Running (yay) at Stretton - 21/05/2011

In the breeze at Battlestones, Caer Caradoc behind me

Finally... this was the longest run since Three Peaks (but only about 11 miles), and with no adverse reaction!

I started from Watling Street in Church Stretton at about 11:30, running up Cwms Lane to the Plantation and then along the bottom of the access land to the barn under Battlestones. From there I took the direct line to the top.

Battlestones, with the Lawley left and the Wrekin just above the stones

This first section was done with some pain in my left achilles (again), but this time I decided to do something about it and barefooted (well sockfooted) the next section along the grassy ridge to the big cairn on Hope Bowdler Hill overlooking the Gaerstone.

About to put my shoes back on!

I popped my x-Talons back on for the slightly rockier bit down to the stile beyond the stone, and then went down the spur towards Hope Bowdler, hooking back on myself to climb gently through the pastures to the layby at the top of Hazler Lane.

The next mile was on the road (I could have taken the track under Hazler Hill, but I did that last time out). I was starting to feel quite free by the time I got up onto Ragleth Hill and ran along the ridge into a stiff breeze fairly comfortably. I dropped down into Little Stretton from the post at the south summit and had a quick pitstop for a pint of squash and a bottle refill at the Ragleth Inn.

From there I headed steadily up Ashes Hollow, and decided to go all the way up Windy Batch - I've been part way up here on the LMV race, but never right up to the headwall at the top of the valley. This steepens at the end, just like the un-named valley between Yearlet and Ashlet parallel to it. The path comes out pretty much where the Yearlet climb gets steep at the top of the Townbrook Valley, and I headed on up towards Boiling Well from there.

View down Windy Batch from nearly the top.
Grindle is on the left, the col on the skyline is Barrister's Plain

I descended via the Skyline ascent into Lightspout Hollow and down to Carding Mill Valley for a welcome coffee and warm sausage roll (it wasn't quite cream tea weather). By comparison friends got blown away and hailed on in Wales and the Lakes on the same day (Al Tye at Carneddau, Helen and Adrian on the Old County Tops race, a 37 mile monster, Mel and JT presumably recce'ing for the Duddon Champs race, and Owen on another BG training run), so I got off pretty lightly with a stiff breeze.

Stats for the day (still not really counting weeks at the mo - will start this coming week) were 11 miles and 2,600' of ascent in a leisurely 2 hours 30 minutes (excluding the Ragleth Inn stop). Photos to follow!