Two satisfying Willand runs

Running barefoot through grassy meadows is hard to beat, and my first run this session satisfied. Through my favourite Culm river water meadows from Culmstock to Uffculme, just under 12 miles including getting there and back.

Culm water meadows

My second entailed running barefoot through grassy meadows in summer rain and getting soaked, an experience which is even harder to beat. The grassy bit started and finished in Uplowman (at bottom left in my map), going north past "Wood" to "Murley Farm" then south-east over the hill "Gulmoor" to Whitnage then heading west. Virtually all of this was through grassy meadows with not a soul about. Just under 13 miles including getting there and back.

Uplowman paths

At Whitnage I had intended to strike the road but could not find the right-of-way, so ended up returning west to Uplowman. From Lowman Cross (top left in next map) I headed home-ward south and over the major road A361 then took the footpath east to Sampford Peverell only to find it had been re-routed due to an "incident" over Connigar Hill where it joined the marked footpath above "Boobery" on the map. I desperately wanted to know what the "incident" entailed... From Stampford I took my usual route via Tiverton Parkway railway station back home.

Connigar Hill

Here are some photos

Inquisitive cows in Culm meadows

Near Murley Farm

View from summit near Gulmoor

Where the path was re-routed

From Connigar Hill

Stampford Peverell

The good and the not so good

OK, I know this will be boring unless you happen to like barefoot running and happen to be in the area and happen to want a route recommendation. Or maybe I should set up a public database of barefoot friendly footpaths.

Day 1, about 10 miles

My first foray on this trip to Devon was to explore some promising looking footpaths I had noted during our previous visit. But they turned out to be not so good - through recently strimmed brambles, fields sown with wheat, and inquisitive cows.

Day 2, another 10 miles

After a day's rest, the footpaths in my second foray were very good. The footpath part of the run is shown in the detail below.

Day 2 detail

It starts just north of the village of Uplowman (lower left of the map). The name sounds strange until you realise that Lowman is a river, and Uplowman is located in its upper reaches.

The path follows the river (technically a tributary to the Lowman, and just a brook) valley and is carpeted with soft meadow grass.  But about here it started to rain. Running in rain is very pleasurable provided one keeps warm - and I had checked that the forecast was OK in that respect.

By now it was raining steadily and I worried for my Pixel 2, as the plastic bag "sock" I had grabbed wasn't quite long enough to cover its entirety. But it survived.  At Murley farm I misread the map a bit (by now it was raining heavily, making it hard to read the map) but soon figured out my mistake.

Here I am looking back at the misty rain-sodden horizon as I climb out of the river valley towards Whitnage farm where again I lost my bearings (by now the rain was sluicing, so that I had to pause in the shelter of a barn to read my map). Those cows were content to leave me be, BTW. I decided to ignore the last planned footpath and get back home a.s.a.p. before dying of hypothermia.

Finally back along the Tiverton Parkway cycle track where I passed the 15:30 up train from Exeter to London Paddington. Thence back home to a shower and cuppa and later an excellent meal of risotto à la Instant Pot thankyou Ali!

Definitely worth repeating, both the meal and the run!

Oz report

We're staying with K for 3 weeks in Brisbane. So far I have run every morning, though not yet all that far. I'm gradually exploring the neighbourhood whilst generally keeping on paved surfaces as a precaution against spiders, crocs, sharks, box jellies and the like. This mural, on the Morton Bay Rail Link cycle-way, is typical of the local, high-class and tasteful street art.

Last night it rained and it rained and I therefore anticipated a glorious tropical-rain-run this morning but was disappointed. I started off soon after 0630 but by then the rain had eased off. As usual they forecast pessimistically. But at least the residual rain was warm (by Irish standards) and the run was enjoyable.

New Frontiers

No, not the church genre. Just that this morning I ran about 9 miles barefoot in the dark and in the rain. I started out at 6 a.m. and it was raining moderately all the time. Of course it was not totally dark - quite enough light to run by. And the weather was mild. A Gardai stopped and asked if I was doing extreme training. The hot shower on getting back home was exhilarating!

Running in the Rain

I generally wake soon after sunrise every morning which leaves me with time by myself on Sunday mornings. This morning it was raining so I went for a longer than usual run (maybe 8 miles) along the lake shore, with a couple of short swims. The rain was steady all the time - and still is - and the temperature an acceptable 12'C. Did I mentioned before that I love running in the rain? Oh, and the lake water actually felt warm in comparison - an illusion but a nice one none-the-less.