Having written this, I am fully expecting a backlash of people who disagree with my list.
This is not a definitive list with years of surveys and research to find the ultimate best locations, but it is a rough guide to some cool spots that you should probably check out if you’re in the UK.
I strongly believe anywhere can be good if you explore enough, so of course people will have personal preferences, and I’m open to hearing your suggestions!
10. Horsham Hometown of the original Storror crew, Horsham just had to be on this list. It’s a small town in the heart of Sussex, but has a characteristically unusual variety of spots compared with other towns of it’s size. Expect everything from low walls in public spaces to death drop roof gaps. As the town is so small, the spots are extremely close together, start your visit from one side of the town centre, and work all the way through. Expect to have an encounter with police or security, as public opinion isn’t generally in our favour. Sunday visits are usually best, and definitely don’t touch roof tops before 6pm.
“The rooftops of Reading are absolutely legendary.”
9. Guildford Another Storror hometown – this time a Storror of the ginger variety (yes I’m biased). Guildford is in the upmarket country of Surrey, although originally a quaint village similar to Horsham, Guildford is now a rather large city – with architecture to match! There are similar amounts of spots to Horsham but marginally more spread, and generally less high.
Check out the ‘roundabout spot’ to practise your catpasses, and ‘orange walls’ for strides and plyos. Again, you will definitely be kicked off but unlike Horsham, if you get caught by police in Guildford, they will fuck you up.
8. Liverpool An oldschool classic, Liverpool was once one of the capitals of Parkour in the UK. These days, the community is spread more thinly, but the classic spots are still there. Oldschool spots aren’t the reason I gave Liverpool the number eight spot however, recently we’ve discovered a whole world of abandoned buildings. The spots are okay, but the real value in Liverpool is exploring.
Have a look around the docks, there are some great missions. Also, be sure to check out the airborne academy if the weather isn’t so great (likely).
7. Basingstoke Another oldschool destination, but this ones still kicking! Home to the 3run boys, there’s some quality spots in and around Basingstoke town center, and obviously the infamous active life centre (3run gym). The anchor is what Basingstoke is primarily known for, but once you’ve played at the front, check out similar spots round the back.
Walking through town you’ll see plenty of familiar spots from ‘brothers journey’ and ‘3run family’ videos. There’s a lot of unexplored territory on the outskirts, I’m sure you’ll find some gems.
“As much as it’s been done a million times, London is incredible for training.”
6. Reading The rooftops of Reading, are absolutely legendary. It’s possible to climb up at one end of the high street, work your way towards the other, and not reach it all day. These roofs are endless, littered with gaps, drops, plyos, and climbs. Definitely not one to start the day with, almost everything on the rooftops is massive and scary. Check out some of the more friendly spots in town first, there’s a decent sized community in Reading, so it won’t be hard to find someone to show you around.
5. Derby Another northern town, Derby is famous for birthing Tim Shieff. Memorial is one of my favourite spots in the country, really great training with tonnes of variety. There’s also ‘green rails’ in the centre of town which is pretty well known. If you’re looking for less public spaces, there’s also the abandoned hospital, just out of town with some great roof gaps and exploring. There’s a decent sized community in Derby now too including the Street Media boys and some other mofos.
4. Cambridge Cambridge definitely got more airtime back in the day, and although some of the famous spots have been anti-climbing painted, or fenced – Cambridge remains one of the best destinations in the UK. The city is about 50 miles north of London, you can hop on a train and be there in an hour. Cambridge is a relatively old city, and this is strongly reflected in the architecture, expect to see cathedrals and church type buildings a lot.
The town is a mishmash of buildings, making excellent roof spots – but there’s also ground level opportunities like Zoo. If you do make the trip, make sure to stay at least one night, to experience a Cambridge night mission. The only downfall is security being heroically tight – you will get kicked off. Everywhere.
3. Croydon Probably the most underrated destination on this list. Croydon has some epic spots, and I’m sure there is still so much left to discover. You may have seen Croydon in ‘Storm Origins’ part of C4’s Concrete Circus. Similarly epic, endless rooftops to Reading – the spots here are manly.
As an added bonus you can get away with a lot in Croydon, because there’s no big community. Not much more that I can say than if you want to hit some epic, meaty jumps check out Croydon.
2. Central London Obviously. I bet you were wondering when this was going to crop up? As much as it’s been done a million times, London is incredible for training. There’s the obvious spots on south bank which are a must if you haven’t experienced them before, but because London is so vast and dense, you’ll easily be able to find a hundred new spots just by wandering around anywhere!
Unfortunately the Elephant and Castle estate is now gone, sorry to break that news. But there’s still plenty left. Classic locations include ‘Tramps Kitchen’, ‘Vauxhall’, ‘iMax 1&2’, ‘Haywards Gallery’, ‘Baby 45’, ‘Abbey Road’, and ‘Hospital’.
1. Brighton – Suprised?
As well as having an insane wealth of spots, the main reason Brighton is number one, is for the community. There’s over 700 people on the FB group ‘Brighton Parkour Training Sessions’ – which has been, and still is extremely effective at getting people out and jumping around. Brighton is home to Callum and Sacha Powell, who you’ll be sure to bump into if you’re hitting up any of the Brighton spots.
There’s also characters like Chris Brooks, Steven Whitely, and Will Sutton who are often out and about. Being such a liberal place, parkour is quite widely accepted in Brighton. Although you’ll inevitably get kicked off at some spots, generally the reaction is quite good. You’ll find you might accrue an audience quite quickly, especially on the seafront.
The city is huge, but it’s not as built up as London, so the architecture lends itself to Parkour far more easily. The spots on the seafront go on for miles, and you can literally travel from Hove to Newhaven and visit the spots in every town on the way. Once you reach Newhaven, there’s a great Parkour park – mainly for bar work, but it’s great fun. If you’re coming to the UK, Brighton is a must to check out.
