Today’s run was quite simply a pleasure. I decided to leave my garmin at home and just set off, no pace indicators, no stopwatch, no miles covered, not even really a plan of where I was going. Running in it’s simplest form equates to freedom, you step out the front door and off you go. Today I was “unplugged” and “stripped back” the only measure of my performance would be getting home in about an hour and a half.

The first couple of miles had a gradual 100 feet elevation (Gudge Heath Lane/ Highlands Road) and by the time another mile or so had passed I was leaving the Wickham road and heading across the tracks of farmer’s fields. The sun was shinning and as my girls would say I was “Loving Life”. The wide open fields and a slight breeze meant you could smell the lush green countryside and appreciate the space that you simply don’t get running along a pavement, with houses either side of a main road.

The next gradual incline towards Knowle village was alongside a hedge full of chirping birds, no doubt protesting at my very presence in their field. The crops to my right swayed in the breeze and could almost be mistaken for the sea and it’s tidal movements, a “sea of green” !! I crossed a road and joined the footpath towards the Bluebell woods which is a shaded area that I’ve seen deer in before now, none there today, had I frightened them off ??… “Oh deer” 🙂

Emerging onto Mayles Lane there are two descent hills and then you pass what would have been one of the old railway line station buildings, I do like the thought of running past some of the local history. Crossing the new railway line takes you onto the old track that used to head out up the Meon Valley. Today there were no steam trains just me puffing along. Under the motorway tunnel and I was onto a footpath that’s  parallel with the motorway and Henry Court school.

This track wind it’s way down to the bottom of Titchfield Hill and is quite uneven with bricks and stones that stick out at different angles, a technical section you could almost say. I ran the half mile hill on the grass verge so as to make it a bit more challenging and then all that remained were the couple of miles along The Avenue (again on the verge) back to Fareham. So as it turned out 11 miles of relaxing running in the sun, on a Bank Holiday Monday. I do appreciate how lucky we are to be fairly close to both the countryside and the coast 🙂 This is why Irunoffroad.

 Tuesday night, Butser Hill trig point !