in terms of course markers to look out for can be seen from the start. The main brief included a call out for volunteers (particularly as this is a new parkrun course and parkruns are entirely reliant upon people willing to volunteer), an invitation to check out the many cafes and shops in Newport Pagnell high street, as well as the usual parkrun rules and reminders. Both briefings are on my YouTube video at the bottom of this review.
The Course
This is a single lap course and basically you run in a clockwise direction roughly following the parameter of the main Bury Field (with a couple of detours into the middle of Bury Field), before leaving Bury Field through a gate into a neighbouring field at the North Eastern end of Bury Field, you then run clockwise around the neighbouring field, coming back along the River Great Ouse, until you come back through the gate into Bury Field heading South West and uphill into the centre of Bury field, before being directed left and South East and back to the start.
I've included a screenshot of the course to the right and have added some direction arrows to it, which hopefully give you an idea of the general direction of travel. While there are no actual crossovers on the course there a are a couple of points of the course where you come close to crossing over earlier parts of the course. Honesty it is a lot more straightforward to run than it is to explain or to see a representation of.
Elevation
According to my Garmin, there are only 16m of Elevation on this course, there are only two inclines to speak of, the first of which is from the start towards the middle of Bury field and the second is coming back into the middle of Bury Field from the second far field, which is towards the end of the course, apart from that it is as flat as you like.
Parking, Facilities and Coffee
Although there is car park immediately neighbouring Bury Field, parkrun ask that all visitors to this course please use the nearby recommended parking in Station Road car park just off the High Street at MK16 0AG, honestly it is not much farther to walk and is a good warm up. parkrun has to consider the local residents and businesses who we share our facilities with and the future of parkrun is dependant on keeping local businesses and residents happy. There are some public toilets in the High Street in front of Boots Chemist which is very near to Bury Field. There are numerous Cafes and Shops along the high street also. Cafe Latte and Out of Office are both recommended by parkrun.
Other Points of Interest
Newport Pagnell is a historic town dating back to at least the Doomsday book and the town is well worth an explore after the parkrun. For many years it was home to Aston Martin and the Aston Martin works can still be seen in Tickford Street which is within walking distance of the town centre and worth a visit if you like your cars. Tickford Bridge is Grade 1 listed and is one of the few remaining cast iron bridges to still carry modern traffic. St Peter and St Paul's church dominates the skyline of Newport Pagnell and the church can be seen from Bury Field, and is also not far from the town centre if you wish to pay it a visit. For more general information about Newport Pagnell check out the wiki page.
Summary
A very pretty and scenic cross country single lap course on the outskirts of Milton Keynes. It is reasonably flat and quick for a cross country course and the scenery is amazing. Newport Pagnell High Street is also a pleasant place to visit and while away an hour or two after you've run your parkrun. The core team is full of dedicated and enthusiastic runners who know a lot about the local running groups, races and events in the local area. It's very nice to have a third local event on my doorstep so I'll definitely be going back.
Links
Link to official parkrun site for this course - https://www.parkrun.org.uk/buryfield
My You Tube Video Review (Click Below):
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