Halls and Hills
Wollaton Hall parkrun this week — a trip up to Nottingham to meet Sneefie, who very kindly offered to drive, but I needed my own car because the day was already shaping up to be a multi‑chapter epic. So we met in the car park instead. The drive up there from Measham is kind of simple. Felicity the Satnav (well, whatever the Google Satnav is called, anyway) took me up the M1 and into Nottingham on the A52.
Wollaton Hall itself is a cracking backdrop. It’s a big, dramatic pile of Elizabethan excess perched on a hill, surrounded by deer and sweeping parkland. It’s the sort of place that looks like it should be hosting a period drama, not several hundred people in Lycra.
The Reserve Route
The usual parkrun course loops around the lake and through the grounds, mixing tarmac, grass and trail , but the weather had other ideas. It had been wet enough that the lake‑side paths were off‑limits, so we were treated to the “reserve” course — essentially a detour out to the east side of the park and back, adding a change of scenery and a lot of extra mud. The official description does warn that the course is of varying underfoot conditions, so you’d expect it can accumulate mud, leaves and puddles in the winter. It had all that in spades. Good job I’d brought the trail shoes. Anything less grippy and I’d have been doing interpretive sliding rather than running.
The terrain on the eastern extension was particularly fruity. Add in a few hills — because of course there are hills — and it made for a course that was scenic, character‑building, and mildly exhausting.
The Running Bit
The weather was cool and grey, which felt about right for February. No sunshine slicing through the trees this time — just a steady, sensible gloom that matched the mud underfoot.
Given the conditions, the hills, and my current level of sprightliness (somewhere between “steady plodder” and “needs a nap”), I came in at just under 36 minutes. Perfectly acceptable. Enjoyable, even.
Sneefie trotted round somewhat faster than me, as ever. I reckon its cheating. He only takes 3 steps for every 5 I take, so he’s not really trying as hard as I have to.
Café Curiosities
The café at Wollaton is tidy but small. The menu feels like it was designed by someone who believes choice is overrated. I ended up with a blondie topped with a jammy dodger — a combination I’m still not entirely convinced wasn’t a dare. Coffee round one was fine. Coffee round two… took a turn.
Sneefie must have said something to the barista, because I was presented with a latte that had been upgraded — or possibly sabotaged — with cream, syrup, and enough sweetness to render its consumption somewhat inadvisable. Apparently the barista’s husband likes them like that. I can only assume he has the sugar tolerance of a hummingbird and good dental insurance. I managed the cream and syrup by eating them with a spoon first, but she’d doctored the coffee itself too, and that was a step too far. Still, points for enthusiasm. And it came with a Kinder Bueno, which I kept aside for later use.
Afternoon Athletics
After the run, I headed over to the Nottingham Girls’ High School. Ami was taking part in a dodgeball tournament — her first time playing in a mixed team for the Nottingham Sheriffs. It was a busy afternoon: lots of games, lots of noise, lots of balls flying at high velocity. She did really well (not that I could tell, because I don’t understand the game, to be honest), and afterwards she came back to ours for the evening, where we celebrated with chips. As you do.
Sunday at The City Ground
The weekend wasn’t done with me yet. On Sunday we had an appointment at The City Ground for Forest vs Liverpool. A good game, despite the result not going Forest’s way. There was something comforting about being back in the stands, even when the football gods are in a mischievous mood.
All Wrapped Up
So a muddy parkrun course, a solid run, questionable coffee, dodgeball chaos, chips, and a trip to The City Ground. Not a bad way to spend a February weekend — even if my trail shoes may never be the same again.
And someone decided to enhance one of the photos by making us both into superheroes – Superman and Shazam, I believe. It’s an interesting rebrand that I might toy with. Or I might not.
Parkrun #60, and another one happily ticked off the list.
