So with the sheep seen off I was back onto the tarmac across the 'Big Dipper' down the hill and into the fields by the river as per usual, only this time I added in the extra 1k of the meander in the river. over the pipe bridge and into the woods with the light ever fading this time I was prepared with trusty head torch - that was as much use a candle in the wind (that's 2 song references in this post!)
Woods navigated and back into the fields by the river light still disappearing and mileage not totting up - I had to add the next set of woods in. Ordinarily I'd run these the other way round so figured I'd know what was where how very wrong I was and how very different it was. A vague glimmer of light to show me the way along the knotty, tangled mess of roots only a slip away from being in the drink and my knowledge of what I thought I knew to see me through to the other side. What with it being dark and me not having much light I decided an exploration was the best idea only to hit a dead end and have to come back anyway to the dreaded steps. At this point you should note that the 1 kilometre part of the run that incorporated the steps took nearly 9 mins to complete mostly due to the wet, mossy, shiny, dark, dark steps that go all the way up and then all the way back down!
At last I was out of the woods in more than one way but still short on mileage for the 10k I had in mind. a quick dash up the lit cycle path, a brief stop in the local stores for a pint of milk, a delivery of a spare key and home - now what better way can you think of to spend an evening!!