The Great Field parkrun takes place at The Great Field in Poundbury, a new town built on Duchy of Cornwall land, following King Charles’ principals on urban planning.

Getting There

The Great Field is like an old style village green and is the focal point of the village, so easy to locate. Poundbury is just a mile from Dorchester and there are several buses that run between the two. By car, Poundbury is just off the A35.

Parking

Parking is available around the edges of The Field and is free.

Toilets

There are toilets in the Pavilion in the Park, located next to the start. They’re very clean – probably the nicest toilets I’ve encountered in an English park. There are only two toilets, so a bit of queuing was involved, which meant I missed the first timers’ briefing.

Course

The course consists of three and a half circuits of The Great Field on, what is described on the website as a ‘medium elevation route’. It’s actually not as hilly as I’d anticipated, although the field itself is fairly elevated and exposed, so it’s quite windy. As it’s laps, there’s one side which requires running into the wind, which was fierce enough to make my eyes water.

Terrain

Most of the route is on prepared paths, with a short section of tarmac and a short section on the grass. On the uphill section, there a few drainage channels cut into the path, which needed to be stepped over.

Shoes

Trainers

Difficulty

Run Britain rankings for UK parkruns puts The Great Field at 249th fastest parkrun out of 706. It has a total elevation of 37 metres.

Fun Factor

Although it consists of three loops, which is a bit repetitive, I really enjoyed today’s run. The area is well maintained and its elevated position means you get great views of Dorset to enjoy as you run. Also super friendly – I made lots of new friends in the toilet queue.

Nearby Attractions

After you’ve investigated the snacks on offer at the Pavilion in the Park, Poundbury is worth a look around.