“Houghton Hall is a beautiful, fast and friendly parkrun that lies halfway between Dunstable and Luton.”

I headed to Houghton Hall parkrun this weekend for a bit of tourism with the Dacorum & Tring AC Roadrunners. We have been visiting a new parkrun in the area each month and this one was a cracker.

Houghton Hall is a beautiful, fast and friendly parkrun that lies halfway between Dunstable and Luton. The course is 2 and a half laps around the pancake-flat park, mainly on tarmac but with a stony solid underfoot path section (not the grassy trails as advertised on the parkrun site). There is a slight bump towards the finish which was really only noticeable the third time around, but otherwise, it was a flat, speedy and incredibly picturesque course. The route also has a couple of gates which cause a few slowdowns especially if you were buggy running.

Numbers are just under 200 and there is enough space to overtake on the route apart from right at the start and at the aforementioned gates. It’s a very well-marshalled parkrun, probably the friendliest I have met to date, and they make a good fuss about tourists and milestones.

Facilities wise: free parking next to the park; toilets next to the start/finish (when the cafe is open); large playpark and outdoor gym by the start/finish; and ‘Pavillion Cafe’ next to the finish for afterwards.

Find out more about Houghton Hall at parkrun.org.uk

Personal Stats

PB – 26:13
Best Position – 78th
Times run – 1