Wormwood Scrubs parkrun

After quite a while, I am at a London parkrun venue, visiting Wormwood Scrubs parkrun for the second time. It has really been a while. If we discount Nonsuch parkrun as a non-London venue, then my last event in the Capital was Old Deer Park parkrun, exactly a month ago. And both were venues I had run already: the latest addition to LonDone goes way back to the very beginning of August, when I visited Ally Pally parkrun for the first time. Oh well, I like exploring and I am in no rush to finish LonDone: what I enjoy most is the journey, not reaching the destination fast.

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun was on my priority list because of its reputation of a very muddy course during winter. The other time I was here was also after a dry week, so I never experienced it in all of its slippery glory, but I can see how it could become challenging. I doubt it could be worse than Wimbledon Common or Roundshow Downs in London or Woking parkrun just out, but here you also have a lot of grass. And slippery grass can be even more annoying!

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun is not an event that is mentioned often when I see people talking about London parkrun venues or recommending where to go to short term visitors to the Capital. I can understand why it rarely features in the latter category: while it is a nice location and a great event, there are other more scenic or unique ones around London. On top of the that, as a cross country course, it probably does not work very well for tourists who want to go do something else immediately afterwards. However, it is a thoroughly enjoyable course with a great local team so I definitely think it deserves more popularity. Especially with how central it is, relatively to most other venues.

The location is interesting. An expansive and beautiful great area to the back of a very large hospital and a similarly large and imposing prison. As you approach the park, you have to drive/walk a street that is nestled between the two. Unusual, but once you enter the park the vibe will be completely different. And very familiar. I was surprised by how far the views can reach: from the right vantage point on the Northern side of the route, I could see as far as the Shard. Beautiful.

Anyway, enough with my rumblings. It’s time to dive into some more info about Wormwood Scrubs parkrun!

Trip to Wormwood Scrubs parkrun and parking

Wormwood Scrubs is a large green area closer to central London than you might think. Technically in Hammersmith & Fulham borough, the area is better known as White City. And its most famous landmark is probably the Westfield’s shopping centre. I am sure most people have been there: Wormwood Scrubs parkrun is not far from it at all. If you have been at the Hammersmith’s hospital, the event is right behind its main building, as it is behind HMP Wormwood Scrubs. A green oasis in a very urban location with plenty of things around it.

The closest stations are East Acton and White City, both on the Central Line. According to Google maps, the former is about 15 minutes walk from the meeting point, while the latter is about 25 minutes away. I suspect the walk will be more pleasant and involving less busy roads if you pick East Acton.

Given proximity to a major London hospital, several bus routes are also available and you can either check using a tool like CityMapper or follow the advise found on the official course page.

If you are planning to drive there, take into account how busy central London roads can get and traffic in the area can be substantial already around 8am. If you are brave enough to do that, driving here is not very complicated and there is a large car park minutes away from Wormwood Scrubs parkrun meeting point. When I checked the postcode above (found on the event page) on Waze, the app could not find it, but you can look for Wormwood Scrubs Carpark and it will bring you there via Du Cane Road in front of the hospital.

The car park is accessed by a relatively narrow gate, so larger SUVs or motorhomes might not be able to get through. While I saw no signs suggesting it, you can pay with the RingGo app and it is not very expensive.

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun: start and briefings

Meeting point and start line are about 350m away from each other at Wormwood Scrubs parkrun. As a result, the local team suggests to head directly for the start line if you are getting here after 8:55. I would probably say you should make it 8:50, just to be on the safe side. On the day I visited, after the run had started and nearly reached the meeting point area already, we reached a couple who had just arrived and was walking towards the start line. They just turned around and joined the group. Saved them about 300m, cheeky 🙂

The meeting point is at the edge of the large fields just North of the car park. If you are coming from the carpark, you just need to get into the park and get past the perimeter trees to see everyone. The First Timers briefing is held here, where the course is explained and people are welcomed.

After, everyone starts walking towards the start line, which is at the Southern edge of the park, by the prison’s walls. The Main Briefing happens here, with most people already lined up on the path and ready to go. The path here is relatively wide and numbers are not extreme, so it is unlikely there will be a lot of congestion when it is time to get going.

Once it is time to start, just turn 90 degrees facing the car park and wait for the timekeeper to say the words.

Finally, it comes: it is the countdown. 3, 2, 1.

Time to go!

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun course review – star ratings

Wormwood Scrubs parkrun course review – route highlights

There were 151 parkrunners on the day of my last visit to Wormwood Scrubs parkrun. Looking at their historical attendance levels, this seems to be one of the largest fields they have experienced, with a couple of other events above 150 in spring. In general attendance seems to be around 120-140 in worm months and 50-70 in winter. This major seasonality seems to support the reputation as a very muddy and challenging course when wet. It is not a busy venue, but at least when above the 100 mark, attendance is good enough to avoid anyone ever feeling lonely along the course, even if not going at a mid-pack pace.

Many segments of the run are on open fields, so wide-open allowing for easy overtaking. There are no real bottlenecks around the course where people are forced to go single file. The tightest turn is the one at the beginning of the woods section and even there you can probably overtake quite easily. The wood segment allows probably 3 people next to each other, so again, pretty comfortable. And I think the situation would not dramatically change if numbers were to increase by 50/100 people given course conditions.

Surface-wise, it is largely on grass. Some parts are open field, others are trails cut through the fields, with a mixture of beaten path and grass. On the day I visited, the grass was dry, but I am sure it can get very wet. Then there is a short woods segment on hard path, with some tree roots, but not particularly technical. On the day, I ran with road shoes and it was totally fine. But that’s because it was very dry. I have no doubt most parkrundays, trail shoes would be recommended.

Elevation-wise, at 30m elevation gain over 2 laps, it is hard to see Wormwood Scrubs parkrun as anything other than flat. However, there is one hill that accounts for most of that elevation gain. It is by the meeting point, so you attack it when you go back to the meeting point from the start. It is not steep, nor hard, so while you might feel it a bit on the second lap and on the third finish stretch, it is not something that will crush your pace. The way down from it is also pleasant and refreshing.

In terms of course design, it is fairly simple. 2 laps, with 350m added at the end to reach the finish funnel which is by the meeting point. Go around the main fields West of the meeting point and a detour towards the woods and through them. It is, and it looks, a bit wiggly, but it is very clear while you are running it. I think there are some similarities to Old Deer Park parkrun.

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

After the main briefings, everybody is already where they need to be to get going. Once it is time, get going on a wide grassy path running alongside the prison walls, which are barely visible at this point. You run towards the car park, which is partially shielded by a few trees. Once you reach the end of the straight, it is time for a 90-degree left turn. This starts the segment leading up to the meeting point. At the beginning, it is fairly flat, with trees on your right and higher grass on the left. Not long after the turn, the trees on the right move further away and it is time to cross a small field up to the corner of the larger field area where the initial meeting point was.

Once you reach the end of this first small field, keep going with the trees on your right and give a look at the finish funnel 50 metres to your right. Not yet, only the third time you pass here. The first two times, you need to keep going straight and cross the big fields. First, you head towards goalposts where plenty of people are going through football practice. Then you keep going heading for a copse of trees in the middle of the fields. Once you reach the trees, you pass by their right and keep going. At this point you have reached the top of the local hill and it is time to start enjoying some minor downhill.

Get past the trees and keep going towards the end of the fields. Once there, turn left and keep coasting the side of the fields. Turn left at the end and head back towards the other side of the trees that you mid mid-field before. Once you reach them, there is a short segment with trees on both sides before you turn hard right and start siding large fields again. This will be a relatively long segment, split in two halves. The first part is on a trail with mixed hard path and grass, the second will be along side the woods. Here the trail becomes narrower, but not narrow enough to create congestion.

At the end of the segment, take a hard 270-degrees turn left around a tree to enter the woods section. It looks quite beautiful here, with a wide path and nice mature trees on both sides. Half way through this segment, you come into the open again and run across a large children play here with machines and games on both sides. Shortly after it, turn left again for a short segment towards the centre of the fields. But it is not time to head back home yet! One more right turn will bring you further away from the finish towards the SW corner of the scrubs. Towards the end of this short detour you will have the best view of the gates of the prison. Which look quite nice actually. Or distinctive at least, I guess saying a prison looks nice is weird. Turn hard left in front of the prison and you are back on the long straight on the South side of the park.

This is the same straight where the start was. Half way through the straight, you reach the start and officially start your second lap. Do it all once again and you will be here. And there is no finish funnel!!! No, you have not been tricked, keep going until the start of the open fields area and turn right this time. There it is! 30/40 metres in front of you, the finish funnel in all it’s rewarding glory.

Congratulations on completing Wormwood Scrubs parkrun!

Facilities at Wormwood Scrubs parkrun

Facilities are fairly limited at Wormwood Scrubs parkrun. While there are a lot of playing fields and a couple of very nicely equipped children playing areas, there are no other built up facilities around the scrubs.

Some services and facilities can be found at the Linford Christie Sports Centre. This seems to be a pretty nice centre, providing an athletics tracks and fields. However, while it might come handy for mid-week track training sessions, it is not a fully equipped hub to serve famished parkrunners.

The official event page says nothing about toilets. After the event I went to the Linford Christie centre and there are toilets there, but I did not check if facilities were available before the event. The centre also hosts the recommended location for parkbreakfast. It is the local club house and as often is the case with club houses, it is fairly basic. You will get drinks and warm filter coffees/teas, but nothing more than that.

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 Old Deer Park parkrun, I ordered a Diet Coke and a Bounty coconut bar. This cost £2.1, which is definitely honest for what it was.

Wormwood Scrubs 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

A small event that is seldom recommended, I find it quite enjoyable and welcoming. However, I have not tried it in winter when I am sure it will provide a different, interesting challenge. With the last remnants of summer sun, though, I really enjoyed crossing the open fields and the views you could have.

Hopefully, people come over and try it, because it is definitely worth a visit. It was my second and I am sure I will be back again.

Finally, obviously, thank you, Wormwood Scrubs parkrun team for your hospitality, once again!