Safe places for activities in the dark? (not dogging obvs ;) )

Tilly

Well-Known Forumite
Stafford Common

Former race track

Former runway

Former pageant destination

Former FA cup car park

Is it safe?

Any cattle?

David Essex offspring?

I hear the toilet block has gone

And the railway station

And the Antelope is now an absolute Triumph

But is it safe?
 

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
I am people
1st person
You are people
2nd person
They are people
3rd person
Robert Paulson
all dead persons
 

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
Had a nice walk up to gnosall the other day along the lines, noone mentioned the damn muddy parts!

Luckily I managed to stay on my feet... (I think it's where the farms/animals cross over or something)

was fine apart from that, it's a shame because it's fine 99% of the way, i'll have to take some wellies next time for that bit.. we did start heading towards newport but didn't want to walk for god knows how long back in the dark, for sure i'm going to bike there soon though, after the start of the lines it goes very quiet which is great, you only see bikes then unless people have come on the line from the villages

Start is busy though, dog walkers galore but they soon vanish a few miles in

It's a lovely place to go down though, we saw a lot of wildlife some interesting bridges, graffiti... and the canal looks nice that side too, another venture that's possible to go down
 
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c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Had a nice walk up to gnosall the other day along the lines, noone mentioned the damn muddy parts!

Luckily I managed to stay on my feet... (I think it's where the farms/animals cross over or something)

was fine apart from that, it's a shame because it's fine 99% of the way, i'll have to take some wellies next time for that bit.. we did start heading towards newport but didn't want to walk for god knows how long back in the dark, for sure i'm going to bike there soon though, after the start of the lines it goes very quiet which is great, you only see bikes then unless people have come on the line from the villages

Start is busy though, dog walkers galore but they soon vanish a few miles in

It's a lovely place to go down though, we saw a lot of wildlife some interesting bridges, graffiti... and the canal looks nice that side too, another venture that's possible to go down
As someone who did the run to Gnosall alot in the summer I found the bit from Haughton down to the first farm crossing the worst bit in terms of mud and standing water. Wouldn't want to try it in this weather!!
 

Trumpet

Well-Known Forumite
Had cause to visit the new development at Doxey (Mallard Walk?) this morning. Went to the end of Lapwing Place where it backs almost on to the Isabel Trail. Nice outlook, if I lived there there would be some subtle 'guerilla gardening' going on.
Didn't realise how big that development is.
 

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
As someone who did the run to Gnosall alot in the summer I found the bit from Haughton down to the first farm crossing the worst bit in terms of mud and standing water. Wouldn't want to try it in this weather!!

Yeah I think we mean the same place, one wasn't TOO bad (think the first).. but the one after, nearly covered my whole trainer.. on the way back we tried the gate way to the side (obviously made sure it was shut after) but... that wasn't any better

After going through them I may aswell of been walking on a field of mud for hours
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
As someone who did the run to Gnosall alot in the summer I found the bit from Haughton down to the first farm crossing the worst bit in terms of mud and standing water. Wouldn't want to try it in this weather!!
That muddy bit by the farm was much worse twenty and more years ago.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
As someone who did the run to Gnosall alot in the summer I found the bit from Haughton down to the first farm crossing the worst bit in terms of mud and standing water. Wouldn't want to try it in this weather!!
I run it sometimes, seems to be fine til the road after Derrington but after crossing that it's pot luck in this weather. Not so bad on the bike. Not fit enough to run to Newport yet, not and make it back anyway :eek:
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
I run it sometimes, seems to be fine til the road after Derrington but after crossing that it's pot luck in this weather. Not so bad on the bike. Not fit enough to run to Newport yet, not and make it back anyway :eek:
Oh when I said "run to Gnosall" it was on the gravel bike! No chance of me running to Gnosall...
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Oh when I said "run to Gnosall" it was on the gravel bike! No chance of me running to Gnosall...
To be fair I've only run all the way once! I usually turn round just after Derrington if aiming for a 10k, all the way to Gnosall and back makes it a half marathon and I've only ever done 2 of those!
 

Mudgie

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To be fair I've only run all the way once! I usually turn round just after Derrington if aiming for a 10k, all the way to Gnosall and back makes it a half marathon and I've only ever done 2 of those!
I've walked to Newport and back, and been in most of the Newport pubs, but that was when I was younger.
I never run.
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
The OH ran back from Stafford down the line as far as Haughton yesterday and said it was okay.
IIRC the last time I tried it was just after the Haughton turn off for the car park that I hit stuff I didn't want to run through.
 

Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
IIRC the last time I tried it was just after the Haughton turn off for the car park that I hit stuff I didn't want to run through.

I'm going to have to go again soon, can't remember exactly where / before the mud baths are, I remember the first not being that bad at all (you can go through the middle with no problem really) but the 2nd was horrendous

I'd imagine it wouldn't be that bad to go through on a bike just prepare for a bit of spray..

Wonder what causes is at those points? the rest of the way is pretty much fine, is it those damn cows?

As much as i'm moaning about mud, it's a lovely place to have we're lucky to have a nice long walkway/bikeway/whatever here, in some nice countryside away from damn cars, love it i'm just annoyed i've not gone down there sooner! always looking for places to go!
 
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Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
I walked the dogs from town to Derrington several winters ago and it was very boggy just past Doxey and waterlogged under the motorway bridge.

More recently I've walked from Haughton to Gnosall and it was a bit wet bewteen Haughton station through the cutting up to the Stables (where the crossing gates are).
 

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
I'm going to have to go again soon, can't remember exactly where / before the mud baths are, I remember the first not being that bad at all (you can go through the middle with no problem really) but the 2nd was horrendous

I'd imagine it wouldn't be that bad to go through on a bike just prepare for a bit of spray..

Wonder what causes is at those points? the rest of the way is pretty much fine, is it those damn cows?

As much as i'm moaning about mud, it's a lovely place to have we're lucky to have a nice long walkway/bikeway/whatever here, in some nice countryside away from damn cars, love it i'm just annoyed i've not gone down there sooner! always looking for places to go!
After Haughton there seems to be less of a determined effort on the path, its narrower and less solid, but I don't know if this is because of the terrain or deliberate. There is standing water often to the north side so I'm assuming it's in a slight dip, although it only needs to be slight if enough falls.

EDIT: Actually that bit is uphill, albeit slightly. If you can see the chart at the very bottom of this page you can see the elevation and moving across it shows you where on the map it is:

https://www.strava.com/activities/4114118111
 
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Zylo

Well-Known Forumite
After Haughton there seems to be less of a determined effort on the path, its narrower and less solid, but I don't know if this is because of the terrain or deliberate. There is standing water often to the north side so I'm assuming it's in a slight dip, although it only needs to be slight if enough falls.

EDIT: Actually that bit is uphill, albeit slightly. If you can see the chart at the very bottom of this page you can see the elevation and moving across it shows you where on the map it is:

https://www.strava.com/activities/4114118111

Ah I see, and that makes sense, I walked to haughton today- and the muddy parts defo on the way to gnosall (me and my short term memory) probably where the elevation starts dropping I assume, still a tad muddy but nothing to be bothered about before them.

Think it was around the halfway mark between haughton and gnosall if not a little before for the first mud crossing
 
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