Kings Park

Run time: 32:49
Distance covered: 3.55m (5.71km)
Soundtrack: Derren Brown, Confessions of a Conjuror
Conditions: cold, dry, beautiful sunset




These days most people think of Kings Park as an area of the city, rather than a park. I've been to Kings Park countless times, but weirdly, I had never set foot in the park itself. I had to Google it to find out where it was. It's south of Kings Park Avenue, so you don't see it if you're just passing through on one of Glasgow's main arteries across the south side.

This park was one of the inspirations behind the whole project. If I had driven or walked within yards of this place so many times without ever visiting, how many more were there like that? As it turns out, a lot.

Like a lot of parks of its period, it was originally part of a wealthy estate. The house is still there: Aitkenhead House, which Wikipedia tells me was designed by the architect David Hamilton and built in 1806 for a West Indies merchant and politician. It's flats now, inevitably.

It was a good run - not too huge, but big enough to accommodate a 5k without too much repetition. I started from the Mennock Road entrance, which meant a steep hill to start and then descending again to the main body of the park.

There's a walled garden as part of the grounds, but unfortunately it was padlocked, so I didn't get to see inside. The kind of thing you see in a lot of parks in the city: hidden treasures left to rot, or locked up and forgotten about.

I picked a great evening for my first of these runs. Brilliant views over the city and a beautiful sunset. How was the run? Pretty good. I've noticed it's easier to run when you're exploring a new place, because you have more to see and more to think about than how long you've been running.

So. One down, ninety-something to go.






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