Bournemouth Town to Trail: a new way to see the green

Bournemouth has always been known for its beaches, but a new event has turned the town's quieter, greener side into the main attraction. The inaugural Bournemouth Town to Trail took place on Sunday 23 August, an eight-mile beginner-level trail run that swapped the seafront for the woodland and parkland tucked away closer to home. Organised by Eightmile Events and co-organised by Sole Clinic, it was built as a gentle introduction to trail running, aimed squarely at road runners wanting their first taste of off-road. The course looped out from Bournemouth Square, through pines, parkland and quiet trails over to Meyrick Park and beyond, with a total elevation gain of only 81 metres, and wound back to the square for the finish.

What made the route worth the effort was the ground it covered. It threaded through Meyrick Park, Coy Pond and Pug's Hole, taking in woodland, heathland and parkland paths before returning to the town centre. Pug's Hole, in particular, carries a bit of local character: a steeply wooded valley named after Captain Pug, a smuggler said to have buried his treasure there, planted with pines around 1816 and now home to woodpeckers, nuthatches, coal tits and treecreepers. Meyrick Park, opened in 1894 on former common land, was the town's first municipal park and still keeps its rugby pitches, elevated woodland and golf course. Race director Kris Duffy spoke about the beauty of the trails on the doorstep, including the Upper Gardens, the heaths and the parkland, and the organisers thanked the runners, marshals and the public for turning up.

For a first outing, it was well put together. The route was fully signposted, there was professional chip timing, an aid station at Meyrick Park, refreshments at the finish and a finisher's medal for everyone who completed it. Registration had been handled at Bobbys&Co on Commercial Road, and the whole thing was framed as a way to get people out and exploring the town's lesser-known green spaces rather than another music or food festival. It has landed as Bournemouth's only trail running event, and the organisers are already looking ahead: the next edition is set for Sunday 22 August 2027, with entries expected to open soon.

It is worth remembering how much green there actually is to run through here. Bournemouth maintains more than 2,000 acres of parks and gardens, more than a thousand hectares, which is roughly a fifth of the borough. Right in the middle of the resort, a historic 1.5-mile stretch of Green Flag gardens, listed Grade II, runs from Bournemouth Pier towards the Poole boundary, split into the Lower, Central and Upper Gardens. The Lower Gardens have their floral bedding, a bandstand, a Rescue Aviary and the Christmas Tree Wonderland; the Central Gardens hold a pergola over the bridge, a war memorial, tennis courts and a café; and the Upper Gardens are the most natural of the three, with a mix of plant species, little red bridges and an old folly that bats have claimed as their own. The gardens have held their Green Flag status since 1999, so the backdrop for the run is in good shape. If you missed this one, the next edition is the one to circle.