Pines and Needles
Sherwood Pines parkrun this week — a trip up to Sneefie’s old stomping ground. He knows every lay‑by, back road, and questionable shortcut around here.
It’s very much as the name suggests: trees, more trees, and then a few extra trees just in case you’d forgotten you were in a forest.
It’s a single loop through a plantation of neatly arranged pines, the sort of place where you half‑expect a ranger to appear and remind you not to disturb the wildlife or the mountain bikers. The trails are wide, firm, and gravelled — clearly designed for people who enjoy hurtling downhill on two wheels, not plodding round on two legs. Still, it’s a good setting. And after seventy minutes up the M1, I was ready for something that didn’t involve existential despair.
The Lay of the Land
The course at Sherwood Pines is a single, sweeping anti-clockwise loop — no out‑and‑backs, no figure‑of‑eights, no “have I been here already?” moments. Just one big wander through the woods, gently undulating but never enough to make you question your life choices. I mean, one of the hills at about 3.5km dragged on for a bit, but that might have been me.
The surface is that perfect forest‑trail gravel: forgiving, grippy, and well‑maintained. You can tell the mountain bikers get priority here. Runners are tolerated, but only because we don’t get in the way too much. Seriously though. Not many bikers around at 9 am on a February Saturday morning.
The Running Bit
The weather was glorious — cold, crisp, bright sunshine slicing through the trees like a spotlight on the moderately enthusiastic. After weeks of grey drizzle, it was a beautiful change.
The run itself was on the slow side, but tolerably so. I came in just under 35 minutes, which is fine by my current standards. A steady trot, lungs behaving, legs doing what they were told. Paul, as usual, floated off ahead like a man who knows exactly where he is and exactly how fast he wants to be.
Breakfast Shenanigans
Sherwood Pines has a café, and we’d earned a proper breakfast, so in we went. The food was excellent — I had pancakes with bacon, which felt both indulgent and vaguely healthy if you squint hard enough. The coffee situation, however, was… less efficient. The indoor queue moved at geological speed and we were advised we’d be better off going to the separate outdoor hatch instead. Maybe the queue would be shorter if I’d got round faster.
Still, once acquired, the coffee was good. And warm. And caffeinated. All the essentials.
All Wrapped Up
A beautiful forest, a solid run, good company, sunshine that finally remembered how to behave, and a breakfast that more than justified the trip.
Sherwood Pines is a cracking parkrun — scenic, solid underfoot, and just challenging enough to keep things interesting without tipping into “why am I doing this” territory.
Parkrun #59, and another one happily ticked off the list.
