Leg 9: Days Inn, Clacket Lane Services, Nr. Sevenoaks to the Holiday Inn Express, Dartford.
I’m adding to this 24hrs later, after having had a day of much needed rest. I arrived at the hotel yesterday pretty exhausted but relieved to have made it. The day started off pretty well- it helped to have had an easier and shorter run the previous day and meeting up with my parents did wonders for my morale. I started off the day feeling resfreshed, eager to start and to get the whole thing over and done with.
The weather was coolish and the conditions felt good for what I knew would be a long day. I waved my parents ‘goodbye’ and found a bridge to cross back to the other side of the motorway to continue my run. The first 6 miles until Junction 5 were relatively easy – no major obstacles and some fairly easy ground through woodland and easily accessible open fields, some of which were also public footpaths. I also took advantage of some small roads that ran parrallel to the motorway and would give me easier running ground and quicken the pace. I had a bit of disorientation around some woodland getting round Junction 5, but nothing I had not already experienced. One thing that has been invaluable in all of this has been my reserve mobile ‘phone, which I’ve used to navigate my way round using the GPS. I couldn’t have done without it and it saved me a huge amount of time.
I can’t remember whether it was at this junction or the next that I saw a public footpath going through some woodland that seemed to be going parallel to a road adjacent to the motorway, where there was no walkway to speak of. I took the footpath and found myself walking further and further upward until I reached a steep ridge. I was concerned that I was going off track and about the energy and time I was taking up walking up a walkway that seemed to be getting more and more steep. I decided to keep going and eventually the path levelled out and rejoined the road I need to be on, which was welcome respite and helped me gain some time.
Moving through Junctions 3 and 4 was not too bad- by then I was just focussed on getting on nearer to my destination. I had some difficulty getting around a plethora of paddocks that were quite small and where I had to negotiate several electric fences. Luckily I found that I could pass under them without touching the current. However after passing through a few I came to a dead end with a riding school in progress but luckily found a small pathway instead that ran alongside and actually saved me more time.
The rest was a mix of accessible pathways, more barbed wire fences and some small roads. I was making steady progress until I hit Junction 2 at the intersection of the M25 with the M2. Coming up out from a wooded area, I found myself face to face with a huge crossway of different impassable and uncrossable roads with no means of crossing and several lanes at rush-hour. I could see where I needed to be over the other side and I contemplated crossing, but after hestating I chickened out. This meant backtracking and a detour of at least a mile. This was so frustrating and disheartening as by then I was only about 2 or 3miles away. However, following the road through I found it was a direct route to Dartford and my eventual destination of the Holiday Inn Express. The final route up through a council estate as it got dark seemed to be the longest road ever and eventually I caught the neon lights of the hotel on my horizon. After trying to find the entrance I was finally in. I can’t tell you how good it felt to have finally completed the run and to think that after 9 days running I would not be doing it the next day.
Please check for next post in another couple of days for images from the gallery.
