A long run, just for the sake of it

[Maddee_6333]

I carefully set my Garmin for a times run of an hour, this morning before leaving the house with Merlin for the river, but either I did it wrong, or missed it giving me whatever Beep or Tone it gives when the time is up 🤦‍♀️ Which was fine as my plan was originally to run down one side of the river then cross over the bottom bridge, come back up the other side and over the top bridge (which is the one I fell over on last year and have the scar to prove it!) Though I’d had to have a rapid change of plan when we arrived as the sheep were all over the footpath on the far side of the river.

There was a lone cyclist behind us when we first set off, but he turned right when we turned left, and then I didn’t see anyone else for about half an hour as we trundled down the hard topped bridle way. What we did see was rabbits. So many rabbits! But Merlin was very good and listened to me telling him to ignore them, which was great after yesterday (when he caught and killed his first squirrel 😕).

Got to the bottom bridge and stopped for water break and had a brief chat with another runner who was warming up before her run. Crossed the bridge, and ran up to my usual choice of car park, giving Merlin a bit of free run time before harnessing back up and turning round to head back.

Ran the top path alongside the river on our return journey, which was the sunnier option, but cooler round our feet through the long grass than running the bridle way again. It also gave me the chance to bird spot - mallards, swans, a heron, something I think was a coot(?) or a moorhen(?) on the river, and blackbirds and finches in the bushes.

We rejoined the bridle way what felt like far too soon, and only then started meeting cyclists and dog walkers.

[Debston Graduate]

Sounds and looks idyllic! And well done Merlin for leaving the rabbits in peace! I can never remember the difference between moorhens and coots either but lovely to spot whichever ones they were. My run through the woods earlier was very wildlife-free, possibly because the loggers were out logging today. Usually see at least a few squirrels and crows.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Debston]

It is a lovely route, just a bit hair raising in the summer when you’re running with a dog attached.

[skysue16 Graduate in reply to Maddee_6333]

I know exactly what you mean!!!

[SlowLoris]

Kudos to Merlin. Squirrels are blooming hard to catch.

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to SlowLoris]

They are. I’m hoping the reason that he caught it isn’t ‘the squirrel was sick’. 😒

[SlowLoris in reply to Maddee_6333]

Perhaps it just hadn’t hydrated properly.

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Well done you, sound a lovely run surrounded by lots of wildlife 😊

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Buddy34]

It was a lovely run, just wish there hadn’t been quite as much wildlife on the other bank. 😉

[MuddledGardener Graduate]

Great run! I can’t tell the difference between moor hens and coots either! 🤣

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to MuddledGardener]

I’m going to have to Google!

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to MuddledGardener]

MooR hens have Red on their faces

Coots have the white ‘shield’

[MuddledGardener Graduate in reply to Maddee_6333]

Thank you! Now I have to try to remember which way round it is! 🤣

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to MuddledGardener]

There’s an R in mooRhen, and an R in Red.

The website had that as a useful tip. 😁

Come to that, there’s a T in cooT and a T in whiTe too. Please don’t ask me to say that quickly!

[MuddledGardener Graduate in reply to Maddee_6333]

🤣🤣🤣

[Lindsey-joy Graduate]

Sounds lovely 😁

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to Lindsey-joy]

It really was. Especially after the rain we’ve had this week.

[skysue16 Graduate]

🐇🐇🐇🐇!!! Sooo...hard to ignore, well Squiggy finds it impossible!

[Maddee_6333 Graduate in reply to skysue16]

We’ve done a lot of work on ‘leave it’. I don’t think we’ll ever be 100%, but it works more often than it fails. 😊