Lymington parkrun takes place at 9 am on Saturdays at Woodside Gardens on the outskirts of Lymington. Lymington is a port town on the Solent midway between Southampton and Bournemouth.

Getting There

Woodside Park is a mile south of Lymington. Exit the A337 at Stanford Hill onto Ridgeway Lane and turn second left onto Rookes Lane. By train, Lymington Town Station is approximately a mile away. Trains run between Brockenhurst and Lymington Pier. If you’re coming from anywhere else, a change from the main line at Brockenhurst is needed. The X1 (Bournemouth to Southampton) bus stops nearby (a 10 minute walk) at Pennington Cross.

Parking

There is a small, free car park at the north end of the park and another at the other end. These fill up quite quickly. The parkrun website recommends free parking at Priestlands Leisure Centre or a paying car park behind M & S. There is also free parking on nearby roads.

Toilets

There is a toilet block close to the car park at the northern end of the park.

Course

The course can vary depending on the state of the playing fields. It can vary even more if the marshal leaves before the end and you get lost. It consists of a combination of laps of the gardens and adjoining playing fields.

The main course consists of a lap of the playing fields followed by two laps of the playing fiends and gardens. The wet weather course consists of three laps of the top playing fields and the gardens.

Terrain

Mainly grass, possibly mud and some tarmac paths.

Shoes

The mud is slippery in trainers and the paths are slippery in trail shoes.

Difficulty

Run Britain rankings for UK parkruns places Lymington Woodside as 321st fastest out of 706. It has a total elevation in the region of 10 metres, depending on the course.

Fun Factor

We’ve run Lymington twice, both on Christmas Day. It had a friendly, festive atmosphere and lots of mud.

Nearby Attractions

Lymington is a pretty town sandwiched between the coast and the New Forest. It has a pleasant harbourside walk and a nice high street with shops, pubs, a museum/art gallery a post box painted gold in honour of sailor Ben Ainslie and an excellent pasty shop (Mine’s a Pasty). It also has a ferry to Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight.