Stubbington Green Runners & AC

The date for your diary is Sunday 18th December. This is our third year of running this event and once again Nick Kimber is very kindly hosting the aftermath with the start and finish near his house at the junction of Cowes Lane and Hook Park Road in Warsash. Last year we provided an ice rink for the course but I fear we cannot guarantee this for this year so put your skates away and break out your running shoes!

Entry fee is £2 per head to cover costs and all participants /supporters will enjoy a cup of hot mulled wine and a mince pie at the finish and there will be prizes for first male and first female. To give us an idea of numbers could you let me or Nick know if you’re running the handicap and if your supporting hoards require hot alcoholic nourishment and carbo loading! Contact Nick at postbox@hookpark.co.uk or text 07977 411452 or me at tim.sullivan1@virginmedia.com or text 0789 6613962. An honesty bucket will be at the finish for the entry fees!

The usual rules apply for this scenic route taking in familiar scenes around Solent Breezes and Warsash Common – no watches, no Garmin, sundials, egg timers, hiding in car parks (Liz note) or any other skulduggery! The aim is to finish at 1100 at the end of Cowes Lane, Warsash. A recce is a must for this enjoyable route of between 1 and 215 miles (depending on your navigation skills!) The route is:

1. Starting at the junction of Hook Park Road and Workmans Lane, run along Workmans Lane until you come to a metal gate.
2. Once through the gate, turn right on the gravel path and head toward the sea.
3. Just before you hit the beach (Chris Hall may choose to go straight on at this point!) turn right onto the path that runs along the cliff top and follow the coastal path all the way to the Rising Sun PH at Warsash water front. Watch out for the horses in one field, they eat runners!
4. Turn right at the Rising Sun, up the hill to the T junction and then right along Shore Road up to Warsash village centre.
5. At the roundabout go straight on keeping to the right hand side of Warsash Road
6. Soon after passing Church Road on the right, bear right into Dibles Road. After about 200m and down a dip, take the narrow footpath on the right just after number 32.
7. Follow this path through the woods which soon bears right up some steps. Join another path and follow round to the left which soon brings you onto a small green.
8. Run through the green, onto the estate road and then bear left into a cul-de-sac. Follow the path to the right of a double garage with white doors, join a track and turn left.
9. The track runs downhill then bears right and crosses over a wooden bridge.
10. Continue to follow the track uphill and at the top of the slope there is a footpath on the right by a wooden post with 2 red arrows and one blue arrow. Take this right hand path passing through a wooden barrier and then turn left.
11. At the T junction with the next track, turn right and follow this track around the open space of Warsash Common.
12. Bear right at Y fork and turn right at T junction. After a short distance jump over the low horse gate then almost immediately turn right through a metal kissing gate onto a probably muddy woodland path.
13. Follow this path through the woods which eventually comes out at a road (Fleet End Road). Turn right and run along the road for about 50m then turn right again onto yet another muddy woodland path.
14. Follow the path as it winds through the woods eventually coming to a gravelled road (Hook Park Road), turn right and run for about 50m before turning left and over a stile and onto a footpath through some fields.
15. At the 4th stile, turn left and follow the path around the field until you leap over a gate and back onto to Workmans Lane. But wait …. It’s not over yet! Turn left at Workman’s Lane and retrace some of your earlier steps, first coming to a T junction with a gravel track turning right here and heading towards the sea.
16. This time though when you reach the National Grid signage for Chilling Sub Station on the right of the track, ignore the warnings of 400,000V and duck under the barb wire and run along the substation road toward the sea.
17. If you’ve avoided death by horrible electrocution, run to the right of the heavily guarded sub-station (looks like something out of a 007 film!) along a track and yes over a gate and back into that field of runner-eating horses!
18. Sprint past the horses, bearing right and diving over the small gate at the end of this field.
19. Once on the beach path, run about 100m then turn right through a kissing gate and onto a footpath heading back inland.
20. Follow the path as it winds round before finally joining the seaward end of Cowes Lane. Sprint to the finish 100m at t’other end shouting out your name at the drunken marshals with clipboards.
21. Retire gracefully to Nick’s driveway for mulled wine and mince pies and await glory (or not!)

Let’s hope that the weather stays good. See you there.
Tim Sullivan
For Social Committee