So this morning I set off to find the last half km for my usual 5k route,- which actually is annoyingly just short of 5k. This had always frustrated me as it’s such a beautiful route, avoiding almost any road running and most of it on a leafy soft woodland-feel trail from a former train line, with picturesque iron footbridge at halfway point of the run!
To make my 5k, I have in the past run a circuitous route through a housing estate getting me there in a loop to the start of the trail, making it a 6.5 route. So I was always on the lookout for a different way of adding the last 300 meters.
My criteria were:
- Avoid roads, as I don’t want to take my headphones out
- ideally runnable throughout the year, as the main route is an all yearly
- out and backs are ok, I find l. I prefer them actually to circular routes.
So this morning I set out to try that little path parallel to the main route, the one I spotted on the foot map app. The sequence of the route is not perfect, but it’s quite good:
- first all the way “out” of my usual out&back route, on my lovely earthen woody paths, passing under the picturesque Victorian iron bridge;
- back and under bridge and heading up the stairs to heaven, or at least that’s what it looks like. It also adds equivalent of three stair cases or more, so I will feel like Rocky !
- follow narrow path between open fields and woods, navigating a few nettles and running on a public path through a cornfield;
- make my way down to the former train line, back into the cool shadow of leafy trees, making my way back to the start.
The little 0.3k section might not be quite passable all year round, but I will certainly monitor this and try to run it regularly. I actually fancy the addition of a set of steps, although it really takes it out of me.
Happy finding your own running paths!
(Pics in the reply)
Fed up with football run 😂
Exploring.....found new route and a hill!
