Tuesday Night Run - 12/04/2011

Stanley, Terry, me, Helen and John at Pole Bank (Photo: Paul Flinn)

We had a select (i.e. small) group tonight due to Mark Bollom's Land's End - John o'Groats cycling oddessy passing through Shropshire and a lot of regulars attending his "celebration", and also with the school holidays.

We set off up the Rectory Field to the hotel, then up the hundred steps with a great view of a hot air balloon coming over, and onto the Green Path.

Balloon over Long Mynd Hotel

Terry and Helen off up the green path (this little bit at the bottom isn't green!)

Paul, Stanley, John and Terry at the top of the Green Path

From here we haeded up onto the col, traversed the north face of Yearlet, and continued on to Boiling Well. I suggested we went up the single track to Pole Bank. This was stupid: I was the only one in shorts and the path is getting quite overgrown with heather, so I have numberous scratches this morning. Ho Ho.

From Pole Bank we aimed to go down Lightspount, but when we got round to the path down, I had another brainwave and suggested we should go down over Calf Ridge (not the rocky Cow Ridge, which Helen vetoed on the grounds we go down it too often and it's better to go up it anyway). This runs fairly level for the first half mile and then descends very steeply (450' drop in 200 yards horizontally). The best way down is to use the path along the right (Lightspout) side for the first drop, then cut across left into the bowl for the rest. I was in my trail shoes owing to the dryness of the ground and slipped on the traverse into the bowl, so I've got a good bracken stem scratch up my backside today. 2 inches further over and it would have been painful!

We jogged back down CMV (no Rectory Wood this time) to the car park, in time for Paul to get his train.

6.3 miles, 1,330' of ascent in 1hr 19min including stops.