Haughmond Hill parkrun made its long-awaited debut on the weekend of 6 August, welcoming 160 finishers and 33 volunteers to its inaugural event near Shrewsbury in the West Midlands. With an average finish time of 32:10, runners and walkers alike enjoyed a scenic but challenging one-lap route through the forest trails of Haughmond Hill.

The course starts and finishes close to the main car park and café, taking participants along narrow, undulating paths surrounded by trees. The terrain includes uneven surfaces, tree roots, rocks and, in wetter conditions, a fair share of mud, making it a true trail experience.

One of the organisers, Cara Meehan, described the new venue as 'a trail run in a beautiful forest' but reminded visitors that the paths aren’t the widest and parking is limited and so encouraged tourists to wait a few weeks before visiting to allow the event to settle in and to ensure the local community could enjoy the early weeks of their new parkrun.

The launch marked the end of a five-year journey to bring Haughmond Hill parkrun to life, with support from Forestry England and a dedicated core team of volunteers. Cara praised everyone involved, saying their passion and enthusiasm were key to making the event a reality.

Feedback from the first event was overwhelmingly positive. One participant described it as 'a nice course, plenty of challenge, but plenty of recovery', while others enjoyed the community atmosphere and post-run coffee at Haughmond Hill Café.

If you'd like to know more, visit the Haughmond Hill parkrun website.

Image: Haughmond Hill parkrun Facebook