- parkrunday 14th August 2021
- parkrun #118 – Skipton (#1)
- Different event #66
- Time: 27:10
The original plan for today was to visit Watergrove parkrun near Rochdale with my tourist buddy Jo Gibson, but unfortunately Jo is injured and decided to volunteer at Princes instead.
I didn’t want to run Watergrove without Jo so I started looking around for an alternative. That’s when I saw my musician friend David Nixon post on Facebook that he’d just moored up in Skipton with his narrowboat, so I asked if I could call round for a cuppa in the morning, and he kindly said yes!
According to the road sign, Skipton is the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. The parkrun take place in Airville Park which hosts Craven Leisure Centre, a children’s play area, a pump track and a skate track. The course is four laps. You start on the central path, run towards the leisure centre (pass the play area on your right), turn right up a slope onto a path through the woods, turn right along cherry lane, turn left down the central path to the turnaround point, then back up to the play area for three more laps.
I’m still struggling with my fitness, getting out of breath and developing a stitch part way round, but I kept going and got my fastest time of the year so far.
I’ve started taking a photo of my finish token just in case there is a problem with the results and they need the info to place me.
Afterwards I walked back down the central path to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, and walked along the tow path to where Dave was moored. I had a lovely cup of tea and a nice catch up with a real life, in person friend! Such a novelty after so long.
As I walked back I took some photos of the industrial architecture. Victoria Mill is now apartments, but still has the mill chimney next to it. I love walking along the tow path with the sights and sounds of the canal, and the links to history. It’s hard to think that this is the same canal I ran along in inner city Liverpool.
