Severn Bridge parkrun

The long weekend offered an opportunity to visit an evergreen, bucket-list worth landmark event: Severn Bridge parkrun. I am sure most people into parkrun tourism have heard of it. No need to explain why running on a major suspension bridge connecting two countries is appealing, right? Since about a week ago I decided to spend a few days in Bristol over the holiday weekend, I could not miss my chance to come here!

It seems like Wales has a tendency to whisper its call to me with the specific motivation of visiting unique, landmark parkrun events. The first event I joined here was Y Promenad, in Brecon, and it was definitely a great experience. Spoiler alert, Severn Bridge will not disappoint and shoot up to my secret list of top 10 parkrun events so far. Even if the weather turned up being awful. Because why wouldn’t it be on the one day it mattered, during a series of dry, warm sunny days?

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

Trip to Severn Bridge parkrun and parking

I doubt finding the Severn Bridge is going to be difficult. It’s big, white and it pops up along a motorway just outside Bristol, in case you needed a hint. So, I will focus on more prosaic details when it comes to reach Severn Bridge parkrun. First things first, the meeting point and start line are on the Welsh side.

According to the official event site, the closest train station to the meeting point is Chepstow. This seems to mainly serve a line connecting Cardiff and Cheltenham Spa. So if you plan to come from farther afield, you will have to coordinate some connections. Once you reach the station, the event site suggests hopping onto a local bus. If you prefer, google maps tells me it will take around 40 minutes to walk to the event meeting point. Or 7 minutes if you find a cab, no idea if Uber or similar services are available nearby.

If you are coming by car, the team recommends parking at Thornwell Football Club, which is where the postcode above will lead you. The car park is free and, while not huge, it offers a decent amount of space. Once you get there, you are about 5 minutes walk from the meeting point and the route is will signposted by the local team. Or just follow other parkrunners, as usual.

Since some people might come here from further afield, an hotel might be needed. Staying in Bristol or even Newport or Cardiff might be a better idea if you want to make a weekend out of it. Bristol city centre will probably be around 25 minutes from the meeting point in the morning. If not, there are two options either side of the bridge for an even more convenient location. I decided to stay at the Travelodge Severn View. It’s ok, basic but relatively clean and well located. From there, I think it took 7 minutes to drive to the recommended car park.

Severn Bridge parkrun: start and briefings

If you have left your car at the football club, exit the car park and turn right, heading downhill. At the first intersection, a yellow sign will tell you to turn left. No more turns after that and soon you will reach the famous tunnel under the motorway where Severn Bridge parkrun meeting point is. On a rainy day, a great feature to have!

Reaching the meeting point is an experience in itself. Not only because of the unusual tunnel feature and the number of excited tourists that are always present here. The graffitis on both sides of the underpass are worth spending a few minutes and a walk to admire.

When the time comes, everybody will then move to the other side of the tunnel for the usual briefing. And here, the usual briefing is a little less usual than in most other venues. First Timers and Main Briefing are held together and in one. Which makes sense given the number of tourists they must host most weeks and the fact that there isn’t much to describe about the course. The Briefing was lively and funny, with interactive clapping and booing when country crossings were mentioned. All in a good natured way, obviously. Right? 🙂

Once the briefing is over, everybody walks up the path to reach the bridge. Past the gates and a big motorway sign, everyone will stop and get ready for the main event.

Then, I heard the RD start the countdown. 3, 2, 1, go!. The party had begun.

Severn Bridge parkrun course review – star ratings

Severn Bridge parkrun course review – route highlights

There were 280 parkrunners on the day of my visit to Severn Bridge parkrun. This is on the lower end compared to recent attendance levels, but probably just shy of long term average. I visited on Easter weekend and weather was crap, so both factors might have contributed to a slightly smaller than usual local contingent. After all, if you are from the area, you have plenty of alternatives not to run on a suspension bridge when it is rainy and moderately windy. Usual attendance levels seem to be in a 300-350 range, with some occasional dips to or below 250. So a good core, with busier weeks. At this levels, it never felt too busy and besides the turnaround point, the path will always be wide enough to enjoy your run.

At least in theory, there are a couple of potential bottlenecks to be aware of. If you are reaching it in the middle of the field, the turnaround point might get slightly congested, since it can only use the usual width of the path. I doubt any slowing down will lose you more than a few seconds, anyway. Then, towards the end, everyone will need to get through the gates of the bridge path. They are not excessively narrow, but again, if you are approaching them as part of a big group, they could slow you down slightly. Besides that, it is easy, flowing running everywhere.

Surface-wise, the verdict is super easy. Road shoes or even carbon-plated shoes will be fine. It is all good quality tarmac. As it was raining, a couple of times it felt a bit slippery, but nothing dramatic.

Elevation-wise, 30m elevation gain over one out and back lap would usually be seen as fairly flat. In this case, however, I will call this mildly undulating. This is because since you are running on a long suspension bridge, the gradient is consistent if not steep. You start on what seems to be a flat but it is actually a gentle climb, then after passing Benchley peninsula, it gets slightly steeper. The turnaround point is after the centre of the bridge, so you will have a little bit a short climb on the way back too. To end on a strong note, the last 50m or so are on a steep(er) downhill. Don’t be fooled by the description though, this is still a good candidate for a fast time, if not an absolute PB. For that, you might want to go to Battersea parkrun.

I doubt I ever described a less controversial course layout. Run in a straight line, turn around, run in a straight line. In this case getting lost is impossible, unless you fancy a swim or turning into roadkill. And I doubt either option will be appealing.

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

Once everyone has walked up and the volunteers have confirmed that the route is clear, it is time to go. As said above, the path is wide enough for people to spread around nicely and I did not experience any congestion even at the start. The first segment leads to the Wye bridge section and it did feel flat to me. Apparently it wasn’t, with a very light positive gradient. After a short section on land, it is soon time to cross the Wye, with the first river landscapes.

I will admit my ignorance in not knowing that this is where we cross the border between Wales and England, I expected it to be in the middle of the Severn, but it is in the middle of the Wye instead. A couple of twin flags sign where the border is, I assume. That also means that while start and finish funnel are in Wales, the vast majority of the route is in England.

The Wye section is not long, so you are soon over land again. Crossing the short peninsula section won’t take long and you can start admiring the Prince of Wales bridge on your right. Once you are over water again, this time it will be the Severn itself and gradient will start getting slightly steeper. If it’s windy, it will start getting windier from here.

It won’t be long before you will approach the first suspension cables and then head for the closest steel tower. It’s an imposing structure to run by. After you pass it, it’s a matter of climbing in a straight line to the centre of the bridge and then going down a little further than that.

The turnaround point will be just before the second steel tower. Get there and it’s time to go back. Unfortunately, the short descent you had just enjoyed is now a mini climb on tired legs, but it won’t take long. After that, you now have about 2k of gentle descent to bring you home the same way you came from.

When you get back into Wales, keep going towards the start line. After the start line, this time you will need to retrace the steps you took walking earlier. Get through the gate and then turn left to go down the steeper path surrounded by vegetation. At the bottom, turn 90-degrees right and the tunnel is in front of you.

Sprint-finish to the middle of the tunnel, where the funnel will be there waiting for you.

Congratulations on completing Severn Bridge parkrun!

Facilities at Severn Bridge parkrun

Not much in terms of facilities in the immediate vicinities of Severn Bridge parkrun. The event site mentions toilets at the football club, but also says that they are not available for parkrunners at the moment.

If you need a drink, a coffee or toilets before the event, your best bet might be the service area along the motorway just before the bridge, if coming from the England side. Where the travelodge is. A small supermarket, a Costa Coffee and toilets are available there 24/7.

There is a cafe by the tunnel, on top of a little hill. Left picture below, the outside seating area on the terrace must be great on a good day. However, I got lost and could not find the way to it. So I just resorted on the little Tesco for a drink and fresh pastries before driving back to my hotel.

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 Severn Bridge parkrun I just went to Tesco, so I will not include for lack of comparability.

Severn Bridge 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

Severn Bridge parkrun has achieved the status of a landmark, bucket-list event. And it deserves it. It is unquestionably a very unusual, unique event and it not only takes place in beautiful, scenic surroundings, but it is also a lot of fun. The team is extremely welcoming and a special atmosphere is set from the get go, with the special meeting place and the incredible art over there.

I hope I might be back here again one day, who knows.

Finally, obviously, thank you, Severn Bridge parkrun team for your hospitality! May we meet again.