FKT: Steve Adams - Two Counties Way (United Kingdom) - 2022-08-01

Athletes
Route variation
One way
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
9h 37m 32s
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Lesser known and potentially new route from Taunton to Starcross on the Exe Estuary, joining up parts of other defined routes incl. Exe Valley Way, Great Western Canal and West Deane Way, with several detours of it’s own to take in some quaint villages and sharp hills! The first quarter is flat and a bit fiddly, the canal section was a relief from a navigation perspective but really started to feel the heat of the day. The second half was much more varied terrain with stunning scenery and views, and much harder work for it! The last few miles along the Exe were a bit of a slog but knowing it was near the end helped a lot!

It was very stop-start as a run due to lack of signage, so needing to double check before every turn. Some sections were impassable due to closed footbridges and railways crossings and associated overgrown paths. (Photos taken of the offending sections, one between Bradford-On-Tone and East Nynehead and the other between Countess Weir and the Turf Locks pub). However, with the enforced detours and many unenforced mistakes and backtracks I ended up clocking 95k rather than the 90k specified on the route.

Route used was from LDWA which was the same as the one on FKT but more detailed-https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Two+Counties+Way

For nutrition I had stashed a couple of bottles of energy drink and milkshakes beforehand, plus I dived into a shop in Silverton for extra water because I had accidentally made the energy mix double strength - ie. Sickly sweet! Other than that I had no problems nutrition-wise.