Went for an unplanned run over Long Valley today with my friend Anne. I wasn't planning to go running today but I'm glad I did. In fact, when I got the call, by way of a text message arriving on my phone, I was sipping a post gym workout cappuccino while reading the paper and I was pretty damn sure that I wouldn't be moving for anyone! Some 60 minutes later there we were starting out on what turned out to be... a fun run in the sun. Long Valley lies between Aldershot and Fleet and runs roughly north/south from the Basingstoke Canal to Caesar's Camp. Being MOD land, it is regularly used by the army but as it is not used as a live firing range, it is also open to the public. This is the place where the GRIM takes place and where the James Bond movie, Die Another Day was filmed. Today there was plenty of army activity going on - troops marching, a whole army village camped up on some high ground surrounded by screening and razor wire, scaffold observation towers overlooking a large pond with water pumps and inflatable boats lying around on the ground below. We just had to take a closer look at it all but even then, we were really none the wiser, so on we ran. Less than a 1/2 a mile later, we stopped again, this time just to listen to the babbling of a small stream made up of water run off - it had been raining heavily overnight and water lay everywhere. The noise of the stream also made us aware of how quiet Long Valley can be regardless of what might be going on elsewhere. Even in these transient places, you can find respite from the slog of everyday life. Running on we came to a single track path meandering through a small belt of pines, which then spilt us out onto open heathland once more and into another army exercise area - this time fenced off with red tape and notices carrying warnings about the area being mined! The mines weren't real of course and not one soldier was to be seen. It was then we both heard the approaching sound of an engine. As it turned out the engine noise was coming from a quad bike that was laying a lure trail for the Sandhurst Drag Hunt and sure enough after a few minutes, we were treated to the sight and sound of a hunt in full progress - baying hounds, galloping horses and hunt horns sounding. As I said, a fun run in the sun.Thanks Anne.
PS Sorry about the cloudy photo - I could not find a sunny one.
