Leg 5: Premier Inn, Kings Langley to The Tower Arms Hotel, Iver. (17.9 miles approx.)
Today’s leg was the second longest so really tested my endurance and boy did I feel it. I ended up coming in just as it was starting to get dark, tired, thirsty and hungry.
The day started well- I found a good route out of Kings Langley at Junction 20, avoiding an otherwise unpassable (without a great detour) stretch of water. The terrain was fairly stable and I was running slowly but steadily, first through some fields and a stretch of grass just inside from the motorway and then finding some good stretches of public footpaths and bridleways. Relatively straight forward I thought- the first half of the journey went pretty smoothly bar an electrified fence shock and some guy stopping on the hard shoulder to ask me what I was doing on the grassway on the other side. Either he was being nosey or he was a plain-clothes policeman, but I decided to get out of the way and managed to climb over a fence into some woodland to continue. The rest went pretty smoothly and I thought I was making good time- I passed through Junctions 19, 18 and 17 it seemed in no time and I rather naiively thought I might get here early.
Things started to slow down significantly on the approach to the big Junction 16 (not too far, I thought from my destination). I had anticipated this as it’s the M25/M40 interchange and a huge scary junction. I had figured out that I would have to work my way alongside the M40 going south briefly to find a road crossing that would take me to the other side, where I could get back to the M25 again.
I initially found some footpaths and bridleways that seem to partially go in the right direction, then I found myself on a heathland and semi-enclosed in a filed next to the road I needed to get onto. After finally crossing over 2 barbed wire fences I was on my way. I can’t remember if it was just before that or just following that I lost track of a footpath and was going to continue alongside the grass verge of the motorway when I saw I traffic police car approach the verge and stop. I figured it was for me and I calmly let two policemen approach me. I explained that I had lost my path. They laughed and actually told me a good tip about a route to get onto.
Unfortunately this didn’t last long and I spend much of the rest of the journey negotiating private farm land and scrubland and climbing over alot of small barbed wire fences to keep alongside the motorway. I had thought that I would be crossing public park land and nature reserves- it was all rather disappointing and much further than I had thought. In the middle of all of this I nearly got attacked by a rotweiler that was loose inside an open gateway. As soon as I tried to pass it began barking aggressively and bounded over towards me. I froze thinking that was it- that I was going to be mauled, but luckily he went back, but I was completely stuck, he was not going to let me pass. My only way out was to climb over a wire fence behind me. I was petrified and almost in tears, but relieved I managed to get out of the situation. I was very angry too at such irresponsible owners.
After all that and some more trudging through overgrown heathland I managed to locate the road I needed to turn off- quite a long stretch down to the hotel, but a welcome respite of a warm cosy country pub greeted me when I finally arrived.
I will sleep well tonight- tomorrow a shorter run but another tricky junction: the M25/M4 interchange.
The good news in the midst of all of this is that all is well its seems at the gallery and everything tracking and images are working and getting through. So all of this must be worthwhile and I’m now over halfway- Hooray!
