From Good Friday to Great Saturday and a birthday celebration for the ages! - Black park parkrun #761 - 19/04/25

A friend’s birthday celebration in the town of Burford, the 'gateway to the Cotswolds', to include the River Windrush walk, meant the weekend was guaranteed to be celebratory and picturesque. As we’d be driving from London to the Cotswolds, it provided the opportunity for some parkrun tourism 🙂 

Burford in Oxfordshire our final destination, photo credit https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/places-to-go/burford/

My wife plotted the route that would take us to the great Scots pines that reside in the Black Park Country Park, which is home to Black Park parkrun. Good Friday was going to be followed by Great Saturday. 

Black Park Country Park is located in Wexham, near Slough. This estate, dating back to the 13th century, was previously owned by the Dukes of Buckingham. Its extensive woodlands were used as royal hunting grounds. It was acquired by Buckinghamshire County Council in the mid-20th century and transformed into the 618-acre country park of which 163 acres is a local nature reserve. It includes a lake for fishing and gazing at, adventure playgrounds with a Go Ape tree-top adventure course, nature reserves and wildlife observation points, extensive walking and cycling trails, and a newly opened four season cafe for all your refuelling needs or just to sit among the splendour of this ancient woodland.

For today, the only hunting would be chasing down personal bests whilst being serenaded by the symphony of birdsong and magic that the Country park has to offer.   

Much of the park is made up of ancient woodland, mainly pine, birch and oak trees. With their elegant, tall trunks and spraying green needles, they create fantastic corridors for this immersive one-lap course, which is on compacted earth and gravel trails.

Black Park lake is stunning. Photo credit; https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Blackpark_Lake.JPG

Gathered by the start 100m from the carpark, the Run Director made use of a loudspeaker to ensure all 833 participants could hear him. We were told that the course does not have marshals, instead relying on bright yellow signs. I made a mental note not to lose sight of those in front of me. With first-timers and tourists welcomed, milestones mentioned, we were cheered on as we headed into the magic of Black Park Country Park. 

811 people lined up to complete Black Park parkrun, it's second-highest attendance.

As we surged forward through the corridors of pines and majestic oak trees on either side of us, filled with diverse flora, the fragrance of pine accompanied each stride into this vibrant ecosystem. 

Next door to Black Park is Pinewood Studios. We were told that filming frequently occurs in the park, adding an intriguing allure for runners and visitors. The park has been used by the James Bond franchise, Harry Potter films, Marvel’s Captain America and many, many more blockbusters. Take a wrong turn and you might stumble upon film crews and extensive sets amidst the tranquil setting.

The trees and canopy create a labyrinth-like quality with echoes of another world resonating around you. I was able to absorb the beauty of the natural landscapes, catching glimpses of the lake and flashes of film sets both imaginary and real. With no marshals to call out to, the only sounds were the rustlings of wildlife and bird song.

Shveta is walking with Karen, one of today's official parkwalkers.

The ground was ‘good to firm’ and I ran strongly, finishing in 75% age grading, clocking a season’s best.  

The finish area was a buzz of camaraderie and shared enthusiasm which extended through to the Four Seasons Cafe, where participants waxed about their experience of the event. For all gathered Good Friday had truly been followed by Great Saturday. 

We left Black Park and were back on the motorways heading to our friend's birthday celebration and the magic of the Cotswolds to come. However, we’d struck gold with this parkrun tourism. The Black Park parkrun and its enchanting trails are a Saturday morning adventure you won’t forget. 

Birthday fun, in the sun in Burford.

Stay safe, happy running or walking and happy volunteering.

www.horizons.uk

Parking

This isn’t  a parkrun easily accessible by public transport. Parking is £3.10 for 2hrs purchased before 0900 and £4.20 afterwards. There are ticket machines or the RingoGo app can be used.

An annual pass, priced at £70.60, gives unrestricted parking at Black Park, Langley Park, and Denham County Park. 

Part of the River Windrush Walk in Burford, all part of a magical Easter weekend.