Pymore, Wooth, Waytown & Salway Ash--Thu. Jan 11 [UK]

A big lunch, with wine and guests -- yet after doing the washing up, and without even a nap, I thought I should try and get an outing in. It wouldn't need to be fast, so a stitch shouldn't be a problem; the worst thing would be carrying the weight of such a full tum. Departed a bit after four, again in reflector vest, training pants, hat etc. Headed up Victoria Grove to Pymore Lane, now graced with a walkway behind the hedge. At the mill, found the old footpath after running through the old factory, along a trail I remember being told to clear when I worked there that summer, so many years ago. Across the weir to pick up the slender streamside path; ducking branches and brambles, followed it till it ran out, and headed through a hedge into a field, mudplugging and sensing my way out eventually to the Dottery road. Up the hill to the trail that heads towards Pineapple lane; entered the pathway but it led into a field and then faded away; followed it as best I could, but the farmer (yes, he'd prefer folk sort of forgot about the trail, I guess, even though it's on the MAP!) was not being helpful -- at one point a marker led into a field, and I followed, but there was no egress: hedges closed up, no way out. I ran round the whole thing, and then just had to plunge on as best I could. Got a bit scratched and muddy, but finally picked up signs again and found my way to what turned out to be Higher Ash Farm. The only way back into lanes was through their yard, and of course one bottleneck was deep soft mud slurry. I nearly lost both shoes, stopping abruptly as I felt them grabbed by the mud - I didn't want to be reaching down with my hands to rescue them, so I slowly wiggled out and suck-plopped along a few more steps to the other shore. Yucky yikes. Figured I do just lanes after that, and did so: one large lanetop lake necessitated more wet feet, but I made my way to the Waytown road, joining at the top of Wooth, running past the cottage where Lesley and I babysat for some friends of her parents, even more years ago. Past Elwell Fruit Farm and then into Pineapple lane and across to Salway Ash, and back down the [busy] road to Dottery, then back across to Pymore and home. Aiming for 7+ miles, I ended up going this far:

Time: 1:26:43
Speed: 6.9 mph
Distance: 10.02 miles

Comment: that covers my 25 miles this week, with a little to spare. Again, a marvellous run, the long and slow I've been looking for, with enough mud to last me a year!