Whittle Dean Revisited

And Hell is still where I saw it last

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The weather men have over stressed the warnings again, obviously for the benefit of the soft southerners again. To be fair the blow on the south coast does look spectacular but up here in the north, where it's usually 'Grim' remember, we've had a lovely couple of days. Revisiting one of the runs around the village where I live, Horsley, and Whittle Dean, the autumn colours and the bright sunshine making it if not pleasurable at least picturesque. The run ends by acending the Horsley Hell Run which Ihave not attempted for some months. It's as hard as I remember and although I can run most of it now there's a section at the bottom just as you approach the Horsley Wood Cottages where walking is a serious option especially after the last 5.5 miles.

Distance: 9.926 km Elevation gain: 186.5 m Elevation loss: -186.1 m

Reservoir Dogs

Running on Water

The reservoirs from near Harlow Hill

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Running out after all that rain, I didn't think it'd be possible yesterday but the weather turned warm and sunny. Another new route variation, north from the flat up towards Hadrians Wall and around the reservoirs at the top of Whittle Dean. Many of the tracks were both overgrown from lack of traffic, obviously hardly anyone runs or walks these very often and very very wet. Indeed several times I was up past my ankles in water and mud. Then back down the hill to Horsley, 7 miles or thereabouts quite a slow time, route finding in the long grass and wading through ankle deep mud doesn't make for a fast pace.

Downtime

Getting The Sunday Papers in

Hagg Bank Bridge

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Taking a 9 mile walk just to get the papers in seems a little excessive perhaps.

There's a good description of the Hagg Bank Bridge over on Cycle-Routes.org and yes it does look like The Tyne Bridge, that's because it was the predecessor of both the Tyne Bridge and the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.