Regents Park is a destination

A warm Saturday morning, a good turn-out and a restoration of the normal order of things. Yes Ira was back in control and, while Mike's route last week found favour in many quarters, this week featured a return to our core standards - which signalled a trip down to Regents Park. Now this suited me down to the ground as I like the park and, more importantly, didn't fancy exerting myself excessively with the Summer Series of races kicking off tomorrow. The cute part though was that we went down Fitzjohn's Avenue after Hampstead and that kind of precluded coming back up the long hill again - clever! Anyway along Ave Road we chanced on a group of horses fresh from being exercised - presumably part of The King's Troop based in St. John's Wood - and no one gave them a hard time for blocking the road!

In the park it was very much business as usual - quick wit, numerous complaints and the opportunity for a photo-shoot always taken:

As fine a group of athletes as you could ask for...

Right after this the school's never-ending recruitment drive picked up (press-ganged?) another recruit - Mrs Alex Hatter and her very hairy companion Otis. This would have been fine except we then embarked on one of our trademark loops to nowhere around Holme Green and then followed this up by marching up to the top of the hill in Queen Mary's Gardens and then, well, marching right back down again. I guess that it was lucky that we then re-grouped outside The Cow & Coffee Bean and made-up:

Who's that handsome fellow with Alex?

From here inevitably The Broad Walk and Primrose Hill led us back to perhaps the gentlest approach to Hampstead - which is Haverstock Hill. It's a nice steady drag without any nasty surprises unless you count unwitting pedestrians stepping into your path from all directions! Many are the times when I've wanted to keep going and literally 'run them over' but breeding always prevails and I generally let them proceed unmolested. On that subject I did wonder if Darren and Daniel might tag-team together and rough me up as the hill progressed given that it was just us 3D's at the front but fortunately I was able to avoid trouble and get a few shots of some of our most promising members:

Jeff Boekstein leading from the front

Smilin' Mike

Well known super-elite athlete Simon - larger then life!

And so, at the top of Heath Street, concluded another successful run out for the school. It just goes to show that while novelty has its place at times we all need to return to the source and draw comfort from the bosom of the familiar; with this security re-affirmed once again will we be able to face the horror of the North Circular..... 

Distance: 7.7 miles

Time: 1h 11m 40s