My 45th different parkrun course, found me heading back to Oxford and the very new and very pretty University Parks Parkrun (who were on event 7 on the morning of our visit). The parks are owned by the University of Oxford, and have been home to many sporting activities since they were first laid down in 1864. Over the years they have played host to Cricket, Rugby, Hockey, Lacrosse, Tennis, Croquet and now parkrun. As well as being intended for Sports and Recreation the parks were also designed from the start to be an arboretum and the first trees were planted here in 1865, for more info on the parks see here: https://www.parks.ox.ac.uk/home.
It is certainly a stunning and very pretty venue for a parkrun with lots to take your interest and distract you from running while you complete the parkrun. This parkrun definitely lives up to the description of being another fast and flat parkrun with definite PB potential. In a lot of ways it reminded of Bushy parkrun which I ran a week earlier, which is another beautiful and well laid out park. University parks are obviously smaller in scale to Bushy Park and as a result it is a two lap course, but it has the same sort of feel to it and it's a great course, highly runnable and great time are possible here. It's still a big park though and if parking in the recommend parking location a few streets away from the start you need to allow a good 15 minutes time to get to the start which is a fair way from the entrance to the park. I do recommend you consider park and ride however as the parking in the recommend area was over £8 for two hours of parking.
[I first visited this parkrun on 26th March 2022]
Difficulty
This course is a 1 out of 5. With only 12m of total elevation this is easily one of the flattest parkruns you come across. It takes place all on footpaths and hard surfaces so very good times are possible here. I set a new overall parkrun PB when i came here.
Briefings
Another very friendly and enthusiastic core team. The visitor and first timer briefing gave a good description of the two lap anticlockwise course with lots of marshals and arrows o follow, as well as the usual guidelines for new runners. Quite a few tourists were present today as is often the case with new parkrun course's, there was also a call out to Jeff/Geoff a 91 year old parkrunner, who was running this parkrun today.
The Course
Two anti-clockwise laps of the park, it's quite a straightforward route. Heading out roughly west from the start along North Walk following the perimeter of the park and passing the cricket pitch on your left. At the end of the park you take a sweeping left turn onto West Walk, and then shortly after another sweeping left onto South Walk. You will soon come to a sharp left turn, which takes you onto Thorn Walk which takes you into the centre of the park, halfway into the park you will be directed right and then right again, to head South along Oak Walk and back towards the perimeter of the park, at the end of Oak Walk, is a left turn which turns you around to head North back toward the start, coming to a river on your right which you follow until you get back to North Walk and Lap 2... Lap 2 is the same as Lap 1, but when you leave the river for the second time you will come to a sharp left turn taking you to the finish.
Elevation
12m of elevation is practically nothing, I can't remember any significant incline on this run at all. Another fast and flat route with PB potential.
Parking, Facilities and Coffee
We parked in the on road parking at St Giles Street OX1 3JS, which is only a couple of streets away from the park, but as I mentioned previously I recommend park and ride because while where we parked was reasonably convenient for the start it will set you back over £8. There is cheaper parking to be found at Westgate car park (OX1 1TS) but this is 2km away. There is a toilet block in the park itself which is fairly close to the start finish area and is open before the start. The post parkrun coffee is a few streets away from the park in the Common Ground Café, Little Clarendon Street. I can't say what it's like as we had to get back to MK.
Other Points of Interest
There are no less than seven giant sequoias around the park which were planted in 1888. The High Bridge is quite interesting (also called the rainbow bridge due to the shape) see photo below, which you pass by towards the end of the route. The bridge was built in 1923–24 as a relief project for the unemployed. Apparently there also used to be male only nude bathing area in the park at Parson's Pleasure, which was open until as recently as 1991. Outside the park itself there are a lot of historic and interesting buildings in the immediate vicinity.
Summary
A very fast flat course with PB potential, a very pretty park with lovely scenery while you make your way round the park, a friendly core team and you could always combine it with a trip into Oxford itself. I highly recommend visiting this parkrun, just research the parking locations and charges before you go.
Links
Link to official parkrun site for this course - https://www.parkrun.org.uk/universityparks/
Link to more information about University Parks - https://www.parks.ox.ac.uk/home
My YouTube Video Review of this parkrun: