Lace up your trainers and head to Fountains Abbey
Getting fit is a walk in the park. OK, so maybe it’s not quite as easy as that. How about a run in the park instead?
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal are set to host a series of 5km ‘parkruns’ taking in the stunning scenery of this National Trust and World Heritage Site.
From beginners to Olympians, parkruns are for everyone. This worldwide project is open to all; it’s safe, easy, you can take it at your own pace and it’s absolutely free. All you have to do is register on the parkrun website at parkrun.org.uk/fountainsabbey before you launch yourself into the countryside like Mo Farrar on his day off.
‘The National Trust is hoping to develop its sporting offer in Yorkshire and the North East over the next year,’ said a spokesman.
‘We want our places to be relevant and used by the local community which will in turn help with our charity’s long term aim of looking after special places for everyone.’
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal comprise magnificent 12th century abbey ruins and the only surviving Cistercian corn mill. Visitors can also amble (or jog if the mood takes them) through the beautiful landscaped Georgian water garden of Studley Royal, complete with Neo-classical statues, follies and breath-taking views.
There’s also St Mary’s Church, a fine example of a Victorian gothic church, Elizabethan Fountains Hall with its hidden herb garden, and a wonderful medieval deer park – home to more than 500 wild deer.
The picturesque 5km parkrun route takes runners (joggers, walkers and shufflers) around the famous abbey, alongside the lovely river Skell, through the water garden and on up to the deer park.
Parkruns are organised entirely by volunteers, meaning people of all ages from the local community can get involved even if they don’t want to run.
To find out more, visit the parkruns website or nationaltrust.org.uk, where you can also discover lots more about the organisation’s valuable work looking after 250,000 hectares of countryside, 710 miles of coastline and hundreds of historic places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
