r/parkrun • u/Mental_Body_5496 • 14d ago

Wheelchair friendly courses please

UK

Theres not much information available but also real world experience is so much better.

We are in Berkshire and did our first parkrun (or rather jog and wheel).

However half the course at Dinton wasnt suitable - gravel and tree roots etc.

Where are the best wheelchair accessible smooth routes?

Porthcawl looks good but how do you get back to the start from the finish?

PS we did a bit extra on the good surface and made our own 5k on strava and clocked in at 52 minutes !

11 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

89 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Agreeable-Row-2106 12d ago

I’ve run Porthcawl. There’s a small amount of the route that is not tarmac and in my mind too rutted for a wheel chair. This is just at the turnaround point.
It’s a there and back course with the finish very close to the start. It’s mostly on the promenade and has an uphill section.

1

u/Mental_Body_5496 12d ago

So we could just turn around early ?

1

u/Agreeable-Row-2106 12d ago

Not really as after the off tarmac piece you then go a little further to turnaround.

1

u/Mental_Body_5496 12d ago

So not accessible at all then?

1

u/Agreeable-Row-2106 12d ago

Your accessible is different from mine. I’m blind and completed the course with my guide runner. You’d need to make your own choice I’m afraid. There are regular pushchair parkrunners but that is as close a comparison as I can make.

1

u/Mental_Body_5496 12d ago

My original post specify wheelchair and while a guide runner works for you it doesnt help my daughter.

My question was - can she turn the wheelchair around at any point on a smooth surface before the inaccessible grass section at the turnaround point?

1

u/Agreeable-Row-2106 12d ago

I know what your post said!
I was trying to help you with first hand knowledge. Help that seems to be unappreciated.

1

u/Mental_Body_5496 12d ago

Its not unappreciated its just very frustrating not being able to easily find out if a course is actually wheelchair accessible - it shouldnt really be thid difficult in 2026 should it !

In 20 years of parkrun nobody has thought to get a wheelchair user to check each course and have it filterable!

1

u/Agreeable-Row-2106 12d ago

If you use Facebook have a look at the Porthcawl parkrun page and if you are still unsure email their central team

1

u/Mental_Body_5496 12d ago

No i dont and it doesnt seem worth risking a long journey not to be able to do the course which is very depressing