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

[ParkRunIdiots]

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.

So what…. It doesn’t mean they want to sit in it forever!

This is what I can’t understand. There are miles and miles of tracks and paths nowhere near the carpark! They really need another route.

I think I’m going back to parking between the trees on Limetree Ave. Fuck them.

Their slogan is literally 'for ever, for everyone'. It's important to the National Trust to support their communities and if its a weekly event I imagine it probably brings some regular trade to the site in refreshments, which is likely important on cold drizzly weather days.
Don't you find it kind of lovely when beautiful areas of our country are being used? My knees would never let me join in but it makes me happy to see this kind of thing going on personally.
But yes, sounds like its worth letting the site know there were issues with traffic management so they can keep an eye on it.

I doubt it. They won’t even pay normal entry fee at Clumber I don’t think if they’re there before 9am which they will be.

@madamreign- but as someone who has paid to use the facilities, why should the OP have to? She's driven to a park, just as they have most likely for their run, and paid to use the facilities, unlike the participants- and the volunteers have decided they have a priority which they most likely don't.

But there was no safety issue. The runners were not crossing the road, or on the road. When they did let cars down the road there were still runners on the verge. So them making cars wait ten minutes seemed arbitrary and pointless.

Solidarity!

I expect NT have considered the pay off between how busy they usually are between 9 & 9.30am on a Saturday, the Parkrun related spend in their cafes at that time of day, and the people who may attend the free event and think 'ooh this is a lovely property we must come back'.

(Along with allowing beautiful spaces to be used for a free organised event designed to inclusively get people moving being a good thing, generally 🤷🏻‍♀️)

And ironically when I was cycling up Limetree Ave ten/fifteen minutes later I had numerous close passes by cars leaving …..been driven by people in running gear (fluorescent jackets). I’m assuming these were Parkrunners.

No, parkrun does not pay.

They only hold events when the landowner agrees. The National Trust is a major supporter of parkrun - there are 26 parkruns on NT properties

It’s ok, I’ve just copied and posted 95% of my post in the email to them to save me typing anything else out. #worksmarter 👍😁

Agree I had to complain to Marshalls at our local park. Small carpark reached via a single lane under road tunnel. At all other times drivers are polite and follow fair rules of allowing 2/3 cars through max before defering to drivers coming the opposite way but not on Saturday mornings nooooo the park run crowd in this location are cheeky entitled fuckers who take up all available parking, look at dog walkers like they are shit on their shoes and then proceed to leave in droves preventing anyone else entering for about 20 mins or more.

It's a public park ffs and as a NT member I would def be complaining if this started happening at their properties as well.

Park Run bastard's

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 🙄

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.

@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.

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!

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.