The ‘2018 Tour of Britain’ – Leg Two – Berwick-upon-Tweed

Berwick-upon-Tweed panorama.

Berwick-upon-Tweed is the northernmost town in England, so close to the border with Scotland that it has changed country allegiance on more than one occasion (The football team plays in the Scottish Second Division) and has been fortified to protect itself from attack over the generations.

Spittal taken from the Caravan Park.

Famous for its castle, its walls and its impressive railway bridge, we didn’t actually spend any time in Berwick itself, staying at the Caravan Site in the town of Spittal (across the Tweed from Berwick).

Seahouses harbour.

We spent our leisure time south of Berwick itself, enjoying the famous Barter Book Shop in Alnwick, the beach at Seahouses and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

The multiple benches configuration at Seahouses harbour.

Having stayed near Alnwick on our previous visit we passed on the opportunity to revisit the impressive Alnwick and Bamburgh Castles.

Seahouses beach.

Day 4 – Sunday 5th August 2018 – Exploring Berwick

Spittal Beach

Sunday morning saw us travel north along the A1 to Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is just about as far north as you can get in England before entering Scotland. I expected a tough run on tired legs but, surprisingly, I felt pretty fresh and blissfully free of Achilles pain after a calf stretch on some railings early in the run at Spittal promenade.

Berwick-on Tweed – inspired by Lowry.

I headed to the historic town of Berwick, stopping frequently to take photos, some of which inspired (poorly) by the work of Lowry, who apparently loved the place and painted numerous scenes around the town.

The Royal Border Bridge

I found the viewpoint for the spectacular River Border Bridge, which carries the same trains that run through Grantham, albeit more grandly than the all too low bridges that are the curse of Grantham lorry drivers. From there I found a shared cycle path (Route 1 if I remember correctly – a favourite from my 2016 holiday, which runs from Dover to Shetland) and headed along the riverside for a mile or so before heading on more dedicated cycle lanes which brought me tantalisingly close to, but not quite at, the Scottish border.

At the top of the main climb for the day I checked Google Maps in the hope of  making a loop of the run rather than an out and back. There were a couple of options but as they included running alongside the A1 I decided to play it safe and returned the way I came to Berwick. Feeling good I picked up the pace quite a bit back along the river path where I felt sure there would be a Strava segment to contest. To my disappointment there wasn’t, but I made a mental note that this would be one of many segments that I would have to create when I returned home and had access to a computer (And some decent internet). Alas I was only 4th.

From there it was a continued tempo effort back to the Spittal promenade and along that for a segment attempt (This did have an existing segment – only 9th best for me) before returning back to the caravan site – 10.6 miles bagged.

Split Summary
===
1) 1m – 7:35(7:35/m) 119/136bpm 78cal 7.91/8.97mph
2) 1m – 7:16(7:16/m) 133/146bpm 92cal 8.25/8.93mph
3) 1m – 7:40(7:40/m) 131/155bpm 84cal 7.83/10.08mph
4) 1m – 7:12(7:12/m) 144/156bpm 99cal 8.33/10.29mph
5) 1m – 7:03(7:03/m) 144/163bpm 90cal 8.52/9.37mph
6) 1m – 6:41(6:41/m) 137/159bpm 73cal 8.99/10.42mph
7) 1m – 6:12(6:12/m) 143/156bpm 74cal 9.67/12.33mph
8) 1m – 6:12(6:12/m) 152/165bpm 88cal 9.68/10.9mph
9) 1m – 6:31(6:31/m) 151/158bpm 93cal 9.2/9.81mph
10) 1m – 6:33(6:33/m) 146/154bpm 79cal 9.15/9.54mph
11) 0.59m – 3:59(6:48/m) 146/158bpm 49cal 8.83/9.23mph

Best Strava Segment Performance:  Just a Climb – 1st/7*

* A segment I created.

Day 5 – Monday 6 August 2018 – Cows and Cliffs

I’d spotted on Sunday’s run that  Cycle Path Route 1 continued its way past Spittal promenade and along the coast southwards. On Monday morning I decided to run along this path on a straightforward out and back – making it just past the small village of Cheswick before turning around and returning.

The cycle path looking to Spittal.

As it was a cycle path – off road in parts, the terrain was never particularly demanding and not at all technical, which made for a pleasant, mostly trouble free run, where the emphasis was on recovering from the hard efforts of the previous two days. The coast line was at times stunning, other times obscured by the grass in the dunes of Cheswick Sands. I thankfully had a side wind for the entirety of the run – when I met it briefly head on near the turnaround point, it certainly did its best to stop me in its tracks!

Cows on the cliff!

The only drama of the run came in the form of a fairly large herd of cows who had made themselves comfortable by the cliff’s edge on the cycle path fairly early on in the run and later on when I returned. I’m not a huge fan of cows and not at my best by the edge of cliffs – so the two combined made for rather interesting moments as I briefly stopped the Garmin and walked through the herd as unobtrusively as possible. Thankfully the cows seemed largely disinterested in me and more concerned with gorging themselves on the grass, and I was able to continue on my run, which ended just as the Garmin accumulated 10 miles entering the Caravan Park. I was disappointed to see there were no meaningful Strava Segments created so, once again, a note was made to, at a later point, create some of my own.

The coast line.

Split Summary
===
1) 1m – 7:46(7:46/m) 119/133bpm 81cal 7.73/8.35mph
2) 1m – 7:42(7:42/m) 132/147bpm 93cal 7.8/9.85mph
3) 1m – 6:58(6:58/m) 133/146bpm 84cal 8.62/9.16mph
4) 1m – 7:08(7:08/m) 138/145bpm 91cal 8.41/9.18mph
5) 1m – 7:25(7:25/m) 143/153bpm 99cal 8.1/9.02mph
6) 1m – 6:54(6:54/m) 138/149bpm 80cal 8.69/9.27mph
7) 1m – 6:57(6:57/m) 141/146bpm 85cal 8.64/9.2mph
8) 1m – 6:54(6:54/m) 145/154bpm 92cal 8.69/9.08mph
9) 1m – 7:09(7:09/m) 143/150bpm 89cal 8.38/9.16mph
10) 1m – 7:00(7:00/m) 141/147bpm 80cal 8.58/9.25mph
11) 0.08m – 39(8:05/m) 150/154bpm 9cal 7.42/8.5mph

Best Strava Segment Performance:  Quiet beaches to be found* – 4th/87

* A segment I created.

Day 6 – Tuesday 7 August 2018 – A Bit of Everything in Berwick-upon-Tweed

A Lowry Rip Off!

On a very overcast morning for the last run in Berwick, I was in the mood for exploring! Back it was into Berwick, running along the castle wall and ramparts; mimicking the work of Lowry and generally trying to see as much of the town as possible.

Cliffs In Berwick – a bit too much for me!

This exploration took me on a path around the back of the golf course and a holiday path. This was all well and good and I opted at a footpath junction to try and head to Marshall Meadows Bay. The path became increasingly technical, increasingly narrow and increasingly closer to the cliff’s edge. This was the explanation behind the slowest mile of the holiday at 10:09! – It wasn’t long before I abandoned this increasingly perilous idea and returned to the safety of the A1167 and the less scenic, but more comforting sights of a McDonalds drive thru and a Morrisions. This slow mile and the stop-start affair of the opening miles meant that this would be the slowest run, on average, of the Tour at 7:41 per mile.

Returning to Spittal it was clear I had to make up some miles to get to and beyond 10. So it was then a climb up the old A1, down Cow Road, over a Level Crossing, back through Spittal and a lap and an extension of the Caravan Park to bring it home in a smidge over 10 miles.

Split Summary
===
1) 1m – 7:45(7:45/m) 122/133bpm 88cal 7.75/9mph
2) 1m – 7:56(7:56/m) 129/143bpm 93cal 7.56/10.02mph
3) 1m – 8:22(8:22/m) 122/139bpm 81cal 7.17/9.87mph
4) 1m – 7:35(7:35/m) 132/145bpm 86cal 7.91/8.93mph
5) 1m – 10:09(10:09/m) 127/143bpm 94cal 5.91/8.06mph
6) 1m – 7:07(7:07/m) 134/144bpm 81cal 8.44/9.1mph
7) 1m – 6:55(6:55/m) 129/138bpm 66cal 8.68/9.5mph
8) 1m – 7:11(7:11/m) 141/154bpm 90cal 8.35/9.02mph
9) 1m – 6:58(6:58/m) 141/154bpm 84cal 8.6/9.35mph
10) 1m – 6:59(6:59/m) 135/153bpm 72cal 8.6/9.81mph
11) 0.03m – 11(6:42/m) 136/137bpm 1cal 8.95/8.18mph

Best Strava Segment Performance:  Old A1 Climb* 3rd/78

* A segment I created.

Leg 2 Summary

Distance Run: 30.7 miles. Average Pace: 7:15 per mile. Accumulated Time: 3:42:35. Average HR: 136. Total Ascent: 495 meters.

What I Did Last Summer…

Summer 2016 is fast becoming a fading memory as the nights draw in, vests and t-shirts are slowly shifting towards the back of the drawers as the long sleeve tops look more likely in the coming days, weeks and months.

For the record I probably had the best summer holiday I ever had. Long a dream of mine, my family and I spent three weeks touring with a caravan up and down the British Isles – three nights each in seven different caravan sites. With the Robin Hood Half Marathon the target race at the end of September, I didn’t want to neglect the training (not that I ever really do), so I packed a couple of pairs of trainers with the intention of trying to run as near as possible every day while away. I had no hard and fast training plan, other than a rough idea to try and run around 10 miles each day, occasionally putting in some effort, but really just trying to bank plenty of miles.

Some years ago (2011, I think) when I was traveling on the F1 circus and trying to run as much as possible, when technology allowed me to carry a portable waterproof camera, for one year I attempted to take photographs during each run to capture some of the interesting things you see every day when running. I had grand intentions to make something of them but it never really materialised, partly because I had no real medium to show off the pictures.

Fast forward to 2016 and thanks to the wonders of smart phones having cameras that can, in some situations, rival SLR cameras for clarity, and a Flipbelt to easily carry the phone, I planned to try to capture my holiday through three photos uploaded with each run that appeared on Strava. Not always very good nor interesting, nonetheless I really enjoyed capturing the different things I saw over the three weeks and thought that, some weeks later, I should really put it in my blog, for posterity, if nothing else.

Run #1 Exploring the Norfolk Broads

Morning run - River Ant, How Hill. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant, How Hill.
Morning run - River Ant, How Hill. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant, How Hill.
Morning run - River Ant. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.
Morning run – River Ant.
Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Wednesday 3rd August 2016.

We had arrived at the caravan site much later than planned on the Tuesday (AA called before we even left, nearly didn’t make it at all!) so Wednesday morning was the first opportunity to run. The two Norfolk Broads morning runs were the only two which took place ‘mid-morning’. After this run it was up at 7am and out running by half past the hour, whenever possible.

Having never experienced the Broads before, I was struck by the beauty of the area – even if it soon dawned on me that the canals / rivers were not easily navigable by foot.

Run #2 More Norfolk Broads Exploring.

Morning run - Bewilderwood entrance. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – Bewilderwood entrance.
Morning run - Horning pleasure steamer. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – Horning pleasure steamer.
Morning run - footpath near Horning. Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.
Morning run – footpath near Horning.
Norfolk Broads Caravan Club Site, Ludham, Wroxham, Thursday 4th August 2016.

I still didn’t have much of a clue where I was running on our final day in the Norfolk Broads. The site of a pleasure steamer was a bit of a surprise! I took a picture of Bewilderwood! to show the kids, as it one of their favourite days out and I wanted to show them how relatively close we were to it. This run saw the first of some Stravalek efforts on roads where I thought there may be Strava segments to have a go on or, later in the holiday when I realised how few existed in some parts of the country, where I could create some of my own.

Run #3 Promenade stroll from Sutton on Sea to Mablethorpe

Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe beach.
Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe funfair. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe funfair.
Late afternoon run - Mablethorpe beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.
Late afternoon run – Mablethorpe beach.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Friday 5th August 2016.

Friday saw us travel up from Norfolk to Sutton-on-Sea, which is a stone’s throw from the better known (and much busier in the summer) Mablethorpe. Having unhitched the caravan and left the wife to try and work out how to erect the awning (This may sound harsh, but I had her blessing and I would definitely have just got in the way) I went on a late afternoon run along the promenade that runs for around 8 miles up to Mablethorpe.

I’ve had the good fortune to run beside beaches on a number of promenades all over the world. I think this was as quintessentially British as you could get and very pleasurable too, if it weren’t for a pair of quite badly blistered Achilles, which would cause me no end of grief over the coming weeks (and months, it seems).

‘Halfway’ etched into the sand? That was Whattsapped to my wife to tell her where I was. Couldn’t do that a few years ago….

Run #4 Early morning beach recovery 10k

Morning run - Sutton On Sea - fishermen. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton On Sea – fishermen.
Morning run - Sutton On Sea beach huts. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton On Sea beach huts.
Morning run - Huttoft beach. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.
Morning run – Huttoft beach.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Saturday 6th August 2016.

A necessity to be back at the caravan early and some very bloody looking Achilles meant Run #4 was the lowest mileage day of the holiday. Turning right at the promenade rather than left took me to a beach car park at Huttoft Beach, having passed some brightly painted beach huts – of which there are hundreds on the promenade. The fisherman shot could have been wonderful with the right camera and lens, as it is it serves as a reminder that mobile phone cameras still have their limitations (It would not have been picked if it weren’t for a need to get three photos…)

Run #5 Mablethorpe before the crowds swarm in.

Morning run - Sutton on Sea - Russells International Circus. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton on Sea – Russells International Circus.
Morning run - Sutton on Sea. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Sutton on Sea.
Morning run - Mablethorpe - homage to the Rio Olympics. Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.
Morning run – Mablethorpe – homage to the Rio Olympics.
Sutton on Sea Caravan Site, Sunday 7th August 2016.

Typical for the area is the reality that roads were relatively few and far between, so the promenade was used for a third run in a succession, albeit I opted to stick to the main road for the opening half of the run. This meant interesting photo opportunities were limited, but I was pleased to discover Mablethorpe’s homage to the Rio Olympics, which had begun that weekend and saw the TV bought out to try and watch as much as possible, while still enjoying the holiday (And getting sleep!)

Run #6 Barnard Castle exploration loop.

Evening run - Barnard Castle - near Stainton. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle – near Stainton.
Evening run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle.
Evening run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.
Evening run – Barnard Castle.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Monday 8th August 2016.

From Sutton-on-Sea we headed north to Barnard Castle. The first six runs had been all but pancake flat – How Hill, which I ran to on the opening run in hope of a hill fix, was a huge disappointment. Having driven in to the caravan site on some very undulating roads, I was dead keen to get out and find some hills. I wasn’t disappointed as within half a mile of setting off, I was climbing a short ramp of around 20% to witness Barnard Castle itself. Another shorter run (seven miles), I was pleased to make a loop out of it rather than an out and back thanks to Google Maps. Again, something I couldn’t have done a few years ago….

Run #7 Teesdale Way. Met angry cows… Stuck to roads!

Morning run - Teesdale Way path - blocked by Cows! Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path – blocked by Cows!
Morning run - Teesdale Way path. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path.
Morning run - Teesdale Way path. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Morning run – Teesdale Way path.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.

The caravan site was yards from the Teesdale Way path, which I knew nothing about but figured it may be well signposted and a good opportunity to do some off-road running. For the first three miles or so it was and quite good fun until I met those Angry Cows! I was sure I was going to be chased and / or crushed by them! I counted my blessings when I escaped them, any plans of doing an out and back were thrown out of the window. Thankfully the first road I arrived at happened to be the one that took me back to the caravan site, a few miles less than the ten I had planned.

Run #8 Short, technical, trail run after visit to High Force.

High Force Waterfall, near Bowlees. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
High Force Waterfall, near Bowlees.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths.

Afternoon run on the local footpaths. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.
Afternoon run on the local footpaths.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Tuesday 9th August 2016.

This run was notable on two accounts. Firstly it was the shortest run, albeit highly technical off-road, with plenty of obstacles made it a harder effort than the 3.7 miles suggested. Secondly, the picture of High Force wasn’t taken on the run, but a couple of hours earlier on our trip out. This cheat was partly because I didn’t have three decent photos, but also because I was particularly impressed with High Force and felt the need to show it off in all its glory!

Run #9 Barnard Castle – Whorlton out and back.

Morning run - Bowes Museum. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Bowes Museum.
Morning run - Barnard Castle. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Barnard Castle.
Morning run - Whorlton Suspension Bridge. Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.
Morning run – Whorlton Suspension Bridge.
Teesdale Barnard Castle Caravan Site, Wednesday 10th August 2016.

Having secured two pleasing photos, I was rapidly running out of opportunities to take a third photo of note on my mostly flat 10 mile out and back run. As chance would have it as the fifth mile clicked over I found myself hurtling down a steep hill, complete with alpine style switchback, and at the bottom a rare site of a wooden slatted  (Whorlton) suspension bridge – which I ran across and then swiftly back as I commenced a Strava segment busting five miles of continuous tempo.

Run #10 Powburn > Glanton loop.

Afternoon run - lake on Caravan site. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – lake on Caravan site.
Afternoon run - Glanton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – Glanton.
Afternoon run - Glanton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.
Afternoon run – Glanton.
River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Thursday 11th August 2016.

It was the shortest drive from Barnard Castle to Ingram, near Alnwick, but high winds, steep hills and some lofty elevation made the journey with caravan in tow the hairiest of the holiday. Whether this was the cause for some severe calf pains during the run I will never know, but it cut short what I’d planned to be a ten mile run, and I feared that my running adventures for the holiday may be over.

Run #11 To Bolton and back.

Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
Morning run to Bolton. River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.
Morning run to Bolton.
River Breamish Caravan Site, Ingram, Alnwick, Saturday 13th August 2016.

Photographically this run promised more than it delivered, I wasn’t really happy with any that I took. That is a shame because the three days spent at the River Breamish Caravan Site was a real delight. We had only really gone to see Alnwick Castle (Harry Potter) and found it to be extremely scenic, yet not that busy. The run though I was happy with. Having had the first day off running on the Friday, some massage and stretching had more or less fixed the dodgy calf by Saturday.

Run #12 Killin Time.

Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Loch Tay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Loch Tay.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Loch Tay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Loch Tay.

Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 - Falls of Dochart. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.
Killin afternoon long run on Cycle Route 7 – Falls of Dochart.
Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Sunday 14th August 2016.

The middle Sunday of our holiday and of the Olympics, it had been a pleasingly easy journey from Alnwick to Killn. This was inadvertently the longest run of the holiday. It had meant to be around 10 miles like many of the others, but running alongside the stunning Loch Tay my tummy began to feel a little dodgy and I reckoned that if I ran a few miles to the Hotel that was being signposted I may be able to use their facilities. So many thanks to Hotel Ardeonaig, you saved me! This was the first time I ran on National Cycle Route 7. It turned out to not be the last.

Run #13 Heading up and back down cycle route 7.

Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.
Killin morning run on Cycle Route 7.
Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Monday 15th August 2016.

This was possibly my favourite run on a holiday full of enjoyable runs. Almost the entire route was devoid of traffic noise, or any other human interaction. The scenery was stunning, amplified by the mist hovering in the valley as I ran up a big hill then came back down it. It made me want to go back and ride National Cycle Route 7 in its entirety.

Run #14 Misty, murky, early morning 10.

Morning run in Killin - National Trust House. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – National Trust House.
Morning run in Killin - Hydroelectric on River Lochay. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – Hydroelectric on River Lochay.
Morning run in Killin - Long no through road. Killin, Maragowan Caravan Site, Tuesday 16th August 2016.
Morning run in Killin – Long no through road.

I had been, and was, really lucky with the weather. Most days it was sunny, and even when it had been cloudy, it had often enhanced the photo. This was the first day when the cloud and mist made photo opportunities difficult, but there was still a couple of unexpected sights on a run down a very long no through road (I never got close to reaching the end of it!)

Run #15 Getting Ayr.

Afternoon run in Ayr - Auchincruive. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr – Auchincruive.
Afternoon run in Ayr A77 crossing River Ayr. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr A77 crossing River Ayr.
Afternoon run in Ayr - Bridge over River Ayr near town centre. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.
Afternoon run in Ayr – Bridge over River Ayr near town centre.
Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Wednesday 17th August 2016.

We drove from Killin to Ayr on the Wednesday. The caravan site is next to the University in a residential area and it came as something of a culture shock having enjoyed the tranquility of the previous destinations. The opening miles of this run were perhaps the most frustrating of the holiday as I dithered over where to head and was frequently let down by poor footpath signage. Once I headed back from my ‘out point’ the run was saved by some of the quickest miles of the holiday.

Run #16 Cycle route 7 hits the coast.

Morning run in Ayr - Esplanade. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Esplanade.
Morning run in Ayr - Lang Scots Mile on Esplanade. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Lang Scots Mile on Esplanade.
Morning run in Ayr - Greenan Castle. Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.
Morning run in Ayr – Greenan Castle.
Ayr Craigie Gardens Caravan Site, Thursday 18th August 2016.

For this run I explored Ayr some more, and after seeing the racecourse headed to the sea where I found an unexpected esplanade. The Lang Scots Mile was a brilliant idea and a good opportunity to put my foot down and see how quick I could run. National Cycle Route 7 did itself proud once again.

Run #17 Last run in Scotland, including Ayr parkrun (1st).

Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).
Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).
Ayr parkrun (1st!). Ayr parkrun, Rozelle Park, Saturday 20th August 2016.
Ayr parkrun (1st!).

My first proper parkrun tourist event (not that I mentioned the fact that I was at the time) happened by chance as I had been looking at Alnwick as a possible parkrun event, and only found Ayr had an event when I was looking at Strava segments. Having had the Friday off, I was fairly fresh for the run. I used Google Maps and earphones to direct me to the start. I soon took the lead and ended up finishing first, although would have preferred company as the course had plenty of opportunities to take the wrong turn!

It was fortuitous that I took part in parkrun. At all the other travel days I ran at the destination rather than run before we departed. As soon as I got back to the caravan in Ayr the heavens opened, the wind picked up, and it rained relentlessly for hours and hours and hours…

Run #18 Finding Appleby.

Morning run - Appleby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Appleby.
Morning run - Hoff. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Hoff.

 

Morning run - Rutter Falls. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.
Morning run – Rutter Falls.
Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Sunday 21st August 2016.

The Wild Rose Caravan Park was our final stay on our three week holiday, a place I had stayed at as a child some 29 years previous. The place was unrecognisable but Appleby remained much as I remembered it. The reward for 24 hours of heavy rain was seeing Rutter Falls in all their glory early on in the run. I’d only ventured down the quiet road because I could hear a roar of noise from the main road and was curious!

Run #19 About as wet as it gets.

Last run on holiday - Mask Road near Soulby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Mask Road near Soulby.
Last run on holiday - Mask Road near Soulby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Mask Road near Soulby.
Last run on holiday - Hill to Asby. Wild Rose Caravan Park, Ormside, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Monday 22nd August 2016.
Last run on holiday – Hill to Asby.

Save for a couple of minutes at the end of the parkrun run in Ayr, I had enjoyed 18 rain free runs. The running gods saved all the precipitation for my final run of the holiday! Heavy rain from beginning to end, I had considered not taking any photos, but settled on taking the barest minimum while trying to protect my phone from the water. A pity, but at least the final photo showed one of my favourite stretches of running on the holiday – the long hill into and out of Asby, which I think was made all the more enjoyable for the bad weather, the sense of solitude, and the sense of purpose that this training in adverse conditions may help when it came to racing a month or so later.

All pictures © Matthew Kingston-Lee