#1177 Joneys Cross - Spocky - 20 October 2024.

It was windy and wet at Joneys Cross. But a fantastic turnout on a rubbish weather day. And by the time we returned home it was almost a nice day, with a tiny weeney bit of sun. 

Most of us wore coats with hoods, but not Pearl. He was probably right! It soon warmed up. Spocky was our hare, covered in mud, and he admitted that he'd got lost while laying 

Very muddy underfoot, and the clouds were low.

The ponys were completely ignoring us...and didn't seem to mind Pearl going for a wee behind their tree...

On on we continued, trying to catch the front runners, but slowed by brambles and slippery paths.A narrow bridge after some shin-deep mud, and a long loop to make us do it all over again!But soon at the sweetie stop.

Then Spocky announced that the second half was the muddy part of the trail, with more scrambling through branches and brambles, and skirting along streams.

Man down! Howling Wilf slipped over, on the second time along the stream.But soon all back after 4 miles, and the sun was peeking out! 

Bollards had a down down for new shoes!

#1176 Exeter Squash Club - Speedy and Stix - 13 October 2024

Since it was mine and Speedy's trail, then I'm not going to write much other than that is was A-MAZE-ING. Apart from an the mistakes, and everyone who couldn't find the trail.... But anyway that was all Speedy's fault anyway.

I hope we took you to places where you hadn't been before via paths behind houses (where you dump bodies, according to Spocky), and the bottom of valleys, where the students drink. 

The sweetie stop was not far into the trail, but the longs went back there another two times.

Sorry for cutting Rosie's head off in the photo. 

Speedy, Brillo and I enjoyed a lovely couple of pints in the club afterwards.

On on to Joneys Cross next week for a train by Spocky.

#1175 Haldon Belvedere - Wide - 6 October 2024

 Just 6 of us on trail today - the five in the photos, plus Happy Snapper of course - our numbers slightly diminished due to other events and hases this weekend.  .  It was humid and damp, and sometimes wet and muddy underfoot.  Wide described it as a 'technical' trail, only around 3 miles long.  

There was a little bit of weeing in the undergrowth as we waited for the off, and as we 'raced' off, Wide found a sex toy, which the owner of the van parked next to us claimed as his own.

We headed up past the castle into the field beyond it, switched sides of the field, and followed the trail through the undergrowth back to Wide, who then sent us around again as part of a long-short split. This time we met a dogger with an excitable and slightly scary dog, who told us we couldn't get out of the field, and then shouted "you can't get out that way" multiple times accompanied by dog barking loudly as we went round the loop again.  

Back to Wide, and on-on for about 30 seconds, before another split up to the castle itself and back around again.  

Then back towards the car park, and on to the main forest track for a while, before going down the side of the valley along some beautiful paths and through some shiggy, before returning back to the main path once again.  Soon on-on to the sweetie stop, but we had not yet seen Tampa who had avoided the longs.

Lots of scambling up and down steep slopes in the second half of the trail as the hare kept us off the main tracks for most of the time, but Tampa eventually found us, having kept to the main paths.

A really nice trail, which was quite physically demanding, but not too long!  Thanks to the hare.

Next week we're at the Devon & Exeter Squash Club, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, for a trail laid by Speedy.  https://maps.app.goo.gl/iH8cU7PLkgkgaHMBA

#1171 Clinton Arms, Exmouth - Wobbly and Oddbitz - 8th September 2024

 No words were written this week, but here are a  couple of photos