Millennium Country parkrun

Updated: Mar 24, 2023

Venue #23 took me to a relatively new parkrun at Millennium Country park in Marston Moretaine, which is a large village between Milton Keynes and Bedford. Millennium Country park is located within the Forest of Marston Vale, which is community forest on the site of a former brick-making site, one of the former clay pits has become Stewartby Lake, which you will be running around while completing this parkrun course. It's very pretty and an evolving open space which continues to be expanded over time. There is a Forest Centre which has a Cafe, shop, toilets, play area and bike rental. In summary this is a great location to hold a parkrun. The parkrun itself is a simple out and back around the lake. [I visited here on the 6th April 2019, for event #3]

Difficulty

This course is a 1 out of 5, being very flat and on a mixture of tarmac and trail (compacted gravel) paths. Although it can get a bit congested at the start it is still a fast and flat course with PB potential.

The Course

This is a simple out and back course around Stewartby lake and as it is not a complicated course, it is not covered in the first timer briefing, which instead focuses on information for first time parkrunners.

If you are a visitor then there is no need to attend the first timer briefing and instead a brief description of the course is covered in the main briefing. Both the briefings take place close to the start which is a short walk from the visitor centre.

From the start you are heading North West back past the path to the visitor centre, taking a short sweeping right and left and then continuing north west, after about 500m you'll be directed right to head roughly north, and you'll soon get your first glimpse of the lake on the right. Surprisingly the lake doesn't dominate this course, which remains under the cover of trees for most of the way round, but you will get the occasional glimpse of the lake on your right on the way out (and on your left on the way back). After another 500m you'll be taking a long sweeping right that you won't really notice, but you'll now be heading North East, after another 600m you'll find yourself at a slight right into a sweeping right, and you're now heading South East. At this point you'll need to stay left as you'll start to encounter faster runners on their way back from the turning point (get ready to high 5 any runners you may know) After 500m more you'll reach a footbridge, and finally after 300m you'll reach a marshal and a post. Round the post and head all the way back to the start.

Elevation and Terrain

With a total elevation of only 11m this is a very flat parkrun, with no noticeable inclines of any sort. It's hard surface all the way, so you should be fine in road shoes all year round.

Parking, Facilities and Coffee

Parking is £1 for an hour £2 for two, and there's plenty of parking, there are toilets open in the Forest Centre before the start. There's also a shop, a cafe, and a play area. This parkrun has everything you need.

Warning, if you come to this parkrun, you might bump into a fair few Redway Runners!

Other Points of Interest

There's some old equipment on display at the front of the forest centre. Presumably from the industrial days of this site.

Summary

A scenic and fast course with plenty of PB potential. Running surface is good, and it's sheltered meaning less threat of wind. I really enjoyed this out and back course, and loved the opportunity to high 5 some of my running buddies. A great addition to the parkruns available in this region. Oh and keep an eye out for horses, the course briefing warned runners to slow down to a walk if they see one. We saw this one after the finish, so they are around.