Stubbington Green Runners & AC

The popular handicap run returns, this time with a festive spirit! Starting and finishing at the junction between Hook Park Road and Cowes Lane (just outside Nick Kimber’s house in Warsash), this is a circular, flat course along road, gravel tracks and through fields and woods around the Solent Breezes and Warsash Common areas. The route may be muddy and slippery in places with tree roots set as traps throughout the woods! The course is almost exactly 10km and the aim, as usual, is to finish as close as possible to 11.30. Christmas fancy dress is encouraged for this fun run – just how many Santas can there be I wonder?! Prizes for the winning male and female and for best male and female fancy dress. £1 to enter on the day which will cover the mulled wine and mince pies on Nick Kimber’s kindly donated driveway!

The detailed route is described below. Don’t forget your recce and absolutely no watches, GPS or other skulduggery on the day!

1. Start at the junction of Hook Park Road and Cowes Road heading east along Hook Park Road (which soon becomes a gravel track) toward Hook village.
2. After about half mile, turn right onto the signed footpath. Follow this grassy footpath, crossing over 4 sties. Immediately after the 4th sty turn left onto another footpath.
3. Follow this path around the perimeter of the field keeping the barbed wire fence on your left.
4. When you reach a sty and 5 bar gate, turn left onto a gravel track. Run past a white house and green post box and keep going until you reach a metal kissing gate.
5. After the kissing gate, turn left at the path / gravel track junction.
6. When the track joins the road (Chilling Road), keep heading east (this is straight on, do not turn right and run into Solent Breezes Caravan Park).
7. At the next road / track junction, turn right and head south along the track towards Chilling Barn. Follow the track as it turns eastwards and into Chilling Fields. Keep to the left around the outside of the field.
8. At the end of the field just after it bears right, turn left along a path that takes you past a lake on your left. Do not jump over the log barrier across the Chilling Field path which would take you down to the sea.
9. At the next wooden gate, go through the V shaped crossing and turn immediately right at the post with a number 2 in black paint on it. Follow this narrow, probably muddy path towards the sea.
10. When you reach the sea please don’t keep going south, (Chris Hall to note)!! Turn west and head back along the coastal path towards Solent Breezes caravan site.
11. When you reach the end of Chilling Fields, run into and through Solent Breezes Caravan Park, passing boats on your left, up a slope onto a road, past the reception on your right then turn left at the ‘Breezes Bar’.
12. Run to the rear (seaward) of the Breezes Bar then, carefully, go down the steps to the pebbly beach. Run westwards along the beach for a short distance and then back onto the coastal path towards Warsash.
13. Follow the coastal path into the mouth of the river Hamble and head towards the Warsash School of Navigation. When you reach a wooden barrier, go straight on (not left and along the waterside path).
14. Follow the footpath as it winds round the Warsash College (to your left). When you reach Newtown Road, turn right and continue along Hook Park Road.
15. After about 400m and when running up a slight hill, turn left onto the footpath/ gravel track at ‘Bridge House’.
16. Follow the path into Hook with Warsash Nature Reserve and follow the path through the woods which initially bears left.
17. Eventually the path takes you to a wooden gate. Go through the gate and onto a main path, turn right and head slightly uphill for about 30m.
18. At the path / track junction, turn right. You are now back on the track that leads onto Hook Park Road.
19. Head westwards along the track until you reach the Hook Park Road / Cowes Lane junction and the finish. A kindly club member will record your time.
20. Grab a mulled wine and mince pie to keep yourself warm and cheer the rest of the runners home. Fingers crossed for the closest time to the 1130 finish!

Any questions contact Tim Sullivan or Nick Kimber.