South Oxhey parkrun

Last parkrunday, I stayed within the M25 for the first time in a while and I visited South Oxhey parkrun for the first time. Quite a change in scenery compared to recent parkrun tourism destination, all on or along the coast. But after barely surviving the hill at Bevendean Down parkrun last week, I was looking for something easier and closer to home. Latter was a check at South Oxhey parkrun, but the former? Let’s just say that it is not as flat as I hoped, but it is manageable. By comparison at least.

After so many weeks visiting very scenic events I was a bit concerned a 3 lapper around the fields would be underwhelming. However, I have to say South Oxhey parkrun surprised me positively. It reminds me a bit Old Deer Park parkrun, but it has a few additional features that make it interesting and enjoyable. The little climb, the long descent and some forest crossings made sure 3 laps were a pleasure. And the small enthusiastic team was as incredibly friendly as the guys from Kingston. Small events have a edge there.

It was not a spur of the moment decision, the visit had been on my planner for a while. I have been two locations away from achieving LonDone+ for a while and a few weeks ago I sat down and try to find out on which day I could visit South Oxhey parkrun and also progress on some other challenge. Turns out, event 541 would give me a missing prime number, so that was a lock.

I still don’t know when I will visit the last missing one, Gunpowder. Another long drive around the M25, maybe I could join the Guy Fawkes semi-celebrations there. It’s a recurring theme every year after all.

This visit also progresses my coverage of Hertfordshire further. I am only at 11/18, so it will still be a while before this county can join the Regionnaire Hub. One step at a time.

Anyway, enough with my rumblings. It’s time to dive into some more info about South Oxhey parkrun.

Trip to South Oxhey parkrun and parking

The event takes place within South Oxhey Playing Fields, a former golf course not far from the centre of Watford, Hertfordshire. Since this is a LonDone+ event, the location is within the M25, benefiting from London’s road network and, to an extent, the TFL network.

According to the official event site, the closest station is Carpenders Park. This is a TFL overground station, serving the ‘Lioness’ line, which connects Watford Junction to London Euston. Once you get there, you will be 0.6 miles walk away from South Oxhey parkrun’s meeting point. According to Google Maps, it’s a 15 minutes walk, so very much doable if you are coming from London.

If you are driving to South Oxhey parkrun, you will have a fairly easy trip at least on the way there. Watford is extremely well connected to the London motorway system and it is easy to reach from most corners of the South East. Just bear in mind that leaving mid morning after parkrun will likely be a nightmare, because many of these motorways tend to turn into a gridlock around that time. The postcode above will get you to the Pavillon car park, a decent size car park that can accomodate more than enough cars to serve this small event.

The car park is free and it is just a minute walk away from the Pavillon and the entrance to the playing fields.

South Oxhey parkrun: start and briefings

As you leave the carpark, head for the small gap in the Pavillon buildings straight opposite the way you came from. Walk through the cap and after 10/15 metres you will be inside South Oxhey Playing Fields. Immediately in front of you, there is a grass clearing on the corner of a large green expanse. This is where South Oxhey parkrun’s meeting point is.

This is a small event, so people will gather slowly. The local team is also very friendly and welcoming, keen to have a chat and make newcomers feel at ease. When it’s time, the First Timers’ Briefing was held a few steps into the fields. As a small event, there were just a few people there and it was easy to cheer on genuine new jjoiners. As a nice inclusive touch, the briefings here had a BSL translator.

A few minutes later, the RD went to the same spot and started the Main Briefing. It was a quick and efficient one, before everyone starts walking about 100m along the side of the fields. The start line is not far.

Here it was. 3, 2, 1.

Time to go!

South Oxhey parkrun parkrun course review – star ratings

South Oxhey parkrun course review – route highlights

There were 102 parkrunners on the day of my visit to South Oxhey parkrun. This seems to be vey much in line with recent attendance levels: the event seems to consistently attract fields between 70 and 100, with a few outliers above or below that range. Recently, the record seems to be 133 in April 2026, so not a huge spike above that range and not an amount that would make the experience feel different. It is a small, intimate event with a course that offers wide paths. The layout could easily accomodate much larger numbers, but hopefully it will not. It currently retains a very specific vibe and hopefully it will keep it for a long time.

There are no obvious bottlenecks around this course. The path is always wide enough to choose your own lines. Actually, on most of the route there is barely a path, more of a beaten track on the grass. And I often found myself straying away from the beaten track to look for softer low cut grass. Congestion will never be an issue here and there are no spots requiring special attention.

In terms of surface, you will be running on grass for 90% of the track. Then towards the end of each lap, there are 2/300m on paved paths, but they go away very fast. On the day of my visit, the ground was firm and dry, even if it had been raining for half of the day on parkrun eve. The grass is cut low and, as said above, I actually found it preferable to the dirt path to run on. I ran in trail shoes, but on a dry day road shoes would be absolutely fine. However, I suspect mud could become a problem during the winter, making trail shoes preferable.

Elevation-wise, at 48m elevation gain over three laps, this is not going to be an event you will remember for gruesome climbs. However, it is definitely not flat. If you imagine the route to loosely look like a rectangle, the short sides are flat, but the first long side is made up of a couple of mild climbs, while the other second long side is essentially a long, mild downhill. The uphills are not painful enough to be a huge pain, but they will probably slow you down a little.

In terms of scenic value, I quite enjoyed the autumnal colours during my mid October visit. South Oxhey parkrun is not an event offering sweeping vistas, but it is located in a nice little park and its course goes through a few interesting corners with wide views over the downhill or through small woodland corners. I expected it to be on the dull side, but it did surprise me positively.

Course design is roughly a rectangle. You won’t get lost, just count your laps and finish 3 of them.

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

You start 1/3 of the way through the lower short segment. After a comfortable, wide start on grass, you head towards the opposite corner keeping to the side of the fields. As you reach it, turn right to start the first long segment.

This starts flat, as you head towards an imposing, lonely tree. Reach it and tackle a first little ramp and start running along a line of terraced houses. They are barely visible, not breaking the feeling of running in a green space. After another small climb, get past a clearing enclosed by some trees and come out facing the main climb. Keep going with a barely positive gradient until it gets steeper closer to the end.

The steeper bit is not long. As you reach the top, take a wide right turn through a charming wooded section and then come out in the open again for the higher short segment. This is a crossing through the field on higher grounds, with nice views of the lower fields on your right. As you reach the corner, turn 90-degrees right again and start the descent.

This is all on grass and it is a long, mild descent which is a pleasure to run on. Let gravity help and as you get towards the end there is a small bit where you go down more steeply and then have to climb back up. Just a little reverse bump. As you are past it, take another slight left turn into another woodland crossing. This is a bit longer than the previous one and gets you towards the tennis courts area cutting through diagonally.

As you leave tree cover behind, you start the short paved section of this court. A short straight on the side of the fields, then lean left towards more fenced sports areas. Get up a little hill and turn right to run by a small square. After the square, lean right again and get back onto the fields. You are now in front of the original meeting point, where the finish funnel has been assembled. Run towards it and, keeping the funnel on your left, reach the corner of the fields and turn 90-degrees right.

The start will be a couple 100m in front of you. Keep going and run 2 more laps.

The third time you get here, the funnel will not be a forbidden mirage anymore. Go for it, you deserved it.

Congratulations on completing South Oxhey parkrun!

Facilities at South Oxhey parkrun

The event starts and finishes by the Oxhey Pavillion, a large L-shaped building between the car park and the playing fields. The building used to be a golf Pavillion, then turned into a pub and restaurant. A quick google search shows recent disputes with the council eventually turning it into an asset of community value and allow redevelopment. As things stand, not much seems to be happening there, at least on parkrun mornings, but the building at least offers 1 toilet stall by the car park.

South Oxhey 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.

• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube

---

Achievements and performance

Conclusions

Watford and surrounding areas have quite a few interesting parkrun venues and South Oxhey was the last one I had not visited yet. Don’t be fooled by the 3-lap design like me, it is a very nice event, very much worth a visti. Probably best while the ground is not too muddy yet.

As a small event, it feels intimate and the local team is very friendly and welcoming! The self-hosted refreshments at the end are definitely a nice touch!

Finally, obviously, thank you, South Oxhey parkrun team for your hospitality!