You may wonder what Dr Beeching (the guy responsible for killing the British Railway Industry in the 1960s) has to do with trailrunning. And the answer, actually, is quite a lot. As I ran along the disused railway line in Rugby last week, I thought long and hard about what he’d done. And granted, what he did was kill a huge part of British heritage, but it has now been turned into something beneficial for everyone – creating a unique network of trails across the British Isles was a tiny silver lining to a big, black cloud. And last week, I reaped the benefits, and had one of the most refreshing runs in a while along the old railway line in Rugby, England.
Britain in winter in the rain is not everyone’s favourite place to run, and I have to say I wasn’t convinced it would be mine either (I earnt my running stripes in sub-tropical Brisbane; my usual hobby in Britain involved many more pints than runs!).
An English Rail Track (this one's in Wetherby, but very similar to the Rugby trail)
On that Tuesday morning, I lay in bed for an hour snoozing my alarm and listening to the rain beat down on the skylight in the picth blackness before I managed to drag my sorry backside out of bed. I kept trying to think of excuses: ‘I forgot my raincoat, so I can’t possibly go running’, or ‘maybe I can go tomorrow, it won’t hurt just to miss one run, will it?’ But, if I used excuses like that in a country like this, I wouldn’t get out much!
When I finally did get out (wrapped up in waterproofs) I suprised myself by loving running in the cold dawn as freezing rain pelted me in the face. Getting wet, muddy and uncomfortable could have made me miserable. But, instead, jumping over the puddles (and landing in them often) just reminded me how wonderful it felt to be a child again, unleashed, without a care – I put my head down, picked my feet up, and ran, gliding over water, and exchanging glances with the hardcore dog-walkers and their dogs, also out braving the elements. Thinking back, I never saw a despondent dog – they all just loved it, and bounded along in the same, uncaring, happy, and free way. Not many things in life free us from the daily grind and the pressures of work and money. But running in the rain takes away every single care you have (apart from getting out of the freezing rain!).
So, Dr Beeching (you bastard!), for what you did to the railways, I hate you. But for opening up mile upon mile of walking trails across the English countryside, I (along with the runners, cyclists and dog-walkers) must feel slightly glad. Maybe I’ll just have to start looking at running a lot more of these wonderful trails.
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Note: I must credit Mike Carter‘s inspirational book ‘One man and his bike‘ for the Dr Beeching ideas…Mike cycled the trails, I run them. I’m sure he won’t mind!
Mike Carter -- one man and his bike!
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Filed under: Running, UK Tagged: | disused railway, railway line
