Easing back before the big event

30 September 2012

It’s the final weekend before the Hike so we decided to do a shorter walk, around ten mile, just to keep our legs in shape. 

Setting off at 1.11pm, we had thought of going up through Gogbatch and down Minton, two of our favourite places on the Hike, but opted instead to go up through Cardingmill which was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday. The usual funnel effect of the steep-sided valley was evident with a sharp breeze rushing towards us meaning Sue got to try out her new gloves (from www.theoutdoordepot.co.uk) straight away.

The air got distinctly wetter as we went up Motts Road and just past the Shooting Box we donned our jackets as the cloud got lower and lower. We reached Pole Bank at 2.20pm, 5km on pedometer - which I had adjusted slightly in the light of recent under-recording. On the path down to Pole Cottage the squall got much fiercer and visibility dropped considerably. We reached the checkpoint at 2.30pm, 5.9km, and decided to try out our waterproof trousers as we were now getting properly wet.

There were many fewer cars on the Portway today and the weather was certainly autumnal as we took the track over to Minton but the rain eased a bit as we got to the summit at 2.55pm, 7.4km. We were gently jogging down the far side when we were passed by a runner at full pelt who was clearly undeterred by any risk assessments. We continued our gentle jog and got to the checkpoint at 3.31pm, 10.5km, and then after stripping off the waterproofs, trotted down the first section on the lane to Little Stretton, passing the remains of an interesting red and white fungus by the roadside. Not sure how many red mushrooms there are in the UK apart from fly agaric, but needless to say, we did not stop for a nibble.

We got to Little Stretton at 3.50pm, 12.2 km and then headed along the road for home. The runner was just reaching the summit of Ragleth, walking the steep bit rather than running though, so maybe he’s not quite superhuman. We passed the 4-hour mark at 13.7km which was a pretty good pace and then home at 4.29pm, just over 15km.

That’s probably the final walk in preparation, just a trip to the gym this week and a final kit check. And of course, a constant look at the weather forecasts.

We may do some reports from the Hike itself on twitter, assuming we can get a signal - you can follow us @busandcoach_com