Running with Dolphins 🐬 🏃‍♀️ Our Unforgettable Alness parkrun

As our holiday in Scotland drew to a close, we decided not to head straight home on Saturday morning but get up early and head to the nearest parkrun to where we were staying . . . 70 miles away in Alness.
It was a beautiful summery day, the kind that makes you want to stay outside forever, with clear blue skies and views that took our breath away. The Alness parkrun start line was buzzing with friendly chatter, and we received a warm welcome from the team. I loved the unusual clothesline of coat hangers to hang those unnecessary layers on before the start!
The course at Alness is truly special. We were treated to stunning views over the Cromarty Firth and the surrounding mountains as we ran. The trail meanders through scenic woodland paths and fields before leading us out onto a jetty that stretches into the firth. It's a unique feature that makes this parkrun stand out.
As we approached the turnaround point at the end of the jetty, something magical happened. Just off the edge of the jetty, dolphins appeared, gracefully swimming in the sparkling waters. It felt like a special gift, the perfect note to finish the holiday with. We paused, along with many other parkrunners, for a moment to take it all in and grab a photo or two - it was a sight neither of us will forget. And of course, we got to share this moment with the human traffic cone. I love this special feature of the Alness parkrun, where the turnaround marshal wears a cone costume!
The return leg of the run was filled with an extra bounce in our steps, buoyed by the dolphin encounter and the incredible scenery. The final stretch saw us running back through the lush greenery, with the sun shining warmly on our backs and encouragement on the course from marshals with cowbells.
After some time on the two playgrounds at the park, we headed into Alness, where we celebrated our run with a well-deserved breakfast from Cafe Picante and were joined by the parkrun core team and other runners to enjoy a good post-parkrun blether.
Alness parkrun was the perfect holiday finale. The combination of stunning landscapes, the sounds of the sea, and the unexpected appearance of dolphins made it truly special. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend joining this parkrun. Who knows? You might just spot a dolphin or two!
Hope you enjoy the film of our tourism adventure, please like and subscribe to our channel: www.youtube.co...
===============================
Useful Links
===============================
Alness parkrun
www.parkrun.or...
Cafe Picante
/ cafe-picante-100063623...
===============================
About Ian, Iona and Family
===============================
Each week on this channel Ian (Dad) and Iona share our little adventure experiences, often joined by Ewan (Iona’s older brother) and Ruth (Mum) too.
Our weekends often start with parkrun. Iona is on a non-repeat parkrun tourism streak having now visited over 100 different places since she started parkrunning. But we don’t just do parkun and dash home, we love exploring the area and often use bikes and trains for our travels to keep our carbon footprint low and because it adds to the adventure too. When school holidays arrive, longer adventures are possible with Ewan and Iona both being keen cycle tourists and mountain climbers!
So if you like heading outdoors and your idea of a perfect weekend includes parkrun, climbing a mountain or exploring new places on two wheels then we would love to have you join us on our adventures.
We’d love it if you subscribed so you can follow our journey and hopefully be inspired to get out the door and have your own little adventures. Do like and leave comments on our videos too on questions you might have or ideas for places to explore or adventures to go on.
===============================
Filmed using
===============================
GoPro Hero 10: amzn.to/3Jy1axA
GoPro Media Mod: amzn.to/3JxeVga
SYNCO G2(A2) Wireless Lavalier Microphone: amzn.to/3rxcLZv
JYPS Upgraded Pole for GoPro: amzn.to/3Kyw3kQ
Music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicso...

[@chrisdent3193]

Ian MBE, Thank you for sharing your family's little adventure in Scotland. Great views etc.

[@ALittleAdventureTime]

Glad you enjoyed it, I will be sharing another video soon from our time up there when Iona climbed Beinn Alligin, her first Munro!

[@janhaydon1505]

Wow what an incredible parkrun

[@ALittleAdventureTime]

It was an amazing morning and even without the dolphins is a beautiful parkrun to do.

[@richardrundle3638]

What a great looking course, I'd love to run that one, only problem is that it is a smidgin under 700 miles away!

[@ALittleAdventureTime]

Yes, it's quite a way away for most people! Definitely one you need to combine with a holiday.