The last time I rolled you for a run from the Black Bull, just a month earlier, I was a bit surprised to find that I was the only runner in attendance….the run had been cancelled because the roads had apparently been closed because of snow.
Nobody told me, so I drove home.
Just 4 weeks later, the weather couldn’t have been more different: warm, with bright sunshine.
Vinny and I decided to trot around together, we set off from the pub at around 1pm, just as other runners were arriving for the afternoon’s fun.
Trail!
The sawdust trail was a little (!) thin on the ground, and we frequently had trouble trying to decide where we were supposed to go.
Never the less, we had a lovely gentle run around the unusually dry and almost mud-free Lancashire countryside.
Our route headed south from the Black Bull, initially on tarmac, but soon on tracks and footpaths. We ‘descended to the north end of Jumbles Reservoir, crossed the footbridge, and then began the steady climb to the highest point of the run, Cheetham Close (1150ft-ish), home, apparently, to a stone circle – we didn’t see it.
Now on the Witton Weavers Way, we began our gentle descent to cross the B6391 and then to Turton & Entwistle Reservoir where we comprehensively and completely lost trail….again.
We headed NE, on tarmac, across the reservoir dam, and up to the Strawbury Duck pub.
There was no sawdust trail visible on the ground so we followed our instincts and crossed the Wayoh dam, and then turned south to follow the track along the eastern shore of the reservoir that delivered us quite nicely back to the Black Bull.
The Black Bull serves excellent food and beer. We were well fed with steak pie, chips, and mushy peas, followed by syrup sponge and ice cream. A pint of well kept TT Landlord rounded off my meal perfectly.
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It was a lovely route, marred only by the lack of trail Vinny and my inability to spot the huge amount of trail on the ground ....and that not many runners turned out.
I went home, put my feet up for an hour and then had an early-ish night....I needed to be up early next day to do the Two Crosses Challenge.
Where we went:
8 miles with 1,000’ of ascent. And descent. Obv.
