I completed the route* going East to West, using the official alternative route bypassing Lyme Park - this diversion is necessary outside Park opening hours. That alternative does not significantly affect distance. A quicker athlete than me would be able to complete the route in daylight going through the Park in opening hours, but if I waited until 08:30, I would still be going deep into the night.
I started at 05:00 on a Saturday morning, before dawn.
I carried most things with me all the way, but bought drinks and snacks at the coffee kiosk in The Carrs Park Wilmslow and the cafe at the Anderton Boat Lift. I also picked up a stash of drinks and fresh shoes I'd left in a hedge in Alvanley.
Nobody ran with me as a support runner at any stage. I had not done a recce of the course, although I was familiar with most of the section between Marbury and Alvanley.
* This attempt should be flagged, as I deviated from the route. After approximately 105 km in 18 hours (time about 23:00), I made a decision that for personal safety I should avoid farmers fields for the remainder. This was absolutely the right decision for me at the time, on my own in the night. I wanted to complete the route for my own satisfaction and to put a first time up on the board for the community to take on. This compromise was my best way of doing that. The diversions I came up with were intended to come out at around the same distance - but analysing it, came up about 700 m short (although my navigation errors meant I did 5 km extra over the whole route!).
Why was I concerned about safety in the fields at night? I had had several unpleasant and risky experiences after nightfall, including being surrounded by a herd of fairly frisky bullocks attracted by my head torch, and about a kilometer of bush-wacking through tightly packed maize taller than me, in the dark. In both situations, a fall on tired cramping legs could have ended badly, and after getting through those episodes, I was unhappy to take similar risks again in the last few kilometers. Having not recce'd the course, and heading into fields that perhaps nobody had walked this year, I decided "no more farms".
I discovered that the West end of the NCW, the fields are not much used by walkers or runners. It seems I was the first person through in months - and there had been no path created through the maize fields. To stay on track, there was no option but to make my own path - easy with young crops, but quite a challenge with 2m tall maize!
Overall, a great experience on a nice route, I'd recommend giving it a go if you're looking for a scenic trail of this sort of length. It's very varied, taking in farms, country lanes, woodland trails, a few hills, rivers and canals.
Very satisfied with my day out - but I look forward to seeing the record broken, and completed without needing flagging like my attempt. Good luck!
Comments
Editor's note: Attempt flagged on athlete's request. Matthew Hampson's note: "I deviated from the route. After approximately 105 km in 18 hours (time about 23:00), I made a decision that for personal safety I should avoid farmers fields for the remainder. This was absolutely the right decision for me at the time, on my own in the night. I wanted to complete the route for my own satisfaction and to put a first time up on the board for the community to take on. This compromise was my best way of doing that. The diversions I came up with were intended to come out at around the same distance - but analysing it, came up about 700 m short (although my navigation errors meant I did 5 km extra over the whole route!)."