Squerryes Vinery parkrun

Time for some parkrun tourism.

Matt and I were planning a long run on the trails near Westerham. As it was a Saturday we planned to take in a parkrun first. I had never heard of Squerryes Vinery, but I will never forget it now.

Set in the most scenic of environments it is only a stone's throw from the M25, yet a world away. Helped by the blue skies and sunshine it shimmered in the morning light. Vines, still bare, were strung along the field by the start and bright green crops beyond hinted at the abundant grape harvest to come.

The Run Director welcomed visitors and first timers before briefing us on the course. His delivery was both helpful and funny and created an great atmosphere. 

At 9am we set off with thousands of other runners around the UK. The ground was hard and rutted as we passed through the vinery and out into the first field. It was already very warm and those wearing long sleeves were soon regretting it. 

After a loop of the field we crossed a small bridge into a second field. A loop of this led us back across the same bridge to the first field for another lap. It was then a sharp turn back into the vinery and across the finish line.

We took it easy, but I was pleased to encourage a young boy to push hard at the end and later saw he had managed a PB. Despite not running hard we managed a respectable 20th and 22nd out of 121 runners. 

This was one of my favourite ever parkruns and that's from 294 that I have done. The weather played a part and the location was stunning. The atmosphere was very positive and there was a wide range of ages and abilities present. The RD made us laugh and at the end we could stop for a coffee in the on site Brewery where beer was for sale. What more could you ask for?

Well maybe unexpectedly bumping into a friend you haven't seen for months. I couldn't believe it when Martin - a fellow runner, member of the 100 marathon club and my colleague at MAF - appeared. Of all the places...