The bluebells were beautiful and made up for the previous week when they had only been visible in the wood beside the road on the way to the pub!

The list of injuries was rather long.  Big Stiffy was still suffering with his calf and also had a cold, CS had bruised ribs from falling off his bike, Mismatch had a knot in her calf after her marathon at the weekend and Lemony’s calves both seized up after c100 meters.  So the number of front runners was a little diminished.

We went out across the field opposite the pub and did a left, right, into the woods.  The hare was obviously keen to keep us moving as rain was forecast.  The walkers had a map and a short cut so he was marking the checks very quickly.  There were some beautiful views with the sun breaking through occasionally and the mist from the rain hanging in the air.  We came to a T junction where the walkers had the choice of two short cuts.  A little concern was voiced as one was back along the trial we had already come which would only be marked “Out” not “In”.  But they had a map. The runners turned to the right  and came out of the woods by the ponds, turning right again and then right again back towards the woods.  In thd woods we completed the square with another turn right and then left onto the track back to the pub.

A wonderful, scenic trail.  The walkers made it back to the pub at the same time as the runners, closely followed by the injured.

Hare:  Zorro

Hounds: Rubber Sole’s Buddy, Northern Soul, Rubber Sole, Big Stiffy, Hotlips, Ringer, Dingaling, Eric, Pressganger and Ben, Gatecrasher, Dancing Queen, Mismatch, Tim, Henry V, CS, Rear Admiral, Wimpey, Lemony Snickett and Gnome Alone (in the pub anyway)

Date: 6 May 2014

Distance: 4.5 Miles