Sandringham is host to several running events (see runsandringham.co.uk for more), including this parkrun that has a bit of most things; grass, tarmac, forest, tree roots - but (and!) not much by way of hills.
I’m very behind with adding parkruns, maps and pictures here (I was at Sandringham last week, on the 15th June), and will get round to filling in some gaps soon. For now, though, I’m going to lean into the idea of being behind, and treat you to some info from the publication below, found in my family library*. This post is likely to be too long for email, so click through for the full version.
* There is no library. There are many piles of stuff. This guide was published in 1973, so I wasn’t yet able to wear an ‘I am 1’ badge, and my prelingual self would have been in good company in being confused by the sentence ‘best get on and publish this post on a blog. On the internet.’
The parkrun takes place outside the grounds of the house, within the Country Park. “In 1968, it was decided to establish the Sandringham Country Park over several hundred areas of the estate lying to the North of the Coach and Car Parks… the public are welcome to walk in the woods”. No parkrun could say it better - and you can run if you prefer.
The parkrun covers two laps, starting and finishing in the field above. The finish is setup on the right, so is well out of the way of the area you see, and which makes for a nice broad start. The route takes you off into the picture above as you look at it, heading left round the back of the awning you can see, which is a good place to spectate.
The map here does a pretty good job of showing what I experienced - I parked in the car park on the far left, and wandered down the road past the cafeteria, finding the 'lavatories’ behind it, as above.
The cafeteria does not look like that above, however.
Parking is free until 11, so long as you grab or remember the well-publicised code that’ll let you (via entering it and your car registration into the payment machine) exit through the gates. Further back along the road (bottom left of the above) I passed 9-10 free parking spots with access to the grounds, which were available when I arrived at 8:15, but full up later on. It’d make for a nice warm-up.
The guide tells me that “Most of the plants are named and with the date of planting. Opposite the first heather bed by the wall [I suspect they’ve removed this very specific location now, to prevent a logjam as people read it and stop straight away] are the camellias and… [further along] Cornus, Hydrangea, Sorbus, Cotoneaster and Philadelphus.”
I didn’t go in to see any of that, but I can attest that there is plentiful woodland and greenery, and a very peaceful atmosphere.
“In the early summer the polyanthus are outstanding.” But not so far that they stick out onto the run route, do not fear.
I later saw many pictures of very wet people from other events on this day, but we were lucky here, bathed in sunshine with rain not arriving till late morning. It certainly meant I saw the place at its very best.
Once you finish the second lap, head to the right side of the final field to cross the finish line. At that point, as with all parkruns, your time will be taken by a couple of people using their phones, tapping on the screen to mark your finish as you pass the line. You won’t see the inscription below, but I’m certain several people have pointed out how well it fits.
That’s where your time will stay, but you’ll have it emailed to you later. I don’t see any evidence of inscriptions to that effect, though. It’s a bit too prosaic, admittedly.
The parkrun takes you nowhere near the ballroom, near the East entrance. But the clock in the tower above its porch bears the inscription “Horae pereunt et imputantur” (the hours are wasted, and laid to our charge), an allusion to a phrase in Martial’s epigrams (it suggests here, in a separate use). Which means we are to be blamed if we waste hours as they pass. But I had no sense of having wasted my time, neither in travelling to/from Sandringham, nor in having completed the parkrun there.
Results from Sandringham parkrun #136, 15/6/24; 230 finishers