Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Original poster

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property

388 replies

ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 18:50

So rocked up a very large NT property with lots of parkland at about 9:25 today.

had gone through the payment control bit, then you drive for about another mile (no joke) to the car park. Just before the car park all traffic stopped in a traffic jam caused by two Park Run people in pink vests who would not let any cars through.

So I sat there and say there and sat there, not a single car moved through. I could see the runners approaching from the right, at times there were gaps in the runners but still no car was allowed through. After ten minutes still no car had been allowed to pass. Several cars behind me did a 20 point turn and left.

Then I realised that the runners weren’t even crossing the road as I’d originally assumed, they turned right and ran alongside the road edge, which has a massive Green verge they could run on . So in my mind no need to stop any car. Or if some risk assessment has deemed it too dangerous to have the cars beside the runners then it means there’s no access to the car park for about 45 mins, in which case the NT property needs to open later!

the runners were all strung out, no big wide bunch/crowd, so single file or in pairs.

anyway I honked at this point. One pink vest guy had obviously been waiting for this moment and charged up, ran past me and bollocked the car behind me who was mid 20 point turn and leaving. That driver grassed me up so the park run guy came and condescendingly told me “when there’s a gap” we will let a car through. I said it was ridiculous, that there had been plenty of gaps, nobody had been allowed through and the runners weren’t even on the road!

At which point he told me if I didn’t like it I could leave!

then the other marshal let some of us through, even though there were still runners running alongside the verge the same as there had been for the last ten minutes! I think they were letting cars through in groups of 5 or 6 as some had gone through just before I got stopped. Again when there were runners there! So nothing to do with gaps!

diagram for an idea.

I do feel like emailing the NT and telling them they need to have an NT person there overseeing it, and preventing the Parkrun people been rude to other users.

I may be slightly anti park run after my (on lead, walking to heel) dog was trampled on and tripped over by several park runners on the inaugural run of my local new park run on a narrow public bridleway and they shouted at me for been there with a dog (even though I’d stepped into the mud at the side). Still not forgiven them for that.

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property
OP posts:
Thread gallery
22
QueSyrahSyrah · 23/09/2023 21:29

Looking at the route map and description you seem to have been not far from the finish, at just the wrong time. Most of our Parkrunners finish in between 25 and 35 minutes, so assuming this Parkrun is similar you'd have hit the absolute peak of people passing that point.

Weighing up Clumber Park's 307 runners and walkers today getting fresh air and exercise that they may not have done if it weren't a) free and b) sociable against a few people waiting a few minutes to park, I think YABU overall, but just something to bear in mind for next time, just avoid arriving between 9.20 and 9.40.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 21:24

BitOutOfPractice · 23/09/2023 21:14

10 minutes wait? Really? You’re still wound up about that. On a Saturday morning when you’re not in a rush. I think YABU. Get the proverbial mn grip. Parkrun is an institution worth waiting for.

Edited

I think it’s more been annoyed at what I perceived to be an unnecessary ten min wait, nobody was crossing the road so i didn’t see why there was a hold up.

even if they do reckon there’s some sort of safety issue then maybe it ought to be like a stop/go board system. Runners get a minute, cars get a minute, repeat. I wouldn’t expect runners to wait ten minutes for cars, so not sure why it’s ok the other way round. If everyone has a minute “go” then nobody gets held up for too long.

Seems fair to me. But would probably require an NT person overseeing it to avoid Park Run marshal bias.

and if the park runners are upset it buggers their Strava segments up maybe they need to plot a 5k route which doesn’t go near a car park or road. There are miles and miles of off road tracks and paths they could use.

OP posts:
MikeWozniaksMohawk · 23/09/2023 21:16

Summerpeachblossom · 23/09/2023 19:27

I wonder if this is Lyme Park?

I thought the same although I see it was not

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 21:15

ChicoryDip · 23/09/2023 21:10

OP, next time you need to park in #6 which is left immediately after the entrance/pay point.

If you try to get to #17 (which is where I think you were heading) then yes, you are stopped as the runners/walkers have to cross the entrance to that car park.

I think you might be right, maybe it was 17 I parked in not 6. Massive big green field? In that case I never saw car park 6! Which would have been a better location as I just wanted to go off road cycling the other side of Limetree Ave from the visitor bit.

I never saw any runners crossing a road through, they were just going alongside the road (at the bit where they’d stopped us). When I got to the bit where you turn right into the car park I didn’t see any runners, not sure if that was just a timing issue. I passed some between the stopping point and the field entrance

OP posts:
BitOutOfPractice · 23/09/2023 21:14

10 minutes wait? Really? You’re still wound up about that. On a Saturday morning when you’re not in a rush. I think YABU. Get the proverbial mn grip. Parkrun is an institution worth waiting for.

ChicoryDip · 23/09/2023 21:10

OP, next time you need to park in #6 which is left immediately after the entrance/pay point.

If you try to get to #17 (which is where I think you were heading) then yes, you are stopped as the runners/walkers have to cross the entrance to that car park.

Ffsmakeitstop · 23/09/2023 21:06

madamreign · 23/09/2023 19:25

You were sat in your heated car, with a padded seat and a radio for company at least. Presumably you were not in a rush to get to work or anything.

YABU

And dogs should be on leads on foot paths.

Op had paid entry and couldn't access the site. I too would have been marked. Nowhere does it state that ops dov was off lead.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 21:03

I miss the days when you used to be able to drive down numerous little grass tracks off Limetree Ave and find a deserted clearing and park there for the day.

OP posts:
Rowgtfc72 · 23/09/2023 21:00

There's always cars parked on limetree ave when we visit- particularly campervans.
We've found the carpark at the bottom is a bit hit and miss as to whether you can park in it or not. We often end up on the field. Carpark though has loads of accessible parking so not sure why they close it to others.
There's plenty of space by the cricket pitch for park runners and cars.

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:59

Thank you, I’ll definitely use that if I ever go back on a Saturday. I’m actually not very good walking on grass due to an ankle issue. I had assumed it was blue badge only. When I last went to that end of Clumber the big grass car park didn’t exist and if the cycle centre car park was full people used to park either side of the road leading up to it.

OP posts:
IVFthenPERI · 23/09/2023 20:57

ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:52

I don’t know Clumber that well. When I last went to the visitor facilities the layout was totally different, this would have been 20 years ago. I do not know I can drive straight on when the road is traffic coned off. 🤷‍♀️. If I had known I would have squeezed through the gap in the cones and gone and parked there. Are you really sure that’s allowed? Even with no blue badge?

I go 3 times per week at least, yes you can absolutely park there! On very busy days they like to keep it for people who cannot navigate the grass too well but absolutely you can park there. There are 6 dedicated disabled spots but the rest is totally normal parking

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:52

I don’t know Clumber that well. When I last went to the visitor facilities the layout was totally different, this would have been 20 years ago. I do not know I can drive straight on when the road is traffic coned off. 🤷‍♀️. If I had known I would have squeezed through the gap in the cones and gone and parked there. Are you really sure that’s allowed? Even with no blue badge?

OP posts:
Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:50

So I parked at 6, which was the only non disabled car park I saw a sign to.

traffic jam was near no 7 the cricket pitch.

the car park near the cycle centre is no 8 and even says accessible parking on the map.

looking at the map it seems there is another car park, never saw any signage for that today, but it still looks like you’d have to drive past the point where the hold up was to get to it.

To think the National Trust should not let Park Run volunteers marshal the cars at a NT property
OP posts:
IVFthenPERI · 23/09/2023 20:46

ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:40

Because it was traffic coned off saying accesible parking only. 🤷‍♀️

You’ve really seen people nearly been run over at that point? With the big wide verge they can run on and don’t need to be on the road? Why are they running in the road? The route doesn’t cross the road.

Show quote history

You sound like you know your way around clumber and are just looking for a fight as you hate runners. You know you can drive straight ahead, the car park across from the cycle hire has several disable spaces as well as maybe 100 other hard standing parking spaces. All of the park run runners are diverted to a completely different area. At that time in the morning it would not have been overly busy.

NatMoz · 23/09/2023 20:44

I'm a lifetime National Trust member, I'm also a parkrunner.

I LOVE the Parkruns at NT and I'm sad to hear you've had a disappointing experience.

I've not done Clumber Park Parkrun, although i visited there only recently and thought it was lovely. Not sure where the parkrun route is for that one but i would be outraged if NT cancelled them all.

Maybe a word to parkrun HQ

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:44

RoseAndRose · 23/09/2023 20:41

Exactly - use the other car park - that's probably what all the other cars (which turned) were doing

Show quote history

There were traffic cones over the road up to the other car park with a narrow gap but a clear sign saying accessible parking only. Maybe the other cars were going there but I feel parking in disabled spots when I’m not disabled isn’t really on.

OP posts:
RoseAndRose · 23/09/2023 20:41

IVFthenPERI · 23/09/2023 20:38

This is my local park, I go several times a week so I know exactly where you mean and you are being very unreasonable!! I’ve seen runners nearly run over when cars have been inpatient. Why didn’t you go straight down and park across from the cycle hire?

Exactly - use the other car park - that's probably what all the other cars (which turned) were doing

Original poster
ParkRunIdiots · 23/09/2023 20:40

IVFthenPERI · 23/09/2023 20:38

This is my local park, I go several times a week so I know exactly where you mean and you are being very unreasonable!! I’ve seen runners nearly run over when cars have been inpatient. Why didn’t you go straight down and park across from the cycle hire?

Because it was traffic coned off saying accesible parking only. 🤷‍♀️

You’ve really seen people nearly been run over at that point? With the big wide verge they can run on and don’t need to be on the road? Why are they running in the road? The route doesn’t cross the road.

OP posts:
OrangeBananaFish · 23/09/2023 20:38

I parkrun most weeks (was at one this morning) and I agree that this is not on and to definitely complaining to parkrun and NT is the right way to go.

I'm surprised that this is the route TBH as if they need to direct cars then its not a safe route.

Parkrun is big on safety and big on not pissing other people off so yeah let them know. If there are other routes that this parkrun can use (I don't know this one personally) then they should probably adapt their route, but if people don't bring it up with them then nothing will change.

In regards to parkrun using NT for free. Yes it is free, but I know at Fountains Abbey you have to be out of the grounds by 10. Obviously I'm not sure how they police this or if everyone is off the paying section (you pay after the cafe there) by then, there will probably not be in all likely as some will stay in undetected, but judging by how busy the cafe is there then I think a lot will be.

IVFthenPERI · 23/09/2023 20:38

This is my local park, I go several times a week so I know exactly where you mean and you are being very unreasonable!! I’ve seen runners nearly run over when cars have been inpatient. Why didn’t you go straight down and park across from the cycle hire?

AlfredaTheGrape · 23/09/2023 20:37

YANBU, agree with those saying complain to both organisations. You're losing time you have paid for in the park either via a day ticket or by being a member. Also, which organisation is going to take responsibility if there is an incident related to the run or the behaviour of the volunteers, in this area of the grounds? Because that is the organisation that should be dealing with traffic.

QueSyrahSyrah · 23/09/2023 20:37

Adelaff · 23/09/2023 20:31

I'd have been pissed off by this. And I say that as someone who does junior park run with my son most weeks. People just don't get that the world doesn't revolve around them.

Which 'people' do you mean here? The runners? I doubt they had a clue that the Marshalls were stopping cars. The Marshalls? They're volunteers giving up their time to keep people safe while they get free sociable exercise. Maybe they misjudged here, but being over cautious is arguably better than under cautious.

The world doesn't revolve around the people trying to park either. It's a NT property not an A&E department. Live and let live a little!

Brainstorm23 · 23/09/2023 20:34

@Hurukan this sounds like Victoria Park in Belfast? If so I agree they are a pain. I take my daughter biking/scooting there and they are a menace.

Adelaff · 23/09/2023 20:31

I'd have been pissed off by this. And I say that as someone who does junior park run with my son most weeks. People just don't get that the world doesn't revolve around them.

anomaly2 · 23/09/2023 20:25

madamreign · 23/09/2023 19:25

You were sat in your heated car, with a padded seat and a radio for company at least. Presumably you were not in a rush to get to work or anything.

YABU

And dogs should be on leads on foot paths.

45 mins is ridiculous by anyone's standards but no point replying to someone without the mental capacity to read. The dog was on a lead 🙄

Swipe left for the next trending thread