Decided to try the Three Forests Way as my first run beyond marathon distance.
Weather on the day was great, with the exception of a heavy thunderstorm for about 20 minutes in Chipping Ongar. The week before, however, had seen constant rain which made parts of the route heavy going, especially the numerous (& soul destroying) straight line paths across the middle of freshly ploughed fields. There were also a few sections where the path was overgrown – legs, arms and ears (?) have plenty of bramble scratches. These aside, the route had a good mix of scenery including sections through the forests and a pleasant 10-12k alongside the River Stort.
Completed the attempt unsupported by carrying all food/water in pack and topping up using the taps outside churches. The fresh doughnut stand just outside Abridge was sent to tempt me 9hrs in but somehow managed to resist!
Overall a great day out. Would recommend anyone else trying this route to do so in summer when the ground is firmer, and also invest in a decent map – I ended up doing an additional 2.5km due to navigational difficulties.