Canons Park parkrun (#133)

This week, I went for my second consecutive attempt to visit Canons Park parkrun for the first time. Last week I arrived at the venue to find out it has just been cancelled due to icy conditions. No reason not to believe the team did not take the right decision, but still, I was a bit sad about it. The team suggested we could try a last minute mad dash to Harrow parkrun. It is a nice venue I had visited quite recently, but unfortunately it was late for me.

Moral of the story: check last minute news about parkrun cancellations, you never know what might happen. I do check on Friday evening and early on Saturday before going out, but even then, things can change last minute, especially in winter. Oh well, it happens. I did get my entry fee refunded on the day. No questions asked.

The second time, it worked like a charm, with a gorgeous park waiting for me and an excited team ready to welcome us. There was a particularly large group of genuine first times, which always make you feel good about how parkrun can bring people back to exercise and fresh air.

I am now done with all venues in North West London, so all that separates me from the LonDone status is one South-East venue and most of the North East venues. I will have to venture into those far away lands eventually, I wonder if I will need to bring my passport with me.

Let’s dive into some more info about Canons Park parkrun, then!

Trip to Canons Park parkrun and parking

Canons Park sits at the North-Western edge of London, in Harrow. It is an area with several nice events, including one of my favourite, Sunny Hill parkrun just to the South. But, since I come from Wimbledon, it is pretty far from me, so getting there takes some planning and choices.

In theory, this is one of those venues where you can get out of the tube and get to the start line after a (very) quick stroll. This works for anyone on the TFL network obviously, your starting locations will only impact how many changes you will need and how long the trip will take. The station is Canons Park, which is served by Jubilee Line.

You can check your options on an app like CityMapper. It is very good, by the way… and this is not a sponsored message, who would sponsor my tiny blog? 🙂

In my case, originating from SW London, a trip using TFL would require getting to Central London and then going back out, for a trip time of approximately 75/80 minutes. This is about 15 minutes longer than it takes by car when going there and about 5/10 minutes faster than what it takes to come back after the event. Just sitting at the ‘indifference flex’ of my decision curve, meaning laziness is likely to win. And it did indeed win.

If you are driving, Canons Park is fairly close to the North Circular, so local roads will feature too much if you can get into the motorway network early on. For me, it was a matter of reaching Ealing and then getting into it.

A very large car park is available behind the tube station, half way to the park gate. It is definitely larger than what it needs to accommodate on parkrunday mornings, so you can be sure there will be space. The downside is that it is priced as a park-and-drive terminal, with the only option being full day payments. So even if you only stay for a couple of hours, you will have to book a full day and pay £6.1 pounds for the pleasure.

From the parking, you get into the park in less than 1 minute and then after about 5 minutes walking in straight line you will be at the meeting point.

Canons Park parkrun: start and briefings

The meeting point is towards the Northern end of the park, tucked away in a small clearing surrounded by beautiful mature trees. In front of it are the enclosed King George V Memorial Gardens. They are worth a look and easy to miss if you come and go without walking around a bit.

Volunteers meet on the steps of a little temple thingy (pictured above) which I am sure comes very handy when it rains. There is also a small single-person toilet nearby, if you urgently need it.

The New Runners briefing is in front of the temple-thingy and this week it was overwhelmed by a large number of genuine new joiners. I wonder if it still a positive after effects of NY resolutions, but whatever the reason, it is great to see. I saw the same at Gunnersbury parkrun two weeks ago. The route is ridiculously simple, so what the team seems to be concerned about here is to remind everyone that they will not count laps for you. So only come to this event if you are able to count up to 3. Fair warning.

The main briefing happens in front of temple-thingy, with the ED standing on it for effect and to instill an aura of respect and fear among the unruly crowd of parkrunners. As a (slightly) smaller events for London standards, the team exudes a feeling of familiarity and they are extremely welcoming, adding to the experience.

After the short briefing, it is time to walk to the start line, which happens on the path 20/30 metres in front of the briefing spot. It is a narrow path, but this is not a large event, so congestion will be a thing only for a few seconds.

And then, suddenly, it is time to go!

Canons Park parkrun course review – star ratings

Canons Park parkrun course review – route highlights

There were 171 parkrunners on the day I visited. Looking at historical results, it looks like attendance here bounces up and down a bit, but it tends to be pretty stable within a 150-200 range. It is a good number, not overwhelming and not so small that someone with social anxiety might feel too exposed. Also, for a 3-lapper you don’t want too have too many people or it risks turning into a stampede.

There is only one potential bottleneck on this route. Just before finishing each lap, there is a short section on the pavement where you can meet people more easily. After negotiating passers-by, you turn sharp-left back into the park and have to avoid some barriers: nothing concerning, but if approaching that point with a large group, you might have to slow down for a second or two.

The left section of each lap is on paved, tarmac paths. I found them in good conditions and there were no potholes or puddles I can remember. I also never had to step out of the paths to overtake, which would have been fun given the large amount of mud I could see there. Then there is the long(ish) straight running along the right side of the park. This is a nice stretch of woodland run on hard paths. It is not paved, but they are excellent paths and I found no muds or exposed roots here either. I guess hailing from the Wimbledon quicksands might skew my perception a bit, perhaps.

Elevation-wise, according to Strava Canons Park parkrun nets 28m of elevation gain over 3 laps. The total elevation is similar to what I experienced 2 weeks ago in Gunnersbury Park, but here it is 1/3 of it repeated 3 times, so gradients are barely noticeable. You can feel initial section is on a negative slope, and it is nice. The climb? Yeah, it’s there, but it is barely noticeable except maybe for a very very short bit at the beginning of the woodland section.

In terms of course design, it is extremely simple: 3 laps around the edges of the park. The landscaping and wiggling around the Memorial Gardens and the playing fields make it feel different enough not to be boring. It does not feel like you are running around a football pitch, don’t worry.

A quick Relive route plot is on my YouTube Channel, with longer video highlights embedded below.

When it is time to start, it is a short walk to the path, where everyone lines up 3-4 abreast. It might seem the line gets long, but it is ok. In a matter of 4/5 seconds everyone will be past the official start line, so no need to worry about major time penalties. Nothing even remotely comparable to the ordeal that Fulham Palace parkrun can be, for example. The path is the same you walked to get here from the car park, just heading South.

The first few metres after the start you are running South alongside the walled garden, then it opens up to the main green area of the park. It is downhill, enjoy it in moderation because as we all know well, what goes down will have to go back up. 3 times.

A few metres before reaching the park gate you entered from, it is time to turn left and follow a long gentle turn that will bring you around the fenced rugby and hockey pitches and down along their side all on the side of open meadows. Once you reach the end, you are also at the actual edge of the park and have to turn left again. It is a short segment before you turn left again and come running back up North, starting to enjoy the hard path. It is not muddy, no worries. It will be another 100/150 metres alongside the meadows before its time to turn slightly right and start the long straight in the woodlands.

The trees are mature and lush, I think it must be quite nice in spring and summer. The path is large enough for 3 people to run abreast and the path is clean and even. In a way, you get the trail running visual impact without the pain of actual trail running. No mud, no roots, very minor elevation. But yeah, it is moderately uphill. It is mostly straight, with a few minor twists and turns until you reach the end.

At the end, it is time to turn left again on a narrow pavement on the side of an open street. No real traffic hazards, but parked cars and pedestrian were there, so pay attention and be considerate. It is a very short segment, probably less than 50 metres, before it is time to turn left again and get back into the park.

Here we will be running along the East and South walls of the Memorial gardens. Short run South before turning right for once and run along their South. At the end, you will meet many volunteers and you will be done with your first lap. Turn left, and start the second and third ones.

At the end of the third lap, it is time to turn right at this same spot instead of left. The funnel will be probably 20 metres away, so if you want to go for a sprint finish, prepare it or start it before turning.

The funnel is short and efficient and the team will be great welcoming you back.

Congratulations on completing Canons Park parkrun!

Facilities at Canons Park parkrun

Canons Park is beautiful, with a lot of well tended green area and landscaped gardens. It also offers plenty of sport fields for locals and it seemed to be very well attended by kids training for hockey and rugby on parkrunday morning. That said, other facilities do not seem to be present in abundance.

The cafe is (temporarily?) closed. There are posters asking people if they want to take it over, so I assume it will come back eventually.

As far as toilets are concerned, there is a (single, dark) toilet by the start. You also have to leave the door semi-open to get some light in, so privacy is not 100%, but not a huge deal. At least it is there. There is a poster saying that it is temporarily closed, but it was open on the day I visited.

As a competitor to the McDonald’s index, I am continuing to collect data for the parkbreakfast index: how much is breakfast at each location?

At Canons Park parkrun, I could have gotten away with no cost (bar a voluntary donation) taking advantage of the tea and coffee offered by the local team. But I am a spoilt brat, so I walked to the little parade by the station and found Canons Cafe. There, I ordered a single espresso, a diet coke and a lemon muffin. Yes, that thing is an artfully cut lemon muffin. No idea why, I thought the did it to justify some crazy price, but it was not the case. This cost £5.8, which is quite honest considering average London prices.

Canons Park parkrun: Video Highlights

As usual, I’ve taken a few video snippets during the run to give an idea of the course. If you like it, please subscribe, it’s a fun past time for me 🙂

The other parkrun videos on my YouTube channel are all linked on the course review and video highlights summary page.

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Achievements and performance

Conclusions

I enjoyed my visit. It is a nice park with a tight, enthusiastic team. The route is simple, but it offers enough twists and different views not to be boring. Which is quite a feat for a 3-lapper.

It is pretty far away for me, so I don’t think I will be back necessarily, even though I would love to see it in spring or summer. Maybe, who knows… never say never, I might leave in North London one day.

And obviously, thank you, Canons Park parkrun team for your hospitality!