Here’s a little read about our run today.

I arrived at the Henhayes Centre where Clive, Jennie, and a few others were sheltering from the drizzly rain before they went on a chatty and social trail run. Michael was also there looking fit and enthusiastic. There was no backing down now…

The amount of climbing from the start seemed to go on forever. We made a quick decision to go through a gate only supported by the brambles that weaved themselves around it and into a field, to avoid a lengthy bit of tarmac. We were rewarded with fantastic views of Lewesden to the left and Pilsden just peeking out from the low rolling clouds on the right. It lifted my mood and we made our way down to some stepping stones at the river crossing. The river was flowing quickly and the stones were just under the water. I had found a stick which was clearly too small, then spotted a branch lodged in the river bank. Michael already had one foot submerged on the first stone. I handed it to him and he polevaulted himself across the river. Conveniently the rain stopped not long afterwards and it was an excuse to take my waterproof coat off and stuff it in my bag. I was immediately feeling much better and we quickly started climbing towards Lewesden. I took the opportunity to read about the Lost Pilot before ascending the last climb to the plateau. I took a look around and the trees were covered in moss but the clouds had moved in to spoil the view. I thought about how easy it would be to get lost. It was almost like running through an enchanted land with roots under our feet while bounding down deep furrows created by the rain.

We escaped to the open fields. Pilsden was like a giant to our right looking down at two tiny creatures trying to navigate the land. Pilsden probably thought how small and pathetic we looked trudging across the muddy fields. However, there was a sense of determination between us both. I remember seeing sheep-shaped seagulls and even a unicorn as we battled the slippery climb. Michael effortlessly ran all the way to the top, placed a hand on the trig point and conquered Pilsden. We stopped to look around but our legs couldn’t get moving again. Perhaps it was all part of the plan to keep us there? We finally started running down the hill and over to Seaborough before reaching home on very tired legs after running for over 3 hours in the beautiful Somerset countryside.