Runners from Ripon get ferry for the first time to take part in stunning parkrun on an Irish island

Fountains Abbey may be widely regarded as one of the most beautiful parkruns in Britain but members of Ripon Runners have crossed the ocean to see if it was possible to top it.

With so many members of Ripon Runners enjoying the much-loved local Fountains Abbey 5km parkrun every Saturday morning, the club couldn’t resist the urge to visit Bere Island in County Cork to take part in what is regarded alongside North Yorkshire’s UNESCO-listed abbey as one of the most beautiful parkruns in the world.

The Irish trip, part of a busy calendar of Ripon Runners social events, was in response to the huge growth in popularity of the free, volunteer-led parkruns which take place every weekend around the globe.

As a result, back in 2022 the club began their own regular series of parkrun outings, starting with Hamsterley Forest in County Durham, and growing to encompass events in Edinburgh, Dublin and Gdansk in Poland.

For the Bere Island event, 27 club members variously travelled by plane, car and ferry to the remote island, which lies at the entrance to the magnificent Bantry Bay and has a tiny population of just more than 200 people.

“We quickly realised that Bere Island is more than just a parkrun - it’s a community event,” explained John Skinner of Ripon Runners.

“It was the first time that we’d all got a ferry to a parkrun, and the locals had kindly arranged a convoy of minibuses to take us to the start of the course.

"The event has a fantastic band of volunteers, and there was calmness, friendliness and a relaxed mood throughout.”

Since parkrun was first launched in London in October 2004, it has evolved into a global community of free, weekly, timed 5km parkruns on Saturdays, and 2km junior parkruns on Sundays, with more than 2,800 event locations in 23 countries.

In total, worldwide, there have now been a million parkrun events.

Held in a spirit of friendliness and sociability, Ripon Runners made the most of their weekend in an idyllic part of the world, with club members finding time to visit Dursey and Garnish Islands, Glengarriff, and even a local Buddhist Temple.

Despite the stunning nature of the location, the Ripon contingent found the one lap course “undulating and challenging”.

As to which parkrun location was the best, the North Yorkshire club, John Skinner was impressively diplomatic about the winner and grateful for the hospitality Ripon Runners received in Ireland.

"In glorious weather there can be nowhere better than Bere Island,” John said, “but Fountains Abbey has a uniquely beautiful aura on even the most wet and miserable day.

"So let’s call it an honourable draw.

"But we’d really like to thank the entire Bere Island parkrun team for making us so welcome.”