Ides of March.

[Bierzo Baggie]

Oops….just read what I last wrote and it should have been Saturday 19th. And I should have written “Merillion were crap” as well but I liked the bit about the cherry blossom and it’s stayed in my head after all these years, so….
Anyway, back to the plot. Last week’s running went something like this,

Easter Thursday.
Being a public holiday there were loads of people about this morning along the riverside trails. There were a few other runners, people walking dogs and even a solitary basket-weaver selecting materials from amongst the reeds and laying out strips to dry in the sun. Warm, pleasant and lots of butterflies, whites and yellows….
TRT 44 minutes, river circuit plus extra bit up past the castle.

Saturday morning run in the rain.
It’s damp and it’s drizzly and as the land is already somewhat parched for the time of year they’ll be dancing in their allotments this morning. Took the road to Toral de Merayo and then followed the muddy track behind Monte Pajariel now fringed with primroses. This eventually crosses the road to Valdecañada , my next destination, a long thin village hemmed into a steep valley. Came along here last December when it was pig-killing time. A huge specimen had been strapped to a wooden table and they were cleaning innards in a nearby stream. It’s a pretty gruesome sight if you’re not used to it (and it probably is if you are used to it as well). It’s all quiet this morning though except for the rain and the occasional mangy dog barking at me. The road peters out into another muddy track at the end of the village and this rises up and over to the next valley. From the highest point of the track the village of Ozuela becomes visible. Clinging to the hillside, the houses seem to be stacked up on top of each other. It’s one of my favourite villages in the area, being easily accessible from Ponferrada and yet with a compelling sense of remoteness. Before reaching Ozuela I must drop down to a stream and then tackle a hill with gradients to make your eyeballs pop. I managed to get to the top without walking although on reflection walking might have been quicker. Then along the main street with its stone and adobe houses, coarse slate roofs and ramshackle wooden balconies, finally passing the last and highest placed building in the village, the old schoolhouse. It’s abandoned, like many other village schoolhouses in the area. No children I suppose.
At 700 metres or so this is also the highest point of my route and is followed by a bone-shuddering descent to the 500m of Toral de Merayo. Back home along the road which has become the graveyard for dozens of intrepid toads, coaxed out by the humidity and promptly squashed by the cars.
TRT 1 hour 31 minutes (70% country roads 30% muddy tracks).

Sunday morning.
Breezy and overcast although the sun briefly peeped out from behind a cloud before deciding to disappear again. Tired legs after yesterday’s longish run but kept going reasonably well. A sprinkling of fresh snow on the mountain tops.
TRT 38 minutes (river circuit).

Total for week 7 (wow! This is getting serious) runs 3 (approx. 35kms).