THE WOLDS WAY CURVES IN A CRESCENT FROM HESSLE TO FILEY
NATIONAL
TRAIL GUIDES UK
Introduction
This is the account of my running of the Wolds Way between
29 May 1999 to 2 June 1999. The Wolds Way stretches in a huge
crescent from Hessel Haven on the Humber estuary, along the
Yorkshire Wolds, and to the cliffs at Filey on the North Sea
coast. In all, the path is just short of 80 miles and follows
a line of chalk hills and dales in some of the most beautiful
countryside in England.
The Wolds Way provided me with the utmost pleasure in running
it and allowed me to see a part of our country that I did not
know existed. I believe that this long distance footpath has
been considerably overlooked and anyone looking for a new challenge
would not regret traveling this route.
My daughter, Tanya, was to be my chauffeur. I was glad that
she would be accompanying me during my week of running. She
would drive me each morning to where my run would begin and
collect me from where it would end.
We had booked into the Merlstead Hotel in Hornsea for the
entire duration of the run and so there would be much driving
to do. I had originally planned to run between Saturday
to Wednesday inclusive, averaging 16 or 17 miles per day, but
as I became ill after Saturday’s run I rested on Sunday
and ran again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, cramming additional
miles into the three latter days to make up for Sunday’s
rest. This made the
run more challenging.
I had not prepared in the same way that I had last year when
running the Pennine Way. That was a considerably longer
run and I had prepared for sixteen months. For this run
I spent only six weeks or so in preparing and took the whole
affair too light-heartedly. Thus it was that on Saturday
I over-exerted myself and made myself ill.
I stretched each
day for forty minutes before running and again for fifteen
minutes after running and I believe this helped me to return
home without any injuries or strains.
