This is a contribution to the parkrun reviews community that is intended to build a resource about these events around the world.
Henlow Bridge Lakes is in Bedfordshire between the villages of Henlow and Arlesey. The first event was in September 2021. At this point I have run there almost 100 times and volunteered a lot too.
The course runs around a campsite and fishing lakes and is mostly on natural surfaces. Therefore it can get muddy over the winter. There is not a lot of deep mud, but it can be very slippery and trail shoes are advised when it is very wet. Parts of the course are prone to flooding and this has caused it to be cancelled a few times. Updates are posted on Facebook when this happens. The land owners do fill the muddiest areas with wood chippings that can make it quite bouncy. After heavy rain the event may go ahead, but there could be some big puddles that are hard to avoid.
There can be some little flies around the start that like to bite legs, so some bug spray may be needed in the warmer months.
The course is two and a half laps, so you pass the finish funnel twice before heading in. The start is wide, but the ground is uneven and can have molehills. The course is fairly flat with no major slopes to climb. The surrounding trees offer some shelter from wind.
Some parts are under trees and there are protruding roots. As with any cross-country course you have to look where you step. There is a stretch before the finish straight on a gravely track that has some old speed humps. There are some gates, but these will always be kept open during an event.
After you pass the finish on the first two laps there is a narrow stretch where passing may be harder. The far end of this is prone to flooding.
The finish is on a long straight that tends not to get muddy, but there can be some puddles. There are two entrances to the camp site and so there can be cars coming in and out. Marshals are there to stop them when runners are coming, but there may be times when the runners have to wait. That does not happen too often, but there may be events at the site that bring more traffic.
Always remember to return your finish token!
You may encounter some wildlife. I have seen ducks, geese, swans and some small deer.
The site is a few miles from junction 10 of the A1(M). It is right next to Arlesey station that is on the London to Peterborough line.
There are car parks on both sides of the tracks, but the one on the west side nearest the course is free at weekends. It has had some floods after really heavy rain. If coming from the east you have to drive past it to the next roundabout to come back and access the slip road that goes under the main road and into the car park.
Happy running!
You should see the flags when you walk under the big road bridge.
It is about a ten minute walk to the start from the station or car park.
The camp shop is near the finish. It has a bean to cup coffee machine with other drinks and snacks available. There is an outside seating area at the rear. Beyond this is the toilet block that runners can use. There may be signs indicating which door to use to avoid getting it too muddy.
Henlow Bridge Lakes is a small and friendly event. It used to get around 100 runners, but this year it has ramped up to around 200. It will be quieter in winter when it gets muddy. There are a number of other nearby events that may suffer less from that, such as Stevenage. There is a core of regular volunteers, some of who never run. They always need more so it helps if people can do a session once in a while.
