This was my 66th parkrun, and I have now visited twice, because on my first visit back in June they were on an alternate course due to several months worth of flooding, so I wanted to visit again and do the regular course before I did my write up. Wycombe Rye is a long established parkrun dating back to 2012. It's been on my radar for some time but for one reason or another I never seemed to get here, which is a shame, because it is a fantastic parkrun. It's an out and back mixed terrain course with grass sections, gravel trails and tarmac and is fairly flat except for the famed steps (more on those later), which sadly don't feature on the alternative course. Wycombe Wye parkrun can be found at Wycombe Rye Lido and has it's own car park so it's quite easy to find.
[I first visited this parkrun on 8th June 2024 and revisited on 14th September 2024]
Bit of History
High Wycombe located on the River Rye is a historic town and is the largest town in the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. The town dates back to at least 970 and appears in the Doomsday Book. There was also a Roman Villa here and Mosaics and a bath house were unearthed at the site of what is now the Rye parkland. High Wycombe was a mill town in Medieval and Tudor times manufacturing lace and linen cloth. It was also an important stopping point between Oxford and London with travellers staying at the many taverns and inns in the town. The Rye parkland is to the east of the town centre and is home to an outdoor swimming pool and gym (the Rye Lido), and as well as playgrounds and sports fields, it also contains woodland walks along the side of the Dyke a section of open water used for fishing and boating.
Briefings
On my first visit I only caught the tail end of the main briefing due to some issues with the parking app in use on this carpark. No such issues on my second visit, as the carpark are now using RingGo, which is an app I am much more familiar with. The Visitor and First timer briefing gave a run through of the parkrun guidelines for new parkrunners, and a warning of roots underneath the treeline on the first field, and warning of a slippery path near the waterfall section near the steps. The main briefing covered the usual shout-outs for milestones and rules regarding under 11s and dogs, as well as a warning about the grass being slippery due to the early morning dew. Neither briefing gave much in the way of a course description, but fortunately the route is easy enough to follow, and there are plenty of regulars to follow on the way round this out and back course with a loop in the middle.
Regular Course
Essentially an out and back with a loop in the middle. You start in the middle of the playing fields on the grass, and head east back past the Lido and car park heading for the corner of the field, take a left turn and then another left turn into the tree line where you will join a compacted gravel path, following the perimeter of the field this path will eventually bring you to a tarmac path at the other end of the field, take a left turn and then shortly after another left turn to take you onto a path which follows the Dyke. Follow the path along the Dyke for quite a way, but before you reach the end of the path you will be directed onto another grass section, complete a clockwise lap of this next field, before taking a left turn back towards the Dyke. There are some steep steps here, some people elect to take the slope next to the steps instead. At the top of the steps it took me a good couple of hundred metres to recover and get back up to full speed. Essentially you now retrace your steps all the way back along the Dyke, across the top of the field, back onto the tree lined path, back around the far end of the field and into the finish funnel. Doesn't really feel like an out and back, feels more like a single lapper.
Alternative Course
Basically a cut down version of the main course, but cutting off the areas prone to flooding. It takes the Dyke footpath of the regular course but cuts off the second field and the steps, and instead of being a once out and back it becomes a twice out and back course. It takes a more direct route away from the Lido towards the top of the Dyke path, you then run the Dyke path all the way to the end, loopback at the end and trace your steps most of the way back to the Lido, before doing the entire course again. Slightly longer than the main course, due to parkrun rules that alternative routes need to be slightly longer to avoid everyone getting a PB due to being on a shorter course.
Difficulty
I would rate both courses as a 2 out of 5. They are both flat, and it is just the grass sections which add an element of difficulty to the terrain. The steps are tough, but they don't last long and shouldn't slow you up too much. The alternative course has slightly more elevation but less grass sections, the regular course is flatter but has more off road. I would say if anything the regular course feels easier, maybe because it feels much more like a single lap course and you don't have that feeling of having to repeat the course like you do on the alternative route.
Elevation
I measured 31m of elevation on the main course where you go up onto the Dyke path twice, and only 22m of elevation on the regular course with larger sections of the flatter fields. However the only obvious climbs are the steps on the regular course, and the sloped turn at the end of the Dyke patch on the Alternative course.
Parking, Facilities and Coffee
The Lido has it's own car park which is currently 50p for two hours, and you can now pay with RingGo, on my earlier visit it was operated by a less well known company and I had issues getting my parking sorted, but no such issues on RingGo. There are public toilets right next to the briefing area, and coffee is provided by the Cafe (Chill Coffee Shop) at the Lido. There are also playgrounds at the park, so this parkrun has everything you might need pre and post parkrun. You could even go for a swim at the Lido after your run because they do offer on the door pay as you go tickets (although they do recommend booking ahead if you can).
Other Points of Interest
On my first visit I bumped into Warren Bennett a work colleague, a regular at Wycombe parkrun and a member of Your Pace or Mine running club, we went for a coffee afterwards at the Chill Coffee Shop in the Lido building.
On my second visit, I bumped into none other than Cass Castleton who is a bona-fide parkrun legend, for those that don't know he has completed 9 parkrun Alphabets touristing across 23 countries to do so. I wasn't brave enough to introduce myself, but I did take a photo of his very impressive t-shirt. Also on my second visit I was also approached by a guy called John who recognised me from this blog and he introduced himself, we got chatting about parkrun touristing and parkrun in general so that was nice. Wycombe also have a peg board for token sorting, which is pretty cool.
Summary
A very pretty park, with the added bonus of the infamous steps to keep things interesting. It is a pleasant mix of grass and path, light and shade, open spaces and shady tree lined paths. It also seems to be a very popular parkrun with large attendances on both of my visits, and even manages to attract parkrun royalty (I'm looking at you Cass). I thoroughly recommend a visit here ideally in summer when it's not flooded, because it's a really great parkrun.
Links
Link to official parkrun site for this course: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/wycomberye/
My YouTube Video Review of this parkrun:
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