Serpent Trail - Part 4

 

 This week I completed the Serpent Trail, running the last 13 miles from Midhurst to Petersfield.

I had been aiming to do this last week, but my grumpy knee stopped me as I rested it after a visit to the chiropractor.  It had absolutely nothing to do with the cold and snow! 

Today was a nice spring day.  I got rid of my wooly hat and wore my cap for the first time this year, and even ran a few miles without my jumper, although I did have to put it back on once it clouded over a bit and the wind got up.

However, it was very very wet and muddy underfoot.  I hate mud.  I hate how it makes a mess and you slide around on it and can't get a firm grip.  And I hate the possiblity of falling over in it.  While I did get wet and muddy up to my knees, I did manage to stay upright which was good, but my feet did get very wet.  

Just one example of the mess I had to run through today

 

I did find it weird that, just like the beginning, there was nothing to mark the end of the trail.  Just the green badge which takes you back the other way. (Purple badges take you from Haslemear to Petersfield, while green badges take you back the other way.)

 All in all I really enjoyed running this trail. We've got some beautiful landscapes in this area and it was really nice to explore them and see how they fit together.  I also really enjoyed how quiet they were.  There were bits with dog walkers, but mostly it was just me and the trees and gorse.

I think my only negative would be the fact that running at this time of year, it is muddy and the trees are all asleep.  I'd really like to do it again later in the year when hopefully it would be drier underfoot and the trees would be in full leaf. 

But for now I'm thinking about which trail to run next week as my training for July progresses.