Rat Race Run Britannia - Week 2, day 5 - Ellesmere to Frodsham


 Back on the road again

Distance: 62.59km (total so far 591.22km)
Total climb: 787m (total so far 12,191m)
Steps: 69,718 (total so far 717,907)

Also:

Number of cows: many
Number of stiles not covered by brambles and nettles: possibly 2
Number of friends who came to say hello: 1

After my day off yesterday, I wanted to get the last two days solidly in this week, but once again they were long ones. Today's was our last time in Wales, moving through Cheshire to the edge of the industrial north just short of Runcorn.


We started off on canal paths, before heading over the fields. Although we started in England, we were soon back in Wales again.


We'd leave Wales finally behind about 17km into the day, and head across Cheshire.

It was also a morning for another battle with the farmers, and their attempts to hide or block footpaths. I don't think I've climbed as many gates as that morning - a lot of the stiles were either non-existent or impassable, and most of the gates were locked. I fought my way through with a lot of help from S and L who were going the same speed as me that morning. Sometimes it took the three of us to clear a gap and help each person get through.



The other central feature of the day was cows - field after field of them, all of whom decided for some reason to cluster around the points at which our path exited their fields. While we were all fairly used to sharing fields with cows, actually evicting several tons of mobile beef from the place you needed to go had to become a new skill!


Lunch was in a rather classier than usual village hall in Tattenhall.


There was plenty of variation that morning - we climbed up through what looked like a fairly expensive golf course, but with amazing views.


I met up with Chris, an old university friend who lived locally, a mile or two before the afternoon feedstation at Gresty's Waste. We'd met some 35 years ago at uni, and stayed in touch. I was on her patch, as the woods around Gresty's Waste were one of her running and walking routes. The Delamere Forest park made a nice change from the roads and fields, and it was great to chat to her for a bit. I eventually left her to continue north, and she returned to the car park to catch up with Andy, who was running about an hour behind me that day.


The final part into Frodsham was in two bits - there was more of the Delamere Forest park, which was not only a nice place to run but also very kind on the feet, but then we were on road and a final set of bramble paths to finish off. We came down into Frodsham itself, and then had to go through to reach the hotel itself - one of the rare days that we finished directly at our accommodation. A solid day, and a long one, but a feeling of being back in the saddle after my day off.

Song of the day: "On the road again" by Willie Nelson.

Next: Suburbia

 


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