Wessex Ridgeway Trek, Fells, BeckBusters 10k, and Parkrun Milestones

It was another action-packed week for TaSH members, featuring long-distance trekking, steep moorland climbs, river towpaths, and parkrun milestones across the region.  

Alan and Kim have successfully completed the 143-mile Wessex Ridgeway, trekking across Wiltshire and Dorset over nine days of walking. The Wessex Ridgeway forms part of the Great Chalk Way, an ancient highway linking East Anglia to the South West of England. The journey kicked off with an eight-mile warm-up ramble from the Wiltshire village of Bedwyn through Savernake Forest. The official trail began in Marlborough, passing through the ancient stone circles of Avebury before climbing to the high escarpment surrounding Salisbury Plain.

The route meandered through several protected landscapes, including the North Wessex Downs, the Vale of Pewsey, and Cranborne Chase, before reaching its final destination at the Dorset Jurassic Coast. Along the way, the trail visited numerous ancient hill forts and burial mounds, including Battlesbury, Hambledon Hill, and Pilsdon Pen. The Cerne Abbas Giant stood proudly along the ridge line in Dorset, alongside famous chalk White Horses viewable on the slopes at Marlborough, Cherhill, Devizes, and Westbury. Winding woodland trails and mysterious sunken lanes, known locally as holloways, connected deep valleys, picturesque villages with thatched cottages, and historic churches.

The paths were fringed by black knapweed, rosehip, hart’s tongue fern, wild brambles, and nettles. The peaceful atmosphere of the sweeping chalk downlands was punctuated only by the cries of buzzards and red kites, alongside occasional distant booms from nearby military ranges. The 143-mile trek was completed with stops at various inns along the way, concluding in Lyme Regis where the pair celebrated with a dip in the sea followed by a well-earned slap-up dinner.

Victorious at the coast! Alan and Kim celebrate completing all 143 miles of the Wessex Ridgeway, raising a trekking pole high on the beach in Lyme Regis after their nine-day trek across Wiltshire and Dorset.

Sunday saw four Harriers take on the 'Fryup Frazzler', the concluding fixture in the Dave Parry/Lets Run Esk Valley Summer Fell Series. Starting and finishing at the Yorkshire Cycle Hub in Fryup Gill, the challenging 9.4km course accumulated roughly 475m of ascent across the surrounding North York Moors.

Bright, dry conditions were tempered by a strong westerly wind across the exposed fells. Paul Chapman led the squad home in 33rd place overall (62:03), followed by Bronwyn Mayo in 40th (66:36), Sarah Harrison in 55th (71:48), and Marc Davies in 60th (73:10) to cap off a fantastic series performance.

TaSH turned out in force at Bishop Monkton for the popular BeckBusters 10k fundraiser, comprising a fifth of the entire race field with 36 runners crossing the finish line and six placing in the top 50.  

Gary Dunn claimed top honours for the club, crossing 5th overall in 38:40 to win his age category. Paul Peacock finished 8th overall in 39:08 to take 1st in category, while Ashley Dodgson clocked 39:54 for 12th place and 2nd in category. Kirsty Naylor was the first female Harrier across the line in 51:13, followed closely by Helen Ashworth (53:54) and Laura Pearce (55:36). Category wins went to Gary Dunn, Paul Peacock, Ruth Pollard (58:23), and Christine Burn (1:16:09), who was declared the happiest runner of the day after securing 1st in the W70 category. Second-place category spots were taken by Ashley Dodgson, Charles Lamb (44:02), and Hugh Jenyns (1:16:39), while Rob Burn (49:34), Paul Atkinson (47:16), and Julia Harland (59:29) took 3rd in their respective age groups.  

BeckBusters 10k Group Photo Team yellow and blue out in force! A fantastic collective turnout for TaSH at the BeckBusters 10k, making up a fifth of the total race field.  

The multi-terrain route along scenic river and canal towpaths ended with the event's famous watersplash. Squad feedback praised the bright weather, great organization, and warm community support, with Laura Till enjoying the views despite a “steady slog” with wet feet and forgetting to stop her watch at the finish line!  

Gary Dunn led the squad home in 38:40, followed by Paul Peacock (39:08), Ashley Dodgson (39:54), Charles Lamb (44:02), Blair Wallace (46:29), Paul Atkinson (47:16), Andy Butcher (48:08), Mark Knowlson (48:30), Brett Edgeworth (48:48), Robert Burn (49:34), Alan Simpson (49:48), Mike Sanders (50:27), Kirsty Naylor (51:13), Chris Coates (51:47), Joe Joyce (53:23), Helen Ashworth (53:54), Laura Pearce (55:36), Alex Miller (56:50), Tessa Grant (56:53), Sharon Emmott (57:09), and Martin Emmott (57:23). Completing the lineup were Ruth Pollard (58:23), Alan Docherty (58:40), David Tervit (59:27), Julia Harland (59:29), Adrian Wood (1:00:04), Sara Armitage (1:01:25), Elizabeth Wordsworth (1:01:29), Gillian Fiske (1:02:16), Tracey Docherty (1:03:04), Chris Wordsworth (1:04:27), Stuart Hill (1:05:00), Alison Butcher (1:05:05), Laura Till (1:06:34), Christine Burn (1:16:09), and Hugh Jenyns (1:16:39).  

Top-ten finishes and tourism featured heavily in Saturday's parkruns. At Millfield, Richard Grant placed 6th overall in 20:12, with Bronwyn Mayo taking 2nd female in 23:19 alongside Ruth Pollard (28:14), Josie Burn (29:56), and Ian Codling (59:24). Olivia Mulligan earned 3rd place at Conyngham Hall in 20:44 supported by Sarah Emerson (36:32), while Isaac Myer finished 3rd at Northallerton in 18:40 alongside Julia Harland (29:05) and Richard Easby (41:39). Liam Nolan took 8th place at Huddersfield in 19:21.  

Hillary Coventry pictured enjoying the scenic surroundings of The Demesnes parkrun in Barnard Castle.

At Temple Newsam, Pete Jackson recorded 25:46 while celebrating his 50th different parkrun venue milestone, running with Adam Harper-Walker (21:19). Elsewhere, Gavin Coventry (27:28) and Hilary Coventry (28:56) ran at Barnard Castle; Mike Cropper (21:38) and Ian Ord (32:17) visited Fountains Abbey; Connie Gilbert (28:05) and Gemma Thompson (28:16) raced Whitby's Cinder Track; Vanessa Arthur ran Wetherby in 26:12; Colin Smith recorded 33:06 at Darlington South Park; Natalie Lyth (30:47) and David Lyth (48:55) tackled the colliery trails of Elemore Park; and Nicky Hawkes ran 39:47 at Belvoir Castle.