Croxteth Hall parkrun

Based in Liverpool, Croxteth Hall parkrun (or “Crocky”, to the locals) is a one lap course around Croxteth Hall Country Park. The postcode provided (L11 1EH) will get you to the nearest roundabout where you’ll see the grand, gated entrance to the Country Park. Drive through and you’ll find a large, free car park in the grounds, with the course starting and finishing in front of the beautiful, Grade II* listed Croxteth Hall. There are toilets at the café, which are open from 9am and the café is open from 8.30 on parkrun day (aka Saturday). You can also pay to look around the Hall after parkrun, as part of your trip, or spend time walking around the 500 acre nature reserve.

The route map looks complicated on the course page, but it’s very well signposted and marshalled so you can’t get lost. The course is fairly flat with a few gentle undulations and it’s run on a mixture of tarmac and trail, but is generally even underfoot. In wet weather, I suspect there would be a fair bit of mud. There were prams and wheelchair users at Croxteth Hall parkrun, so it’s very accessible. The course is varied and scenic, mostly on tree-covered paths, but also past a pond and fields.

It’s a popular course, with usually well in excess of 300 runners, and I can understand why. However, it did feel quite congested for most of the run, but particularly at the start. Having the course as just one lap does help alleviate the congestion a bit. The volunteers and runners alike were all very friendly and welcoming to parkrun tourists. I like a one-lap parkrun anyway, but found Croxteth Hall parkrun particularly enjoyable as an all-round positive experience.