Blog

Facilities

There are good facilities available at this parkrun. There is a car park close to the start line, though it is small, but there is a large car park about a five minute walk further away. There is a Dublin bus route to the park, which I found surprising given the rural location. There are also toilets available onsite.

Course

The grounds of Ardgillan castle are very pretty, with some well maintained flower beds and gardens close to the main house, and further away from the house are some nice green areas and woodlands. The run passes by all of these and starts and finishes at the main house. The run surface is mostly packed gravel but there are some areas with large loose chipping stones, which present a slight trip hazard. There are permanent distance and direction markers along the route which are quite useful. There is a fair bit of climbing on this run so this is not a run for a PB attempt, but it is this hill that adds a little interest to the run; after two laps at the bottom of the park, the last 200 metres or so consists of a tough climb up to the finish line at the main house. This is a real test at the end of the run.

Coffee

There is a coffee shop in the main house. The coffee was nice and there were some very interesting maps on the wall of a survey of Dublin that was was done in 1916. The café opens up to a garden at the back of the house which would be nice on a sunny day, but it was a little wet when I was there. Interestingly, there is also another cafe a few minutes away which is a dog friendly cafe, which is a good option if you brought along your dog for the run.

X Factor

One of the things that is really striking about this parkrun is the view. The grounds of Ardgillan castle are on an elevated site right next to the coast, so there is a nice view out east to the Irish Sea. I can imagine on a sunny morning that this would look quite spectacular with the rising sun. The grounds themselves are well maintained, and I think this would be a great place to go in the middle of summer with all the flowers in bloom. I was impressed also by the amount of people that cycled to this parkrun, rather than drive. Also, there was a good community aspect to this event, with a big crowd gathering for the post run coffee.

Facilities

This parkrun is easily accessible to local residents and is connected with a Dublin Bus service. There is a large car ark at the park, but with the large number of participants and other park users this car park fills up quickly. There are no toilets or changing facilities available at the park.

Course

The course is entirely paved with tarmac and consists of one big loop of the park, followed by a smaller loop. There are a few turns but these are well marshalled. The course is flat so this is a good place for a PB, though a few sharp turns may slow you down slightly. The park is divided up into a few different sections which adds a little interest and there are some nice big trees around, which I always admire.

Coffee

I had coffee in a shop on the way back from the park. It was nice.

X Factor

There is a large participation in this parkrun, which adds to the atmosphere. I was very pleased to be cheered on by some very enthusiastic volunteers throughout the course who encouraged runners to keep going with loads of shouts of support.

Facilities

This run is reasonably accessible. There is a small car park on site, which fills up pretty quickly. The park is on the outskirts of the town but is still within walking distance of a lot of local houses. There is no public transport within the town but there is a good bus service to and from Dublin and Cavan. There are no toilets available at the park.

Course

The run is made up of three and a half laps of the tarmac path that loops around the park. The tarmac surface makes for a fast run though there is a bit of a climb half way through the lap, which may mean you won’t achieve your PB here. The run is well marshaled but the course is pretty easy to follow anyway. The park itself is mainly grassland with a few small trees here and there. There is some good signage around the park of the history of the site. When the park was being cleared remains were found of some medieval settlements. This is detailed in the signs and is interesting to read. Finally, the river Blackwater runs alongside the far end of the park.

Coffee

There isn’t a cafe very near the park so I got coffee in a shop on the way back into the town centre. It was quite nice.

X Factor

A few famous names come from Navan, including Tommy Tiernan, Hector, and Pierce Brosnan, which is remarkable for a small place. There must be something in the water. There is a good field at this run which means it is competitive at all levels.

Facilities

This run is located on the Athlone IT campus and has ample facilities. There is a multistorey car park at the site and there is a bus service to the campus. There is also an intercity bus stop on campus. There are toilets available at the arena next to the run course and there is enough room in here for changing also, if required.

Course

The run starts out as a fairly ordinary couple of laps around some football pitches but once this is complete the course veers off to a cross country course at the back of the campus. This part of the run is hilly, going through a wooded section and an open section. The surface is mixed, running on grass around the pitches, and some concrete in places, with a gravel path in the wooded section and grass again in the open part of the cross country. The surface can get muddy and slippy in wet weather, but that adds to the excitement of cross country. However, this is not a run for a PB. The course has a lot of turns and loops but is well organised with a lots of marshals showing you the way.

Coffee

There is coffee available in a cafe in the student canteen building on campus, which is close-by.  The coffee was nice and reasonably priced.

X Factor

This parkrun is located right next to an indoor athletics arena. It is interesting to go in and have a look around. There are pictures on the walls of championships that took part there over the last few years with some very high calibre athletes.

Facilities

This parkrun is very accessible to local residents. There is a large car park at the park, though with the big crowd it gets quite full. Despite this being a rural parkrun, there is public transport to the park from Wexford town centre. Just note however that this needs to be arranged the day before. There are also toilets available near the start line

Course

The course is made up of three laps around the very picturesque grounds of Johnstown Castle. The course is mostly flat, and has a mix between tarmac and gravel surfaces. There are a lot of turns but the route is well signposted and there are distance markers for 3 and 4 k.

Coffee

The Peacock café is right next to the finish line in a pretty old courtyard. The coffee itself was a bit hot I thought but it was fine. Next to the café is a shop as part of the Irish Agricultural museum, and there are a lot of interesting books there on Irish history and the local area.

X Factor

This run is very well organised. The volunteers man the car park before the run to ensure that as many cars as possible fit in. There is a big participation in the run and an encouraging crowd with many shouts of support as you run around the course.

Facilities

This parkrun has ample parking available near the amenity centre and graveyard at the south side of the park. Shankill village nearby is connected by Dublin Bus and the park is surrounded by houses

Course

The course is all paved and quite flat, with a few 90 degree turns. A good place to attempt a PB. The end of the course is quite nice, with a long curved open path – like a race track. The park itself is mostly taken up with playing fields but there are a few small wooden groves at different parts of the park, which are nice.

Coffee

I had coffee in a local café after the run. The staff were nice and the coffee was quite tasty.

X Factor

There is a very enthusiastic run director at this run. The run is made up of three laps of the park and when you cross the start finish line he shouts out your time which is good to gauge how you are getting on. He also holds a group warm up before the run which is good to get the blood flowing.

Facilities

There is a small parking area next to the park which fills up very quickly. There is a church car park next to the public car park but I don’t think park users are allowed to park there. The park is accessible by Dublin bus and some nearby houses. There are no toilet facilities onsite.

Course

The course consists of three laps of the playing fields in the middle of the park. The course is paved all the way with a slight incline.

Coffee

There are refreshments provided at the finish line by the run organisers. Coffee and tea and homemade goodies are included.

X Factor

This is quite a plain park, but the home made refreshments at the finish line does give the event something special. The park is also at a slightly elevated site, which means that there is a bit of a view to the Dublin mountains, which is nice. Finally there is a lot of activity here on Saturday morning with teams of all shapes and sizes getting together for games.

Facilities

Lots of parking space available at this suburban event.  Accessible to local residents and by Dublin Bus.  No toilet on site.

Course

This is a two lap course with a small loop before the lap begins. A detached kind of place, with lots of trees and open fields.  The route is paved the whole way, but with a small climb at the end of the course.

Coffee

The organisers of this run provide refreshments at the end of the run from some local sponsors. I had a delicious fruit, I think it was a satsuma. Unfortunately though I couldn’t stay around for very long after the run.

X Factor

There is a big participation and volunteer support at this run. The refreshments at the finish line are also welcome.

 

 

Facilities

The car park is right next to the start line, but is small and is not big enough to accommodate the existing crowd of participants; there were a lot of cars parked out on the road. The run is located out from the town and has no public transport or toilet.

Course

The course is a figure of eight course with two laps. It goes through the woods and along by the lake. A fun and varied run, and very pretty but is located next to a large milk processing plant which detracts slightly from the atmosphere.

Coffee

Coffee, tea, and water are supplied by the organisers after the run at the finish line. This was very welcome on the cold morning that I was there.

X Factor

This is a good community run, with some fun rivalry at the top of the field. Also, I was impressed by a tradition at this event. Before the run starts each runner turns to the person next to them at the start line and wishes them good luck. I spent some time in the town after the run and found it to be a very welcoming place.

Facilities

There is not a lot of parking for this run, only along the side of the road next to the park. It is in the middle of the town, so there may be disc parking effective there, but as it is in the middle of town it is accessible for residents, and is close to intercity bus and rail.

Course

This is a very picturesque and varied run. The runs goes along manicured lawns next to the well maintained, centuries old castle, down paths into the woodland and past the lake. Also a fair incline at the far end of the park, which you have to cover three times, so the run is testing, but very enjoyable. The start of the run is not well organised, however, with no clear start line and slow runners at the front and fast runners at the back.

Coffee

There are an abundance of coffee options available after the run in the town centre. I had a very tasty cappuccino

X Factor

There is a big participation in this event and a good quality field, in a historic location, so this run has a lot going for it.