East Anglia welcomed a new parkrun into its family this morning, with the staging of the inaugural Hunstanton parkrun on the Norfolk coast.
I was in attendance, one of a field of 220 who relished the chance to take part in the 16th and latest parkrun in Norfolk, held in warm, dry autumnal conditions with excellent views across The Wash towards Lincolnshire.
The course is a gem, and well worth a visit for any parkrun tourist.
Hunstanton is unusual for a resort on the East coast - because it faces west, it means you can see the sun setting over the sea - which is all very well, but not particularly relevant to any early Saturday morning parkrunner.
It's a great place for a day-visit. The cliff-tops, with their distinctive red limestone and white chalk layers, the redundant lighthouse, the ruins of the St Edmund's Chapel, all can be enjoyed on the route of the parkrun (at least on the spring to autumn course, because a winter course is planned, to stick to promenade).
The current route is excellent, a mixture of hard tarmac promenade, a zig-zag slope up to the Hunstanton Heritage Gardens, and a bracing loop on the grassy cliff tops towards the lighthouse.
You actually complete two full loops and a shorter section on the grass, before dropping back down to the promenade alongside the beach, to the finish.
On a personal note, I rather hobbled around on a slightly swollen right knee, caused by a fall while walking the dog three weeks ago - an act of pure stupidity.
But the views from the cliff-tops were impressive, and a good remedy for forgetting any sore knee or other ailment.
I will return - and I urge you to go and visit yourself, over the weeks and months to come.
A very welcome addition to the East Anglian parkrun circuit.
As an aside the other 15 parkruns in Norfolk area: Holkham, Sheringham, King's Lynn, Blickling, Norwich, Colney Lane, Brundall, Catton, Thetford, Gorleston, Sloughbottom, Lingwood, Mulbarton, Swaffham and Loch Neaton.
And as another aside, it was great to note that two of the first three home at today's event were female.
In short, the future looks very bright for the Hunstanton parkrun. Perhaps one day I will delay my departure, to watch the sun set over the sea!
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