Sunday League 27th Oct – Changed Location

There’s a change of location for this Sunday’s cross-country race hosted by Royston Runners. I imagine it come as no surprise to Sunday League regulars to find out that it’s proved impossible to get a licence from Natural England to use Therfield Heath.

However, the good news is that at very short notice, Royston Runners have been able to get the agreement of a local farmer to use his land near the village of Barley, about 3 miles southwest of Royston, for our race.

Race details

Date: Sunday, 27th October

Start time – 10:30am

Venue: Manor Farm, Royston Road, Barley, Royston, SG8 8BN
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Course: this will consist of an out-and-back section followed by two laps around fields.  Distance c.8km.  I believe that the surface is all grass. 

Facilities: No changing rooms.  It is hoped that temporary toilets can be provided.

Travel and Parking – there is limited street parking in Barley.  This is 10-15 minutes walk from the start.  Please be respectful to the needs of local residents if you park in the village. 

However, this will accommodate no more than 100 cars, which is far less than expected at the race.  Therefore, car sharing will be essential.  My recommendation is that people coordinate their travel so that someone parks in Royston town centre and offers a “taxi service” to other runners to the venue.

There are a number of options to do this:-

Park in Royston Station car park, cost £3.20 on a Sunday, and combine there for the last part of the journey to Barley.  There are c.400 spaces in the station car park.

Alternatively, use the Heath Sports Club car park, (which many of you will know as it’s been our traditional race venue and is free) and combine travel from there.

There are also several public car parks in Royston Town Centre.

There is no public transport between Royston and Barley.  There are taxis outside the main entrance to Royston Station, but they may be few and far between on Sunday mornings.