Southampton parkrun takes place on Saturdays at 9 am on Southampton Common, around a mile from the centre of Southampton. It is one of the the largest parkruns in the UK, with an average field of 666 finishers.

Getting There

It is easily reached by public transport (around a mile from Southampton Central Station) or by car (M27 Exit 3).

Parking

There is plenty of parking along the roads around the common.

Toilets

There is a café near the start (The Hawthorns Centre) which apparently has toilets. When we visited, it was closed. A search for alternative facilities proved fruitless (I was told there were toilets in a nearby pub, but that was closed too). I ended up having to pee in a very well frequented copse and nearly missed the start. Hence, a distinct lack of photographs, just the one above of the race almost starting without me.

Course

The course is a rather complicated combination of clockwise and anti-clockwise loops of varying sizes around the common. To confuse matters further, the start and finish are in different places.

Terrain

The consists mainly of tarmac paths, although the large number of people, dogs and pushchairs creates significant congestion. It is, however, mainly flat.

Shoes

Trainers and then slide your way to the finish if it’s muddy.

Difficulty

Run Britain Rankings for UK parkruns place Southampton as the 98th fastest out of a total of 706. The Course has a total elevation of 52 metres.

Fun Factor

A bit complicated and too congested for my liking. Not one of my favourites.

Nearby Attractions

As the café was closed, we left immediately after the finish, so Southampton isn’t somewhere I’m very familiar with. My favourite part was the drive home through the New Forest.