| The start and finish
point is on the road outside the Affleck Arms Public House in Dalham. Dalham is
reached via the Barrow to Denham road. This is not a run for a beginner as the
route includes long and steep climbs, but is ideal for the experienced runner
looking to toughen up for a 5 mile or 10K race. There is not too much traffic
around these roads, and there are no country lanes with limited visibility for
both runner and motorist, to negotiate.
From the main
street, turn left past the public house and up the steep hill towards Moulton.
This will get the cardio-vascular system working hard from the outset, so
consider some warm-up jogging in the street before you set off, because the hill
is upon you immediately. The views from the top of the hill reward the runner
for this early effort, as does the canopy of trees lining the road into Moulton.
The road follows the course of a valley and therefore offers a fairly flat
section of running. In Moulton, run up to the crossroads and turn right. This
takes you past the Chequers Public House on your left and, if you are still
feeling energetic, you can run over the steep-sided old Pack Bridge which seems
to have been built for an energetic river rather than the stream which trickles
beneath it. From here carry on straight up the long climb towards Gazeley, which
will again work the heart and lungs to great effect, especially so after the
steep climb at the head of the run. Again, the views across the valley are worth
the pumping legs and arms, and you could be persuaded that you are running in
the Yorkshire Dales. On reaching the main street at a‘t’ junction, turn right
and run through the entire village. The road then enters a wide canopy of mature
woods and the runner is rewarded for the two testing hills with a steep descent
into Dalham. The village appears, through a break in the trees, with its
picture-book cottages and old windmill on the hill in the distance. As the road
flattens out, a 300 meter run back to the Affleck Arms takes the runner to the
finish of the route.
Submitted by Richard Whiting.
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