Swanbourne to Run

Another quick early morning run on the roads and off-roads of Arundel, England.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, we E Streeters tend to see a bit more of our environs when we take to the streets, and occasionally, off the beaten paths, to better explore the places we visit, even when we're not there under the best of circumstances.

Case in point, our return to the village of Arundel.

This time, though, Barry, Andrew and I opted for some off-road trailrunning, a favorite past-time of ours on New England weekends whenever possible.  But the chance to explore the woods around Arundel Castle?  A bonus.

This time, our trip took us around Swanbourne Lake behind Arundel Castle.

Arundel, as detailed in an earlier post, is a fabulous little town a few miles from the coast, part of the Sussex by the Sea cluster of communities.

The vistas heading into town are inspirational.

Complete with the wildlife

Where the Streets Have No Traffic 

Just can't get enough pics of the town's castle 

Smart people work at this castle.  They wouldn't let this trio through its gates. 

Didn't stop us from interrupting our run for some classic castle backdrop pics 

Not a postcard, just a running pic 

Heading off-road 

Did I mention there's a few hills along this trail?  Andrew wanted to explore them but was apprehensive about running into castle security 

Nothing compares to trailrunning 

Alone with his thoughts, Barry takes in the terrain 

At every turn, Andrew opted to explore the offshoots 

And occasionally, scale the hills for a better view 

And what goes up, must come down.  Just a lot faster.

Any ornithologists among us?  Name the bird.

Not a picture we get to take running around Lowell

It wasn't a blue police box, but Andrew stepped in for a quick change nonetheless

Because sometimes, there's no words that can do a picture justice

As we ran through the town square, the butcher was laying out his fresh wares, as was a nearby fruit seller.  The tea shops were just opening.

And finally, before just before we headed out of town, Andrew got to stop in a second-hand bookstore, where he bought a treasure trove of books, including some second-hand Agatha Christie, some Doctor Who, a Tolkien surprise, and, in a nod to our mate Martin, a Thomas Hardy book, an author Martin always tried to convince Andrew to sample.

Mission accomplished, Martin.