Fulham Palace parkrun takes place on Saturdays at 9 am at Bishops Park, in the grounds of Fulham Palace in London.

Getting There

Bishop’s park is in Fulham, running alongside the River Thames, sandwiched between Putney Bridge and Craven Cottage (home of Fulham FC). As this is central London, there are loads of public transport options. Buses 85, 93, 265 stop at Putney Bridge. Buses 74, 220, 430 stop at Bishop’s Park Road. The District Line stops at Putney Bridge. These all get you to within a 10 minute walk from the start.

Parking

Who drives in central London? If you do decide to brave London traffic, you’re highly unlikely to find a parking space and if you do, it’ll set you back £6 an hour.

Toilets

There is a toilet block in the south east corner of the park, close to the start.

Course

The course consists of not quite three loops of the park, with the start and finish being in a different location.

Terrain

The whole route is on tarmac paths.

Shoes

Definitely trainers. Posh ones – this is Fulham after all!

Difficulty

Run Britain rankings for UK parkruns places Bartley Park as 131st fastest out of 706. It has a total elevation of 0 metres. The only ‘obstacles’ to deal with are the dozen fairly tight turns to negotiate. And the crowds, particularly with it being a 3 lap course, with faster runners lapping slower runners.

Fun Factor

Fulham Palace is a fast, flat parkrun run round a park, with great views of the River Thames. Additionally, its location in central London means you may even bump into a celeb or two. (We had our post run cake sitting at the next table to newsreaders Sophie Raworth and Mark Austin).

As I live in the sticks (well, Bournemouth) I love a trip to the big city, with the additional bonus of a run along the iconic River Thames. The only thing I felt intimidating is the start. They draw a series of lines on the ground with times and you are supposed to stand behind your respective line. I think this goes against parkrun’s inclusive nature. Why should I be separated from my friends at the start because we run at different speeds?

Nearby Attractions

Fulham Palace is the historic home of the Bishops of London. You can also visit the palace museum and historic rooms, although they don’t open until 10.30. If you want to extend your trip and visit the palace, there is a very nice café inside the palace building for post run refreshments while you wait for it to open.