Getting lost and not even minding

The little gem I have discovered recently is Wyre forest only a twenty minute drive from my house and with a cafe, toilets on site, go ape and three different routes to explore it's no wonder I have gone twice in the last 3 weeks.

Pulling up to aim for a 10 mile run though I would have been happy with 9 with my drink at the ready and a fruit snack pack in my vest I set off to start the yellow trail around 0.80 miles. This first trail takes you around the Go Ape centre with people whizzing through the air above you on zip wires.. majority of them screaming as they go! After the yellow route was done I started on the green route slightly longer and with some hills to contend with and running of the beaten track. I remember running the green route the last time I came and was looking forward to getting to my favourite part of the forest. It appears to be a part where not many people venture and was beautiful and quiet.. trotting along the green route I realised I had missed my favourite part and couldn't understand where it was.. maybe I had took a different turning though still following the green markers.

 

my favourite place

I carried on regardless and finished the yellow/green route at just over 3 miles, I took this time to sit on a bench and eat my fruit snack pack. Last time I did the red route, the hardest one I remembered a pretty nasty hill right at the end which I walked up so decided to mix things up and run the red route backwards. First part was all downhill which was brilliant though the downhills I did the first time around the right way were now uphills. Around 2 miles into the red route I came across my favourite place...

I don't remember it being on the red route before but I was there and that's all that mattered. It is far enough out the way that you cannot hear the Go Ape screams and far enough away that I stood there looking around and gazing up at the trees for twenty minutes and not one single soul came past. ( I may add I forgot to pause my garmin whilst tree gazing damn it!) If i take up tree hugging I must be sure to pause my watch.

After tree gazing was done I took the gate through the field where I got lost first time around and found my way back out the opposite gate no problems. I finally reached the final stretch and was pleased to be running downhill to visitor centre rather than the long slog I had done previously. A quick toilet stop was needed and I decided whilst on the loo to run the green route backwards too. I set off following the green markers but the other way around. One thing I realised when I'm running is I tend to only look at things on my right hand side and in front so doing things backwards meant I was taking in different views. I started off great following the green markers then after a while I realised I hadn't come across any markers of any colour at all.... F@^CK I'm lost!

 

 I carried on for around half a mile then picked up a red marker, bugger I was running the longest route again! I carried on with the red route and was coming up to just over 7 miles. Along the forest there are sign posts directing you to the visitor centre and telling you how far it is.. I came across a sign with Visitor centre 2.5 miles pointing to the left or 1 mile heading back the way I had just come from, perfect that will get me to the 9-10 miles I wanted!

I carried on running, I was tired I had eaten all my apples and grapes and I began to get a bit lost in my own head. I kept running past a man whizzing by on his bike we past each other probably 4 times in total and everytime he looked at me like "why are you still running?" I was thinking the same about him cycling!
As I was running I noticed a sign in the distance... no... surely it can't be?
Visitor centre 2.5 miles to the left... or 1 miles heading back. What on earth was happening I had followed the route but ended up at the same place... bermuda forest sprung to mind.

 Nothing to it but to keep running so that's what I did and ended up finishing the yellow, green and red route twice with a time of 1 hour 47 minutes  total of 9.60 miles.

Although I spent most of the time it would seem lost I can think of no better place to get lost than in wyre forest.