Blackdown Beauty

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On Saturday, 24^th July 2010 Start – 11:45 A.M.

at the Holman Clavel pub at Culmhead.

GENERAL INFORMATION

You may check the general directions HERE and/or buy an event booklet with maps and directions on the day.

Booklet samples - Cover - Leg 1 - Leg 6

OVERVIEW

The Blackdown Beauty is a social run that will take in 5 pubs and a cream tea on an 18 mile circuit in the wonderful countryside of the Blackdown Hills. This is not a race but it is a chance to run and walk in good company enjoying the beautiful scenery on second year of this beautiful, sometimes demanding course following public footpaths and minor roads. The run will start at 11.45 at the Holman Clavel pub at Culmhead and head though pine woods to the Queens Arms at Pitminster. The route then goes cross country to Blagdon Hill and up to the Merry Harriers pub and then on to the Half Moon at Clayhidon. The next stop is at Pear Tree Cottage at Stapley for a cream tea provided by the "legendary" Smeatharpe WI, then on to the York Inn at Churchinford and then back to the Holman Clavel via Otterhead Lakes. The numbers are limited to 200 this year and Entry may be gained by contacting Nick Thorpe by email on blackdownbeauty@honitonrc.com or by telephone to Nick's MOB 07775 853333. Entry fee £6 which includes a souvenir map and cream tea. Meals will also be available at the finish.

How To Get There

What the runners said July 2009

Just wanted to say how much Cathy and I enjoyed the run last Saturday - thank you so much for arranging it - despite getting lost quite early on and ending up with 20.5ish on the Garmin! it was just so much fun.
Everyone made us feel so welcome and what a friendly bunch you all are! please particulary pass on our thanks to John who ably (well almost!) found the way round, but also to Bruce, Tracey, Julie and Val and some others who's names we didn't quite catch for making us feel so much a part of the group. Also thanks to Anthony? or whoever it was (Alan) who mapped the route with the white drawing pins (although it took us almost 10 miles to realise and see what we were looking for!
We just wish we lived a bit closer to Honiton so that we could join you more frequently.
But the Beauty was certainly a success and I do hope you will be reapeating it - we'll certainly encourage others to come and join next year.

Good luck with whatever comes next

Annie and Cathy

Thank you for organising such a fantastic run. I dread to think how much time and trouble must have gone into it, but the result was everything I, and I hope you, could have wanted.
The route was beautiful and the directions and map required just the right amount of concentration to keep moving in the right direction.
I hope it does not get too big next year since for me a lot of the pleasure came from the peace and quiet that surrounded the whole thing. But I bet it will because there cannot be many runs like it.
Have a look at http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?uan=3779 , I think HRC would be a worthy applicant.
Bill

Many thanks for your run yesterday, it was great. Fantastic footpaths, amazing woodland, boggy, brambely, trails!! my legs were tingling all night, but well worth it!
very nice maps with good instructions, nice white pin dots (why did we not think of that Gary?) very tasty, fish n chips at end we will be back next year, with a fare few more..... you'll have to up your limit next year, Cheers
Jon Day
Axe Valley Runners

Its chris keeffe thank you very much for a great event yesterday i enjoyed it more than any run i have ever taken part in before and will definately be back again next year i belive the other axe valleys who joined me yesterday are of the same opinion,
cheers see you soon from chris

Our group all found it thoroughly enjoyable - what better way to spend a Saturday than running through beautiful surroundings? We all felt it was really well thought out and must have taken you hours and hours and hours - thank you. The two ladies from Women's Running Network and the lady from Yeovil RRC thought the whole thing was great and kept saying what a friendly group Honiton is. We didn't get lost (mainly because John was in our group) although we did doubt ourselves in the stinging nettle plantation as we didn't see any white drawing pins on two stiles so we backtracked and then realised we must have been on the right route.

Sorry we couldn't stay around too long but we needed to get back.

Thanks again. Judy & Steve

Ceri and I had a great day out and good company on the Beauty looking forward to next year.
Regards Warren

Thank you very much for all your hard work in organising yesterday's run. We both really enjoyed it! the cream teas were the best we've ever had.
Tracey and Bruce

You can be very proud and pleased with your Blackdown Beauty. Devising the course, checking it, clearing the nettles and marking it must have taken hours so many thanks. The proof of the pudding was definitely in the eating in that everyone had a wonderful time and this is another great Honiton addition to the running calendar. Please also thank Smeatharpe WI for their scrumptious cream tea - I had 5 scones and drank about 6 cups and didn't really want to leave.

The white drawing pins were an inspiration and actually the group who were following me because "John knows the course" actually called me back on at least two occasions where my memory failed me. The bit of the course I didn't know - the approach to Stapley we actually could have done with a couple of reassuring markers because the description turned out to be a bit brief and misleading. We ran along the cleared section Ok but were looking for a stile and steps down but went through a gate and two stiles without finding the relevant point. We actually retraced our steps from about 20 yards before the right point but then sorted it out.

Garry P. pointed out a road junction I had missed off the map which had AVR puzzled briefly. I was surprised that some were using the map rather than your instructions. When I pointed out that it was easier to use the instructions and only then check the map if necessary, they got on better. Tim got annoyed with himself because he had to get back to Honiton by a certain time and so ran one section of road before re-joining the route (Leg 3) and then got lost and so wasted a lot of time. Fortunately we found him running the wrong direction across a field just outside Clay Hidon.

Paul and Roger went wrong in Quants Wood and took a long time getting themselves out, before finally emerging on the track opposite Merry Harriers.

Still getting lost and then getting back on track is all part of the fun.

I think it was great to see so many of our slower runners who would not normally do more than 6 miles, determinedly finishing the whole course.

My legs are "fizzing" with the nettle stings and I have aching knees but I had a great day and please to put an 18 miler under my belt even though there were lots of stops.

Thanks again.

Martin and I just wanted to say a big thank you for an excellent event yesterday. We really enjoyed the whole day and are already looking forward to next year when hopefully we will be able to persuade a few of our club mates to join us.