The paths had plenty of snow but my feet stayed dry throughout, even if this did take a bit of negotiation at the southern end of the park. A big loop here on decent paths let me get a few miles under my belt and I even found some solitude. Once back near the village hall I followed the Anglezarke route in reverse. It got quieter but the paths remained good ie. still dry feet.
It wasn't long before I was at White Coppice and heading on the 'new' path by the side of the goyt. This brought me out in Brinscall and I knew I was more than half way into my planned run.
I had to resort to lanes again up the hill to Wheelton and then down to the canal. I ignored the temptations of the pub offering snacks like bacon and egg burgers - something I was to regret later. This section of canal was new to me and I had no idea what condition the tow path would be in. Luckily it was still relatively frozen and I made good progress. This was the only section where I suddenly realised I was cold and had to put my cag back on and have some food.
I left the canal on the western edge of Blackburn and was looking forward to treating myself to a bacon and egg butty in the cafe near the athletic track. I knew the main car park was being redeveloped but had not realised the scale of the work. It was shut and I couldn't see if the cafe was open. I jogged a bit further into Blackburn but found nothing open. Oh well. About turn and start the homeward leg. One look at the fields made me reaisie that the river path would be boggy and slow so a stuck to the lanes and quickly got to Riley Green and then Higher Walton. It wasn't as pleasant as fields and tracks but it got me back to Preston in record time. I forewarned Bob and he arrived at the Capitol Centre only a few minutes after me ( I could not do all this without him being prepared to drive me all over the place and then come and collect me, especially as we are still down to one vehicle for now). 32 miles and suddenly I was shattered.
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