Last parkrunday, we were on a mission! To answer the big question . . . does Thames Path parkrun in Woolwich have a “Walnut Whip” or a “Curly Wurly” on its course?
[Watch our video, link in the comments, for our conclusion!]
A deal spotted on the Travelodge website earlier in the week had us London-bound, staying just a couple of DLR stops from the parkrun. We almost joined a 55k ultra by mistake starting nearby, but the pink hi-vis adorning the steel “Assembly” statues by sculptor Peter Burke caught our eye, marking the meeting point in an eye-catching way.
3, 2, 1, Go! Running east alongside the river to start, then turning “inland” into Gallions Reach Park where the route curls up a manmade hill adorned with meadow flowers. As you reach the top, you get fantastic views across London (they would have been even better if it hadn’t been raining!).
Down we go, chatting with a fellow parkrunner we last met back in 2022 for Iona’s 50th parkrun at Dallas Burston Polo Club. Descent complete, we high-fived Ruth and Ewan as they started the climb while we headed back to the finish, just as the sun came out.
A lovely time of post-parkrun chat ensued, sharing the Curly Wurlys and Walnut Whips we’d brought with us for the volunteers before heading for a delicious breakfast at the nearby Visitor Book Cafe at the Woolwich Works.
Then came a day of post-parkrun faff in London. The Thames Clippers depart right by the parkrun, so we seized the chance for a river trip. It really is the best way to enjoy the sights of London. Cruising along, we saw barges being rowed along the Thames-it turned out to be the 50th Annual Historic Barge Race. Each crew has to steer and row their 30-ton Thames barge over a seven-mile course between Greenwich and Westminster Bridge.
Our destination was Battersea Power Station. Ruth hadn’t visited since it opened. 7UP had a promo popup outside, and we happily grabbed a refreshing, chilled drink (or two) before heading inside for Ewan to check out the latest gadgets at the Apple Store and some brick-building fun at the Lego Store. Back in the sunshine, Iona and I rated the Prospect Park playground in the shadow of Battersea.
Homeward bound, but not a quick trip back to Coventry. Trains were only running as far as Rugby, so we had to board a bus for the last few miles of our day’s adventure. And yes, you will have to watch the video to find out whether we thought Thames Path has a Walnut Whip or a Curly Wurly on its course!
Hope you enjoy the film of our adventure, please like and subscribe to our channel: kzfaq.info...
Useful Links
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parkrun
www.parkrun.org.uk/thamespath...
The Visitors' Book Café, Woolwich Works
www.woolwich.works/your-visit...
Thames Barge Race
www.thamesbargedriving.com/
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About Ian, Iona and Family
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Each week on this channel Ian (Dad) and Iona share our little adventure experiences, often joined by Ewan (Iona’s older brother) and Ruth (Mum) too.
Our weekends often start with parkrun. Iona is on a non-repeat parkrun tourism streak having now visited over 100 different places since she started parkrunning. But we don’t just do parkun and dash home, we love exploring the area and often use bikes and trains for our travels to keep our carbon footprint low and because it adds to the adventure too. When school holidays arrive, longer adventures are possible with Ewan and Iona both being keen cycle tourists and mountain climbers!
So if you like heading outdoors and your idea of a perfect weekend includes parkrun, climbing a mountain or exploring new places on two wheels then we would love to have you join us on our adventures.
We’d love it if you subscribed so you can follow our journey and hopefully be inspired to get out the door and have your own little adventures. Do like and leave comments on our videos too on questions you might have or ideas for places to explore or adventures to go on.
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Standard Filming Kit
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Fujifilm X-S20 with 18-55mm kit lens: amzn.to/45nb4NR
GoPro Hero 10: amzn.to/3Jy1axA
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ULANZ 59Inch Selfie Stick Tripod: amzn.to/4c73iKm
Music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...