Play.Eat.Laugh.Sleep..Pickwell: Running About

Monday 16 January 2012

Running About

Those that know me are used to the ‘get fit’ / ‘get fat’ cycle of my adult life. I have been overdue a ‘get fit’ phase for some time now! I haven’t quite managed to get the ‘Surf Bug’ that is almost compulsory if you live in North Devon, but have for some time felt that I really must ‘make friends’ with the stunning hills and coastal paths that surround us here at Pickwell and get out there more. The ‘surf bug’ may not have got me but I have definitely got the ‘trail running bug’ the last few months. The stretch of coastline either side of us is the location for the AONB marathon for which our friend Matt is currently the poster boy!

Steve has conquered the challenges of both the half and the full marathons over the last couple of years and you may remember reading Susie’s blog entry about his marathon triumph (despite serious cramp) on one of the hottest days of last year.

Now when you start getting out on runs from Pickwell the first challenge is to tackle the route from Putsborough to Woolacombe and back. This provides a lovely flat 2 miles either along the beach or the bridle path to Woolacombe and then back again. The kids do this route for a sponsored walk / run with the school each year.

The next challenge is to tackle Baggy Point. Looking out over Baggy Point is one of the many joys of living up at Pickwell. There it is jutting out to the ocean with just Lundy Island beyond it and Croyde Bay the other side..... Just waiting to be embraced!

A few of us have begun getting out regularly for a run at the weekend. Most of us are in what has been dubbed the ‘B team’. B team members are those to whom nature has dealt a set of genes that do not lend them to long distance running. Nature lends them rather to pursuits such as rugby, rowing or any events found in the Highland Games. I am definitely a B team member! ! There are others however like Steve (and Nigel) whose tall, lean and slender figures definitely make them the A team.

This weekend we tackled Baggy Point and even setting off you can see how the pack spreads!

To begin is a slow climb until you reach the point where you can look back towards Putsborough and get the benefits of your ascent.

The next couple of miles take you right out onto the Point where you can look left to Hartland and right out towards Morte Point and beyond.

You are now right up on the cliffs. Fortunately the A team wait for the B team at various points across the route!

Gathering at the turn together..... Paul’s knees are actually held together by those straps!

The route then takes you on a very welcome and pleasant downhill stretch along into Croyde Bay

Once you have made it round to Croyde it seems rude not to have a quick run across the beach.

The path up from the stream provides an opportunity to begin the turn towards home and a lovely muddy stretch through the trees that reminds you of those cross country school runs!

However, If you’ve got the energy to add another loop and tackle a really big old climb then the rewards of carrying on from Croyde up to Saunton Down are worth it for the views let alone the fitness.

And when you get to the top you can enjoy the thought of an enjoyable mile back down towards Croyde .

One of the challenges of running from Pickwell however is that wherever you run to you are always in for a tricky uphill last half mile to really make your legs work!

Which is why many a run will finish with a quick lie down!

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Our Story

Many people have asked what the story is, how did the Bakers and Elliotts come to be at Pickwell?

Are you sitting comfortably?

Tracey and Susannah became friends at 6th form college. Steve and Tracey lived in the same village in Sussex. Steve's dad was the vicar and Tracey's dad was Steve's scout leader. Even more wierd, Susannah's dad (also a church minister) and Steve's dad were friends, but Steve and Sus never met.

One summer Tracey took Susannah along to a youth summer camp. Steve was one of the leaders (read : heightened attraction) and a little later Steve and Sus got together. During their 6 on/off years they met Richard, a blue eyed boy from Guildford.

At a club night run by Steve, somehow through the dark and crowded room, Tracey and Richard bumped into eachother (if you have seen the shapes they pull on the dancefloor you would know how easily this happened)..

In the year 2000 they all got married. Tracey and Susannah were eachother's bridesmaids. They have remained firm friends ever since.

When Steve and Susannah came across Pickwell Manor, they knew they couldn't manage such a project on their own. They asked the Elliotts if they would give up their house, their jobs and their community to come and live and work with them and own the project together. They knew there weren't many people they could ask to do such a thing knowing they would still love each other by the end. So they all left everything in Sussex and came to Devon.

They moved on the same day in August 2008. It has been a crazy, wonderful, scary, emotional and beautiful experience so far. All of them would say they feel very ALIVE!

Since they moved they have run 51 successful and wonderful weddings (with more to come), many, many holidays, built or totally refurbished 6 apartments from scratch, updated carpets, painted white throughout, put in quite a few kitchens and bathrooms (including 2 baths on concrete plinths), changed much of the furniture, converted a laundry and have started to convert the chapel. Every year they also have a bonfire gathering in October, an Easter Eggstravaganza fundraising event, and anything else that is not-for-profit that they can fit in. Tracey has completed a dissertation and gone back to nursing for 2 days a week, Steve has started up a new company in London, Richard has mastered a lot of the running of the house as well as training as a coach, specialising in stress management, Sus has taken on the interiors and Tracey and Susannah have learnt weddings in at the deep end! All with 4 young Pickwellians by their sides.

"Our passion is for making life count. Our values lie in
friendship, celebration, valuing others, and social justice. We see Pickwell as a reflection of these things but also a place for rest, recouperation, laughter and conversation. We want to support charities and social enterprises to fufil their dreams and make a difference."

"We love Devon, we love the community here, we love seeing our children grow with nature and discovering the great outdoors. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes when we think about our life here, it is amazing".