Sydney Arms and muddy legs

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I love trail running. I love running in the dark. I love nature. I love running with friends. What better then than a night-time trail run through woodland with my running group, YPOM?

Ten of us met up a The Sydney Arms in Chislehurst. Head torches and trail shoes on, we headed into Scadbury Woods. It was soft under foot with inches of leaf litter and some big patches of soggy mud. Our head torches illuminated the path before our feet and lit the skeletal trees above. 

It was a mild night and overcast. The moon attempted to peep out occasionally but it was a losing battle. It was silent apart from our foot steps and chatter. Funnily enough we didn't see anyone else the whole time we were running.

Matt and Kelly led us on a route around the woodland. We passed several carved bears that mark the route, and stopped at Scadbury Manor ruins to view the buildings and the moat. 

From Scadbury we took the wildlife corridor to Petts Wood. Here we did some obstacles such as the fallen tree hurdle and I collected some holly and fir to decorate the house. We also saw the memorial sundial for William Willett who campaigned for the introduction of Daylight Saving Time. The sundial is permanently set to DST.

The pace was steady and we stopped regularly to ensure we hadn't lost anyone. Every now and then a cry of 'root!' or 'puddle!' or less often 'manure!' would go up to warn people behind of upcoming risks. Six miles later we arrived back at the pub and sat in the garden to enjoy a well earned pint and crisps.

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