New Years Day Double #1 took me to Luton Wardow a pleasant three and a bit lapped route around Wardown park on Luton. Nice views of the lake, several bridges, an old farmhouse and gardens which is now a museum and art gallery. Assembly point is the old boathouse next to the main bridge over the lake. [I visited here on 1st January 2019]
Difficulty
This is a 2 out of 5, it's fairly flat but with one inclined section up a slightly muddy track as this occurs in the 'and a bit' part of the course you do this slightly muddy incline four times in total. Otherwise the course is fairly flat and relatively straightforward.
Course
When you arrive at the park you will see people milling around the boat house next to a bridge, this is fairly central in the park. The briefing takes place here before a short walk south to the starting point.
From the start you head back up the path towards the boat house, you'll pass the boat house on your left and bridge on your right and you'll keep running north following t he lake on your right. When you reach the top of the lake, you'll be directed right and up a slightly muddy/grassey track into a wooded area in the direction of the museum. You will then pass the museum on the left and the finish area on the right, before taking a Right turn, you'll then sweep right and right again before encountering a marshal and some bollards decorated in hi-vis. After the bollards it's a left, left, right before a straight Section heading south. The path sweeps gently left and then gently right passing a playground on the right. Then you take a right turn over a footbridge, back into the open, you'll sweep right past the start area and head back towards the boat house this time passing it on your right. You Have completed lap one. You now complete the same circuit three times. After completing three laps you head up the muddy incline for the final time towards the finish near the museum.
Elevation and Terrain
This course is fairly flat and almost entirely tarmacked. There is a short grass/mud incline which you have to do four times but you'll be safe here on road shoes pretty much all year round. There is a total climb of 111ft according to https://jegmar.com/stats-hq/fastest-races/parkrun/ which places it at 293rd flattest out of the 519 parkrun courses they have ranked.
Parking, Coffee and Facilities
There are two car parks at the North End of the park, next to one another but also inaccessible from another. The postcode LU2 7HA gets you close to but not fully at either car park. The Museum carpark can be reached from New Bedford Road (The road to the west of the park. The carpark for the Luton Town and Indians cricket club can be accessed from Old Bedford Road (The road to the east of the park. I was a bit late so the car park I arrived at was full. I parked in a nearby residential street. Toilets and post parkrun coffee are both to be found at the Cricket club. I had no time to stay, because I was headed for parkrun number 2 of the day at Cassiobury.
Summary
A pleasant and friendly course around a park and lake with a nice mix of open wooded sections. I can see me visiting here again someday.
Links
Here is a video of this parkrun which I found on Youtube:
Here is a link to the offical website for this parkrun:
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