Coppetts Wood and environs

Annoyingly for most of the past week I've been suffering from a low-grade cold - reaching a mind-clouding peak on Friday - and this has put a serious dent into any sporting efforts on my part. However this morning I felt that I just had to get out for a run whether I wanted to or not; especially as it wasn't raining no matter how hard I looked towards the heavens! So I figured that I'd head north to the Glebelands by the North Circular since I haven't been that way for a while and there are lots of free-living fruit trees in Coppetts Wood. It's almost a community orchard up there and with a bit of overnight drizzle a primordial air hangs over the close-growing vegetation:

Autumnal, misty and solitary

Luckily there weren't any 'terrible lizards' around; just an over-attentive pooch and he was soon dealt with. After this I started to feel like I should keep going, at the very least, rather than break off for home and so a south-westerly leaning took me towards Finchley Central and along Squires Lane. In the spirit of exploration I ducked down some side-roads and alleyways (which probably surprised a few householders given that these passageways all terminated at the end of their garden and provided no conceivable utility to anyone else!) but none proved practical. In the end though I popped up by Long Lane Pastures and I wouldn't mind dropping in there again:

Doesn't look like a hive of diversity does it?

Once again though I was too early and so from here it was a direct run back down East End Road to home - or it would have been had I not messed about trying to locate the path through the Stanley Road Playing Fields. The funny thing is that the way in was at the end of Stanley Road; hardly a surprise eh? Sometimes I wonder why I bother getting out of bed you know! At least the way was clear beyond this moment of confusion and I even manged a spot of time barefoot - a style that I reckon will appeal to Joshua given how much time he spends splashing about in the mud without any shoes!

Distance: 7.6 miles
Time: 1h 05m 48s