November novelties.

[Bierzo Baggie]

So, are you on for Lugo then?

Tuesday Nov 22nd
A wonderful sunny morning; ideal for a run around the river. It’s been a mild start to the cold season and last week’s snow has almost disappeared from the Montes Aquilianos. Plenty of old folk out walking, pushing prams, listening to transistor radios, etc.
The construction work on a new bridge across the River Sil threatens to dissect another favourite route. Managed to jump over a couple of fences and dash across a huge, muddy hole to get past but in a couple of weeks time I suppose the upper section of my river circuit will be impassable.
39 minutes.

Thursday Nov 24th
Cold and frosty run around the canal. At one point a startled rabbit shot out from one of the allotments. This is a noteworthy event as I’ve only seen a handful of bunnies in all my time in Bierzo. I think the mixtametosis (is that what it’s called?) must have wiped out most of them. Some people keep them in sheds (but not as pets; these unfortunate furry friends are destined for the pot!) so it might even have been an escaped domesticated rabbit. When I lived in Devon I used to see thousands of them. The things bred like….rabbits.
29 minutes.

Saturday 26th November.
Greeted this morning by the sight of Monte Pajariel covered by a thin layer of snow. Treading the virgin snow ranks alongside smelling the first wild flowers of spring as the sweetest moment of the running year. Unfortunately by the time I got out it was drizzling and the Pajariel trail was a mucky shade of brown. It didn’t matter. I far prefer this weather to the unbearably repetitive days of summer heat and run much more comfortably.
Monte Pajariel-Toral route; 44 minutes.