Lews Castle parkrun is back up and running/jogging/walking …

Lews Castle parkrun is a free 5k timed walk/jog/run which starts and finishes at Cuddy Point every Saturday at 9.30am. 

In line with most other parkruns in Scotland, the Stornoway event started again in August, with procedures in place to manage COVID risks.

Mairi Maciver, Event Director for Lews Castle parkrun said ‘Everyone is welcome at parkrun. You don’t have to be able to run 5k to take part.  We would love to have more people who walk the route. There is a volunteer tailwalker at every event, so there’s no chance that anyone walking will be last!’

Families are also welcome. Anyone over the age of 5 can take part, as long as they are with a parent or carer. Babies in buggies are welcome, as are dogs on short leads.   And for anyone who doesn’t fancy running, the event needs ten volunteers each week to do a range of tasks from being a marshal to giving out finish tokens.

Over the summer, Lews Castle parkrun attracted visitors from all over the UK, including Aberdeen, Brighton, Glasgow, Norfolk and Yorkshire.  ‘Most scenic parkrun I’ve every done’, ‘lovely friendly volunteers’, ‘we will definitely be visiting again’ are some of the comments posted on the event’s Facebook page.

Since the event restarted, quite a few locals have come along for the first time. That includes Angus, the Golden Retriever, and his humans Maggie and Neil.  ‘Angus was in ambling mode’ said Neil, ‘but the smiles say it all.  It’s a community thing.’

To take part in parkrun, you just need to register at www.parkrun.org.uk, print out your barcode and turn up! Anyone who’d like to volunteer will be very welcome, please email the organisers on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.