Stubbington Green Runners

Yes it’s that time again! Having survived the en-route swimming pools of the Mulled wine handicap in December last year it’s now time for our Easter treat! If it rains like it did on the weekend of 20th March there will be an awful lot of mud – the Today’s Runner junkies will love it!!

The route begins on the cliff top in Chilling Fields by the eastern entrance to Solent Breezes Holiday Park. It’s a circular route, mainly on tracks with a bit of road and the odd boardwalk! According to my GPS it is dead on 6 miles. The aim for this handicap is to finish at 12:00 noon and then proceed to the bar in Solent Breezes Caravan Park for a drink. Unfortunately, Solent Breezes only do full lunches on Sundays which may involve a longish wait for those of you wanting food!

There will be prizes for closest male and closest female finisher to the 12:00 target plus a prize for the best fancy dress, (how many Easter bunnies can we have on one run I wonder?!). There’s no parking allowed at Solent Breezes Park  I’m afraid so I suggest parking just off Chilling Lane by the Chilling Riding School close to the north western entrance to Chilling Fields, (there are not many spaces here so I’d suggest car sharing wherever you can). It’s then a short walk or jog to the start which is via the Western path around Chilling Fields heading towards the coast. The start and finish is at the ‘Warning Cliff Fall’ sign on the cliff top by Solent Breezes. If you find yourself freefalling you know you’ve gone too far! £1 on the day for all runners, proceeds to go to the prizes.

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

Please note! The route is still very muddy and knee deep in water at some points so bring a change of shoes and clothes!

• From the start, run westwards through Solent Breezes caravan park for about 200m, turn right at the top of the ramp then left next to number 31 chalet and follow the road out of the park.
• Just outside the park, at the Solent Way footpath sign turn left and follow the track for a few 100m’s. Where the track takes a sharp left, turn right to follow the yellow signed footpath which passes through a metal kissing gate.
• Follow the track until you reach a junction with a road (Hook Park Road) and turn right at the ‘Byway’ sign to follow the gravel track.
• After about 400m turn left onto the blue cycle path signed track (the blue sign is on the fence on the right of the gravel track). Beware this is easy to miss. This track soon goes downhill then steeply uphill with woods either side.
• At the top of the hill you’ll join a road (Church Road) with St Mary’s church on your right. Go past the church and stay on the right side path for about 100m. Then turn right onto the gravelled ‘New Road’.
• Stay on this track passing Warsash Wasps football ground to the right.
• Take the track into Warsash Common then immediately after going through a wooden and metal gate, take a sharp right to follow the red arrowed path down a flight of steps and onto a narrow path.
• After a short distance you will pass under a large black pipe; at the wooden post just after this turn right and follow the track through the woods. Eventually this descends onto a boardwalk followed by a long flight of steep steps.
• At the top of the steps keep going to the junction with another boardwalk then turn left along the boardwalk.
• The boardwalk soon becomes a gravel track which bears right. At the wooden seat turn left and go through or over the metal gate. At the junction with a path just after the gate, turn right (don’t go straight on) and stay on this path until it becomes a road and passes some houses.
• This road soon comes to a multiple road junction (Fleet End Road); go straight across the junction to join the blue signed bridleway and follow this narrow track until just before a main road (Warsash Road).
• Just before Warsash Road, follow the track as it bears round to the right and stay on the track until it joins a minor road (Little Abshot Road). Carry on along this road past the Abshot Country Club then, at the next road junction, turn left onto Hook Lane
• Stay on this road until you reach Chilling car park on your right; turn right onto the footpath to the right of the car park.
• Follow this long path as it winds its way down to the northeast corner of Chilling Fields.
• Head due south for about 30m then 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.
• 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 through the woods towards the sea.
• When you reach the sea please don’t keep going south, (Chris Hall to note)!! Turn west and head back along the coastal path to the finish just before Solent Breezes caravan site.