Alphabetically, this is the first parkrun in the World. One of the volunteers described it as the hilliest 5k in Cologne – they have done great work in cramming a 5k in, up and around the hill in this park, in a pretty flat city. The Weiher of the name, incidentally, is a pond, and running round that bit is at least flat. The rest of the course is not.

The numbers, as with most other German parkruns for now, are relatively small, which means a chance to chat with almost everyone before or after the event. Some even managed to chat during it, which is a great effort. There’s only one hill in the park, but you go up it one way, come back up it from the back, and then find another bit of up before returning to the waterfront part. And then repeat.

It’s a course that never lets you go. The twists and turns mean there is plenty to look at, from the tower (shown in the picture above) to the tree-lined parts, to watching parts of Cologne appear and disappear between the greenery.

I really enjoyed the run, and the cafe afterwards – very near, to the West, just over the road and between the two numbers 264 on the map at the top – was very hospitable. It doesn’t open till 10, so no need to rush over.

Cologne has good public transport, but the park is only 3km from the central train station. I was staying a little further away, in the North of the city, but there’s green belt of parks and walkways, much of the way round the edge, and I walked that for a total of just over 5km. That gave me a view of parks and the tower, and is a great way to explore a little more of the city.

Results from event 29, Aachener Weiher parkrun.