Tag: Mud

Coffee, cake and mud at Whiteley

1 October 2017

October started with the first CC6 of the season, at least the first one Commando could run. It isn’t easy dragging yourself out of a warm bed on a Sunday morning to go out into the cold and run around a piece of muddy woodland. It isn’t easy to go along to take pictures for that matter but there we were at Whiteley, the new town that sprung up in the 1980’s and 1990’s between Southampton, Fareham and Winchester on land that was mostly farmland and coppice originally. Continue reading Coffee, cake and mud at Whiteley

The fairies of Archery Woods

20 September 2017

We left the sea and the tall flats behind and cut through the buildings to Archery Road. At this stage my plans were vague. Maybe we’d walk back towards Woolston and wind our way through the streets there. Maybe we’d head along Swift Road or Weston Lane towards Sholing and Millers Pond. Then again, we could walk through the woods, if they weren’t too muddy.  Continue reading The fairies of Archery Woods

The rain continues at Itchen Valley

2 August 2017

After a day spent painting my living room ceiling while the rain teemed down outside I can’t say I was much looking forward to the RR10 at Itchen valley Country Park tonight. For one, I was tired. Painting ceilings is surprisingly hard work and this one looked as if it might still need another coat. On top of this I’d been struggling with a trapped nerve in my leg. Apparently this is due to my stupidly high arches, at least according to my GP it is. Who’d have thought having high arches could cause so much pain all of a sudden? There was a great temptation to stay at home, take some painkillers and go to bed, especially as it was still raining.  Continue reading The rain continues at Itchen Valley

Wet, muddy and probably hallucinating

23 July 2017

The rain just kept on falling. There were a few slight lulls when Commando prepared for his first night lap. Each time he pinned on his race number, checked out his head torch and pulled on his trainers it pelted down again though. Rob went out with Kim on her evening lap because he was so worried about the conditions and two torches are better than one. The gloom, the rain and most of all the mud meant it took a ridiculously long time. The woods were especially bad, tree roots hidden under water and slippery mud. After a conflab everyone agreed it was just too dangerous, not worth the risk of a broken ankle or worse.  Continue reading Wet, muddy and probably hallucinating

Janesmoor Pond, more ups than downs

19 July 2017

Tonight’s RR10 adventure was at Janesmoor Pond in the New Forest, although there was some slight confusion, at least on my part because I thought it was across the road at Stoney Cross. Luckily Commando knew where we were going and we managed to pull into the correct car park . The first job was erecting the tent. This proved slightly more difficult than expected.  Continue reading Janesmoor Pond, more ups than downs

Care For a Walk – Totton to Matley, ponies dogs and a deer

18 March 2017

Care For a Walk day has come round again and, with it, the joy of a walk in the New Forest with zero chance of getting lost or ending up somewhere other than where I meant to. The annual spring walk for Macmillan Cancer Support is planned by Pete and Mike, experts on all the trails and paths because they are lucky enough to live in the forest. This means I don’t have to worry about anything other than putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the scenery. Actually, this time, I did have to worry about not losing CJ, who has discovered he loves a walk too and wanted to come along.  Continue reading Care For a Walk – Totton to Matley, ponies dogs and a deer

Calmore, Totton, leaping salmon and an old bridge

9 March 2017

When we left the wilds of Testwood Lakes it was a bit of a culture shock to find ourselves in an industrial estate. Of course, I knew Calmore Industrial Estate was there but, after more than an hour of walking along rural lanes and tracks, to be thrust into the world of huge concrete and metal sheds and warehouses took some getting used to. Despite the map on my phone I lost my bearings a little and, for a moment, didn’t know which way to walk. At least there were pavements here, once I’d worked out which way to go, we were soon on the move again.  Continue reading Calmore, Totton, leaping salmon and an old bridge

Mud, dragon’s teeth and Testwood Lakes

9 March 2017

Although we were both feeling a little hungry CJ and I decided to keep going forwards. Turning back would only have saved us a mile or so of walking after all and neither of us like retracing our steps much. So far we’d been on nice firm roads for the most part and now we hit the mud.  After our last muddy adventure, my fingers were firmly crossed it wouldn’t get too deep or go on too long.  Continue reading Mud, dragon’s teeth and Testwood Lakes

Denny Wood, the penultimate CC6

19 February 2017

Today brought the penultimate CC6 at Denny Wood in the New Forest. For once it was an area I knew fairly well as I’ve walked through it many times as part of the Care For A Walk fifteen mile fundraiser. Usually it is muddy and I had the feeling today was going to be no exception. On a different day I might have gone for a wander across White Moor to Lyndhurst and Bolton’s Bench a coulple of miles down Beaulieu Road, or crossed the road and done my usual trick of getting lost in Matley Wood. Today though I was being gentle on my poor old foot with its healing blister. Besides, there wouldn’t be too much time as Commando was running a CC6.  Continue reading Denny Wood, the penultimate CC6

An ancient chapel, a blister and a long hard walk

7 February 2017

And so we limped away from the duckpond towards the place I’d really been heading for all along. Well, I limped anyway. The huge, spiny tree trunk in my boot gave me a sharp pain whenever I put my foot down and I was convinced there’d be a puddle of blood when I finally took the boot off. CJ still had no real idea what we were about to see but I did and the memory of the tranquil little church went a long way towards making up for the pain in my foot.  Continue reading An ancient chapel, a blister and a long hard walk