Short Stratford run along the river and Green Way

A second 8am 6km run in bright sun and already hot.

Route: Leaving the AirBnB at 12 St John St and crossing the main road to run towards the theatres, taking the footbridge across the river and into the park area. Following a path along the bank of the river with views of the RSC complex and then the marina. Following the path up steps and then down again and then exiting the river area to run along the edge of a crop field and then sheep to reaching the oblique entry to the Greenway. Turning a sharp right and following the route to the café bending slightly left. Then following the line of the old railway just below the A4390 on Spencer Court etc. Continuing on the Greenway at the roundabout taking the first path to the left and then along a road to the school and left on Alcester Road to pick up the car at Steve and Kathryn’s house (Darlow Drive).

Conditions: sunny and warm,

Pub? Nope. 

Short run to the Stratford-upon-Avon obelisk

An 8am run to the Stratford Obelisk. 

Route: Leaving the AirBnB at 12 St John Strett and running west along Payton Place and north on Warwick Road and onto Welcombe Road. At a slight bend, continuing straight on a grassy track and keeping on this course past Welcombe Hotel, climbing then bending slightly right to the Obelisk. Then heading west and then south and then west again to find a path through corn fields to join Clopton Road and follow this down to the canal towpath and then down along Great Willian Street to return to St John Street.

Conditions: although 8am, hot while running.

Pub? Not at 9am but later Butcombe Rare Breed Pale Ale with a late lunch, post-visit to Compton Verney, with Emma, Nathan and James at the Antelope, Lighthorne.

Birthday-ish Stratford run with Kathryn

A hot, flat 12km run led by Kathryn (Lois only)

Route: Turning right along Alcester Road from Kathryn’s house and then turning right and wiggling between Stratford Primary School and Stratford College through car parking to head south and east along tarmacked ginnels (National Cycle Route 5) to to the Shottery Road/A4390 roundabout. There bearing left/SE through Old Town on Broad Walk, becoming Narrow Lane, turning right on Bull Street and then left on College Lane to Holy Trinity Church. Running round this to the right on Mill Lane down to the river and Lucy’s Mill footbridge. 

From there following the river north again as far as the Butterfly Farm and then running due south for about a mile, joining the Shipston Road, crossing a roundabout and continuing south. At a second roundabout turning SW along Clifford Lane and following this for another mile before turning off right up a track to Milcote Hill Farm, rising slowly through fields of ripe corn to a summit and on down to Burnthouse Barn and, eventually, turning sharp right to join the Stratford Greenway. Running two miles back towards Old Town on this, passing Bobby’s Café and forking left to rejoin NCR5 and, at the Shottery Road roundabout, retrace our outward route.

Conditions: Sunny and still and therefore hot

Pub? A bit later, Plantarium for lunch with Alex and Tom

Claife Heights 9.5km run

A 9.5km run, then jog then walk, taking the overgrown balcony path, on Lois’ birthday.

Route: leaving the car at the Briathwaite Hall in Far Sawrey (£2), pausing to look at changes to Firbank (the entry has moved! the slates are clean!) and running along Cuckoo Brow Lane past Moss Eccles Tarn and Wise Een Tarn, slowly uphill (stopping for the first walk) to reach trees and descend a single-track path past what remains of Hollin Band Plantation. 

Straight across at a crossroads to continue on a single-track path descending a disturbing amount to a junction signed back to Far Sawrey. By this point walking because of an overheating T (though only 20C) and increasingly overgrown paths. (On reflection, this would never be a running path in bracken season.) Diverting right to the summit trig point and then continuing for another 1km of overgrown path before things clearing and a familiar return to the track between Fir Bank and the Cuckoo Brow.

Later a short expedition to look, for the first time, at the Claife Viewing Station.

Conditions: not really that hot but little breeze.

Pub: Cuckoo Brow Inn for Tirril Windermere IPA and iffy Hawkshead Red.

Fields and footbridges between Kirkby Stephen, Hartley and Nateby

A 3-mile pootle (in concert dress!) by L between Cumbria Festival Chorus rehearsal and performance

Route: Walking down from the church door to Stoneshot and turning left to follow signs down to Frank’s Bridge (with the first of many Coast to Coast signposts). Heading straight ahead to enter a field with a cricket pavilion and pitch fenced off in the middle and skirting it round to the right to a gate and then turning sharp left to follow a path up to the summit of Kirkby Hill. Descending in the same sense the other side to turn right on another perimeter path round to another gate and then turning right (and south) to walk back to the original gate down an avenue of trees but then continuing straight on to slip past another gate and join the C to C path again by turning left. Following this treelined path beside the River Eden and then going straight on through a gate, out of the trees, to climb a narrow path uphill, becoming a tarmacked lane at a higher gate and leading on to the hamlet of Hartley. 

In Hartley turning right (with the C to C) as far as a footbridge down to the left, which spurning and leaving the C to C again, to walk up a drive towards Hartley Castle until the 'private' sign. There turning right over a stile to head back down towards the outward route, turning sharply back left over a stile at the last minute to join a bridleway contouring narrowly across the hillside towards Bollam Bridge. Descending at the end to the bridge, in trees, to cross it and follow the bridleway on, inside the edge of some woodland and then in a tunnel of trees as far as a hairpin junction - marked Hartley onwards and Nateby back. 

Taking the turning to Nateby to walk on and down to another footbridge across the Eden, and then take a narrow footpath back south along the riverbank. Once again reaching a hairpin junction and taking the sharp right back up to rise across a hillock, pretty much pathless, towards a gate onto a track, leading, left, to the Nateby Road.

There turning right and following the road back towards the town centre, turning right just after the Baptist Church on Mellbecks to reach Stoneshot again and turn up left to return to the church.

Conditions: After a damp day, grass extremely wet and muddy paths pooled (DMs not waterproof) but surprisingly without rain until the final moments and quite warm.

Pub: Back home for a glass of red after the concert (several hours later). (Pubs full of cup final crowds anyway!)

Burneside to Staveley 10km run via Gurnal Dubs

A 10km solitary (T) run after 10 days of fatigue. 

Route: taking the 10:21am train to Burneside and running through Cropper’s paper factory and then left up the road to dogleg right-left up Garnett Bridge Road, leaving it for a notional path across a field to Beetham Bank. Here, taking an option to go left along a track rather than right on a path to reach Shepherd Green but finding it narrowly hedged in and comprising very deep waterlogged mud thus making very slow progress. (NEVER TO BE REPEATED!) 

After the farm houses, running slowly up a tarmac drive to reach the Potter Fell road, and turning right for 400m. Turning left and walking steeply uphill through two fields before turning left on a more level track rising slowly and then descending to Gurnal Dubs. Rising to the summit of the run around 300m and descending quickly to Potter Tarn and then Birk Field. Turning right on the c-road to take the second path to the left, descending to Hall Lane, Barley Bridge and the Mill Yard. 

Conditions: only about 15C but very humid and a tedious number of flies. 

Pub: the Hawkshead Brewery, Staveley, for Mosaic.