A new route

I always run the trails through the woods finding it infinitely more satisfying than pounding the pavement with the local running group. I get a really good workout, even if I only walk the route and for the last two runs Ive mostly walked this woodland trail. I can often hear its residents going about their business. Yesterday a woodpecker high up in the trees. Squirrels foraging amongst the leaf litter and all manner of small birds. On very rare occasions I spot deer and buzzards when running through the meadow.

 

I love it. The steps that tire me out and leave my legs aching, the track that runs alongside the derelict fort I often dream of exploring. The hidden remnants of WW2 defenses poking out from beneath the mass of glossy harts tongue and feathery fronds of lady-fern. Yet for the next few months I need a new route. One that is a little drier and wont lead to me wading ankle deep  through mud. One that will still let me enjoy the trees, the solitude and the challenging terrain that wears me out so well. One that will make me want to come out and run.  I think I may have found it.  Just a short walk away, across a brook, through trees towering over a narrow track and through an unassuming gate.