the-trig-and-tonics

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 37

Saturday 24th July was a special day because it saw the return of Park Run following the removal of all pandemic restrictions. Carol and I had planned to bag Shelton Bar trig once Park Run resumed so Saturday had to be the day.

It was Carol’s first Park Run and this photo shows us during the run.

We both enjoyed it and Carol clocked up an amazing time. We asked a runner dressed as Superman if he would take a photo of us afterwards. (At Park Run anything goes!) Whilst he was taking it, a lady approached us saying she was from the Sentinel and asked if she could take one too. Therefore, we ended up in the local paper. You can see the photo below.

This was Carol after she had completed her first Park Run:

Once we had completed the 5k run we got ourselves ready for our next challenge - finding the trig. Carol left her car at the park and we set off. We hadn’t got a route planned so we set off along Cleveland Road and meandered our way towards Festival Park.

It wasn’t long before we were standing outside the Odeon cinema wondering which way to go. I thought we needed to run towards Water World and Carol checked on her phone and that showed us to go that way too. As we ran past, there were lots of people queuing up to go for a swim. Not far past the ski centre we came to a sign giving directions for walks. We decided to follow the route with an incline as we know trigs are always high up.

The path ran through a large, wooded area and there were lots of twists and turns. We reached the top of a hill and we were unsure where to go next so Carol checked her phone. It told us we needed to carry on going up so we climbed some wooden steps and carried on.

Carol’s phone showed us we were really close to the trig so we just had to keep our eyes peeled. All of a sudden I saw something sticking up in front of us and sure enough it was Shelton Bar trig. This is a video of our approach to the trig.

As you can see, the trig is really quirky.

It was erected by OS in 1986 for the National Garden Festival. At the time it had clear views and Anthony Gormley had one of his famous iron men statues overlooking it but sadly this was removed after the festival. His work was called, 'A view, A place'. This particular trig is built in an unconventional style but is very fitting considering it is the last one and that it was for the festival. It now stands surrounded by lots of trees so there is no view but it feels a very peaceful home for the last trig point ever built.

Carol soon got down to business logging the trig and we got some great photos too. These show the setting the trig was in.

The flush bracket had a different kind of number and we need to look into its meaning.

Once we’d taken lots of photos we sadly had to leave. It didn’t take us long to get back onto the road and we then retraced our steps back to the park.

What a great morning it had been! A return to Park Run and finding trig number 37. It doesn’t get any better than that.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 36

It’s so lovely to be back reporting on a trig hunt. The past few weeks have been busy as live races have resumed and marathon training is underway. We still want to find the trigs though, so hopefully you'll hear a bit more from us over the next few weeks.

On Sunday 18th July, Carol and I were in Llandudno to complete the Nick Beer 10k race around the Great Orme.

It was a very hot day and by the time we’d completed the run we were on fire and we just had to head for the water to cool down.

After such a busy morning you might have thought we’d have a relaxing afternoon. Not us, we’d spied a trig at the top of the Little Orme and we knew we’d got to go and bag it. We did make one concession though, we usually run to the trigs but today we were going to walk.

Steve decided he was going to stay at their hotel, so Carol, John and myself set off along the promenade in the scorching afternoon sun. Coach Clive had told us to walk to the Premier Inn and then we would see some iron gates on the other side of the road which we needed to go through. It didn’t take too long to reach the Inn and we soon spied the iron gates but the trouble was they were locked. I don’t suppose we should have been surprised about that!

We thought there’d got to be a way in to the Little Orme Nature Reserve so we carried on walking. Sure enough, a little further along we came to an entrance that was open. We looked at the way ahead and it looked quite steep. John thought it was going to be too tough for him as his hip was hurting so he decided to make his way back down to the beach. Carol and I were now on our own and we started climbing the path. We weren’t sure we were going in the right direction so when a walker passed us we asked him if the path led to the trig. He said that it did so we carried on walking.

However, the path led us to the headland and we could see the sea and the wind turbines but there was no trig.

Therefore, we turned around and started to make our way back. We saw a path leading towards the higher peaks so it seemed sensible to head that way. At one point we were scaling the side of the Orme like mountain goats and we were worried we would lose our footing.

We couldn‘t see a trig on this peak but when we looked across at the next one, we spied it, the trig was just peaking over the top of the summit.

The next dilemma was how to get across there. We saw a family walking along a path going in the right direction so we set off to follow them.

Once we were going the right way it didn’t take us long to get to the top of the Little Orme and the trig. This video shows our approach to it.

There was a lady sitting peacefully, enjoying the view when we reached the trig and I wonder what she thought of us, chattering excitedly away. We were so overwhelmed with the trig as it was painted white and it glowed in the sunshine. The view was spectacular too. This was the best trig we’d visited so far. We hope you like our photos showing how amazing it was.

We spent a bit of time soaking up the beauty of the place as we logged the trig on Trigpointing UK and found the what3words which were warm.wages.recall.

It was just so peaceful up there but eventually we had to start and make our way down. We knew where to go now so we had no problem getting off the reserve. On the way we saw a bush that looked as though it was covered in a white fleece but it was actually many, many spider‘s webs all joined together.

It was still very hot as we walked back and it was lovely seeing people enjoying the sunshine. We passed a fisherman who had just come in on a kayak and he showed us his haul.

He was going to have a tasty Sunday tea.

We met up with John and walked together back along the promenade. We pointed out to him where we had been.

What an amazing day we’d had and it was wonderful to have bagged our 36th trig. This was one we would never forget.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League- Trig 35

Our next trig of the day was going to be Darlaston. Now, this was the one we tried to get to after we’d found Little Stoke and couldn’t get along the lane because of the electric gates and we’d had to turn back. Instead we’d ran along the canal at Stone, which turned out to be a lovely run.

Anyway, today we were going to try and reach the trig at Darlaston once more. We drove through Barlaston and Meaford and it shouldn’t have taken us long to get to the A34 but there were diversions in place so the journey became a bit longer. It wasn’t long though, before we were parking up at the bottom of Bury Bank, opposite the disused Darlaston Inn.

Off we set up Bury Bank which was quite an incline. On the way we passed an old bungalow set in amazing grounds that had been sold with a sign advertising it was going to be shown on the Grand Designs programme. We can’t wait to see how it turns out.

We also saw this lovely way marker, confirming where we were.

Soon we reached the top of the bank and began running down a dusty lane. After about a quarter of a mile Carol looked at the map on her phone and we tried to work out where the trig was. A post lady asked if she could help but she didn’t know where the trig was. After she’d gone we had another look at the map and decided it was on the left of us up the fields. However, there was no entry up the tracks we could see so in the end we turned around and ran back towards the road.

Once we reached the junction we saw there was a farm gate and we hopped over into a field. We ran/walked along the edge of the field not really knowing if we were on the right track. The land was rising but when we reached the summit there was no trig, although we did get a great back view of a fab house we’d seen when running up Bury Bank.

To the right of us the hedges were all over grown so it was impossible to see what was in the next field. Up ahead of us was another gate and we decided we would make our way up to the gate and if we still couldn’t see the trig we would have to turn back. Carol reached the gate first and all of a sudden she let out a squeal of delight and shouted she’d found the trig. I rushed towards her and there it was, Darlaston trig.

The trig god had come to our rescue once more. You can see where it was standing and its great views on our video.

Carol quickly got down to logging the trig on Trigpointing UK and what3words and then we got the obligatory photos taken.

Wow! We’d not given up and we’d bagged it. We left Darlaston trig with a smile and feeling of satisfaction.

Now we needed to get that 5k run completed. As we got to the bottom of the bank we realised we were under so we turned along the lane we would have come along if the electric gates hadn’t got in our way previously.

As we ran along we reached the said gates and had no choice but turn around and head back. We had to complete the run up and down the lane twice to make the distance up. On the second lap we actually saw a car coming through the gates. As the car passed us the gates remained open and it was tempting to take a sneak look. Thank goodness we didn’t though, because a few minutes later the gates closed. It would have been just our luck to get imprisoned behind them.

We’d set out to find two trigs during the morning and we’d done it. Thirty five bagged altogether. Not bad as we’d originally aimed for ten during the whole season.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 34

I was going to be away for a week and Carol had three weeks of training on a Saturday so we wanted to get a few more trigs in or we wouldn’t hit our ten for June. Therefore, we found ourselves parked up at The Windmill pub, Meir Heath ready to begin our third trig hunt on the trot.

We knew exactly where we were going so we quickly set off towards Cocknage Wood. Carol had an extra spring in her step as she had heard the day before that she had a gained a London marathon place and she was buzzing. I must add the place was very well deserved as no one puts more commitment into their running than Carol.

We knew the trig was surrounded by a high fence and we’d be able to see it but not touch it, so we were excited as this was going to be a new experience. It wasn’t long before we were following the fence up a hillside and we could just see the trig peeping over the incline at the top.

It seems the trig stands in a deer park and presumably the reason for the high fencing. As we neared the trig we could see four deer in the distance and they were as interested in us as we were in them.

The trig was situated two or three meters from the fence so we weren’t going to get photos by it but we could still get some of it behind us as you can see.

Trigs usually have amazing views but Cocknage Wood is, as the name suggests, sitting in a wood so its surroundings were quite dark and sheltered.

We hope you enjoy sharing our video of our visit to Cocknage Wood trig.

It was great that we’d managed to bag this local trig but we wanted to get another one in during the morning so we needed to get back to our cars. It was a quick goodbye and then back down the hill to the road. We need to run 5k for each trig and as we neared Meir Heath we realised we were a bit under so we had to extend our jaunt to make the mileage up. It didn’t take long though and we were soon buckled in ready to go find the next one.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

50 posts!

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 33

It was hot and sunny as I drove to Carol’s. Once I’d parked up we made sure we had caps, water and suncream on. We then set off to find Cromer Hill trig. We ran up Carol’s drive and turned left. (The importance of this move will become apparent later.)

As we ran along we chatted away and it wasn’t long before we had reached the main road. We then took a left turn which sent us towards Fradswell. Once we reached the village another runner was coming towards. At this point Carol let out a cry. I wondered whatever was the matter. Carol explained that when we came out of her drive we should have actually gone right and ran towards Sherratt’s Wood. We spoke to our fellow runner explaining our dilemma and she couldn’t think how we could think which way we should go.

Initially, we were going to retrace our steps and get back on the original route. However, Carol had a look at her phone and decided we could get to our destination from where we were so we took a right turn past Fradswell Church.

It didn’t actually take us long to reach Milwich and then we had to take a left turn into the destination road. At this point we saw a beautiful house with this sign on it:

After the pictures had been taken we then had to face a steep climb. It wasn’t long though before we reached the top and once we were up Carol pointed out a mast that she said was located near to the trig. Instead of having to crawl underneath barb wire or electric fences, we just had to make our way through a metal gate today.

Very civilised. This next photo shows the mast and gate together.

All we had to do then was run across the field. It wasn’t long before we saw the top of the trig. I filmed our approach and Carol completed her logging work. There was a herd of cows shading under trees and they looked at us as if we were crazy rushing around in the heat.

We got some great photos and we hope you can see what a beautiful day it was and the great location Cromer Hill trig was sitting in.

Carol had seen on Trigpointing UK that Rugely Power Station could been seen from Cromer Hill trig. The towers had been demolished at the weekend and in the distance we could see dust rising and we assumed this could be the site where they had been brought down. This is a photo looking across at the spot.

I had to be at work by 12:15 so we knew we had to get going or I would be late. We left the field and headed back to Milwich. Along the road we saw a few houses with beautiful red roses growing against them. They were the first roses I’d seen this year.

At this point we then took the route that we should have come on. It had all turned out fine as it‘s always good to run a loop. We made good time considering all the up hills we had to contend with and we were soon back at Carol‘s. Trig number 33 all done and dusted.

When we checked the distance we’d ran it transpired we had only gone about half a mile further by going via Fradswell. I loved the route we had taken so it’s a good job we took that left turn at the start.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Where is Preston Brook and Shardlow?

After the run Carol did some research and found out where Preston Brook is. You can see its location on this map.

I also found out where Shardlow is and you can see it on the map below.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Bury Bank or not!

After we’d visited Little Stoke trig it had been our intention to run to our second trig of the day at Bury Bank. We set off back towards Stone and on route we saw this fabulous design on a house we passed.

We made our way up towards Walton and then started running along the A34 towards The Wayfarer. We came off the road and turned on to a tarmac lane which we thought would lead us to the Darlaston Arms. However, we passed a farm house and a woman in the garden informed us we wouldn’t be able to go much further as there were electric gates blocking the way. We therefore, had no alternative but turn back.

As we ran back towards Stone we initially thought we would get in our cars and drive up to Bury Bank. We would find the trig and have a longer run too. However, in the end we decided to do the long run in Stone and then go up to Bury Bank afterwards to find the trig and then just do a three mile run.

We made our way back towards the leisure centre and then headed onto the canal tow path. It had been really hot and sticky running on the busy main road but once we running by the canal it was more shaded and peaceful and we settled into a pleasant, steady run.

Along the way we saw so many wonderful things. A pair of swans with two cygnets.

A friendly chap taking his barge through the lock. It was great talking to him and finding out about his journey and how he works the locks.

Can you read the name of his barge?

A beautiful heron who seemed quite tame as he let us get close to him. Carol took some prize winning shots of him.

The canal was pretty busy and it was great shouting hello to people steering their barges through the water.

We saw this wonderful sign and we pondered over where these places are.

It was fun seeing these cows strolling over the canal via a bridge.

Just before we saw the cows there was a bird flying around us making a real noise. When we made our way back we saw a baby lapwing on the path and surmised that the bird making the noise was the mother trying to protect her little one.

We stopped to watch another barge going through a lock and it was amazing to see how the lock fills up.

Our run was full of amazing sights and we were so thankful that we had decided to run along the canal. By the time we got back to our cars it was nearly twelve o clock. We were hot and hungry so decided to call it a day and to bag Bury Bank another day.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 32

Another Saturday, another trig! In some ways it was a rerun of Thursday morning. We arranged to meet at Stone at 8.30am. I was late again and the weather was hot. This time however, we’d covered ourselves in sun cream, I’d got my cap on and we’d both got water with us.

We ran along Lichfield Road and turned left at the traffic lights. The route took us over the railway line, past Little Stoke cricket club and bowling green. We weren’t far from Little Stoke trig now.

It was a quick hop over a farm gate or two, a limbo under a fence and a run/walk up some fields. We spotted the trig in the corner of a fenced off field and I got my phone out to film our approach. I was just about to press record when Carol announced the farmer was coming. I turned around and saw he was heading towards us on a farm buggy.

We decided the best thing to do was to walk towards him and have a word. When we got close enough he informed us there was no footpath up to the trig and we needed to leave as he didn’t want us going up to it. We got into conversation with him and he seemed to mellow a little.

All that was going through our heads was that we didn’t want to leave without getting a photo. In the end Carol asked him if we could just go and get one. Thankfully, he agreed and asked us to go out the way we had come when we’d done. He turned around and drove out of the field and we made our way up to the trig.

Carol was logging and I was filming. We then took photos of the trig. The only shame was a piece of wood had been nailed right in front of the flush bracket so we couldn’t get a photo of it. I looked on Trigpointing UK and there were photos of the trig before the fence was built and there are photos of the flush bracket showing its number is S2009.

The trig was in a beautiful location. The views were spectacular on a hot, sunny morning. By the side of the trig was a water trough and a herd of cows were congregated trying to get some water.

We had quite an ordeal getting these photos and video and we hope you enjoy looking at Little Stoke trig.

Studying the photos and video have made me feel quite sad because the trig looks imprisoned behind the fencing. It hadn’t struck me when we were at the trig but now when l’m reading the blog through it does seem a shame Little Stoke trig has been put behind bars.

We didn’t hang around and were soon in our way back to the road. As we walked across the field Carol spotted some paper towel lying on the ground so she picked it up as we didn’t want the farmer thinking we’d dropped it. The gate had also been left open when the farmer left so we made sure we shut it firmly.

It wasn’t long before we were off the farm land. Little Stoke had been a real adventure and one we’d never forget.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 31

Carol and I arranged to meet at Stone at 8.30am (I was a bit late). It was already pretty hot as we set off for our warm up. It was a perfect summer‘s morning. A tractor was mowing the field and the sweet smell of freshly cut grass hung in the air.

Soon we were ready to begin the Westbridge 5 virtual run. Although it was a virtual race we had decided to complete the actual course and Carol confidently navigated us around a field, along the towpath, then the busy A34 before returning by the canal to the finish.

At this point we were very hot and very thirsty. Luckily we’d both got water so we stood in the shade and tried to rehydrate. After a toilet break we were ready to get going with the second part of our morning. We were going to find Peasley Bank trig.

It had been our intention to drive to the trig but we changed our minds and decided to run there instead. So we set off through Stone making our way up to Walton. Once on Pirehill Road we just had to keep running straight ahead. The road eventually became more of a lane.

It was getting hotter and hotter and neither of us had any drink with us so we started getting quite thirsty. However, the only thing on our mind was finding that trig. As we were running along we spotted it on top of a hill to our left. We just had to work out how to get up to it.

Carol and Steve had driven up the lane so far, a few weeks ago and she had also read comments on Trigpointing UK. We therefore, knew we had to pass some barn conversions and head towards hundred acre farm.

The route was undulating and dusty but before long we saw the farm sign. We thought it only good manners to ask if we could go on to their land so we made our way down to the farm house.

The lady we spoke to however informed us it wasn’t their field but she gave us the directions we needed to take to get up to the trig.

We had to go back to the barn conversions and then look for a stony track. We retraced our steps but couldn’t find the track anywhere. Luckily, we saw a young woman in a shed, filling a net with hay for her horse and we called to ask if she knew where the path was. She was very friendly and pointed to where we needed to go. However, in the end she seemed to take pity on us and said we could go across her field. She was taking the hay down there so we followed on and she put us on the right path.

It was a steep climb up to the top of the hill and after the track ended we were walking along the edge of a crop field. Eventually, we reached what looked like the top but we couldn’t see the trig. Just a row of trees and bushes. We walked along to where the row ended and once we walked around them we caught sight of the trig but it was even higher up.

This time we had to pick our way through the crops as there was no other way. As we got closer we could see Peasley Bank trig was mounted on a large plinth which was quite damaged. The trig was also cracked all the way round. We’d never seen one damaged like this before.

Carol started logging and taking photos and I was taking a video. We hope these capture the spectacular view from the trig as well as how special Peasley Bank trig was too.

We couldn’t have visited the trig on a better day and as we turned to leave the sun was still beating down. Carol noticed tractor tracks running through the crop and we kept on these tracks which made our descent much easier.

The tracks continued until we got to the lane. Then it was just a matter of retracing our route back to our cars.

We’d had a tough run in the heat but it had all been worth it. Peasley Bank was our first of the month and we’d found it on the first. Just nine more to go for June!

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Colton Eight Miler

It was then time to return to our training plan and complete an eight mile run. We walked around the field’s boundary and left the way we had entered. We retraced our steps down the farm track and through the hazardous nettles.

Once out on the road we made our way back down into the village. I must say the downhill was over far quicker than the uphill. A left turn then brought us into a moderner part of the village. There were a variety of property designs but they were all more up to date.

It didn’t take us long to reach the end of Colton and then we were running out into the open countryside. The scenery was beautiful and we loved looking at everything around us. Carol had the route on her phone and we knew a junction was up ahead. The map showed the road taking a sharp right and we were going to take the footpath to the left. This would lead us towards Blithfield Reservoir.

However, when we reached this point the road did go to the right but there was no footpath. Just a gate leading into a private driveway.

Straight ahead there was a footpath leading down the field but we decided to take the road to the right and pick up another footpath.

As we turned right we were faced with a large new build and we were knocked out by its location and design. We couldn’t resist taking a closer look.

This is the view from the house.

We carried on running along the road until we reached a junction where we turned left and started running up hill. At one point we were passed by a cycling club.

As the cyclists passed us we were looking for the path shown on the map. It should have been by a river so when we saw a brook with a footpath sign we thought that must be it. We battled through another haul of nettles, over a rickety, wooden bridge and into a field.

The footpath led us into the field but once in there we just couldn’t see which way to go. All we could see were cows and electric fences. Eventually, we decided to walk down to the bottom corner where we found a style but it was completely overgrown with nettles.

In the end we found a dead tree and had to resort to breaking off branches which we then used to beat down the nettles and make a path across them.

At least we were now in the next field. We made our way in the direction shown on the map but then we reached another dead end. This time there was no style, just more nettles and electric fences. In the end we had to scramble under the electric fence to reach a farm track.

It got even harder then! We could see a style in the next field and we made our way across to it by going under another electric fence but if we went through the style we just didn’t know where to go next as we were faced with a large arable field full of quite tall growing crop.

We’d spent an awfully long time trying to make our way across the fields to reach the reservoir but we hadn’t got very far. If we did manage to reach it we would still have to come back the same way so in the end we decided to call it a day on that part of the run and take the path up the hill and head back towards Colton.

The route had one last sting and it wasn’t from a nettle this time. We ran along a concrete track which formed a bridge across the brook. The bridge was covered in cow muck and as we ran along I saw Carol come to a sudden halt. I realised why she had stopped too late and ran onto the muck. It was like something from a comedy. The cow muck was hard on the top but very soft underneath and I just sank into the gooey mess! Carol just howled with laughing as I tried to remove myself from the gunge.

We were then over a style and into another field of tall crops. The footpath went straight up the middle and we were wading through the foliage. The good thing was my trainers were getting a clean.

We could see the new house we’d looked at earlier so we knew the field we were in was the footpath we had come to when we reached the fork in the road earlier. We came out at the private driveway shown in the photo above.

On the return journey we saw the farm track that had led us to the trig. We couldn’t resist running down to get another glimpse.

When we were back on the road running back to Colton we saw an old tree that had died on one side but was growing profusely on the other.

As we returned back into the village there was a pony and trap heading towards us and it was the perfect setting for a Saturday morning ride.

We also passed a pub called ye old dun cow and we pondered over what the dun meant. (I have now looked it up and discovered that it means, ‘a dull, greyish brown colour.‘)

We still hadn’t run eight miles so when we reached the village hall we ran through the carpark, following a footpath sign. This brought us to a wildflower meadow and it was wonderful looking at all the different flora in there.

After we’d looked at this lovely scene we climbed another style where we came to a narrow footpath which seemed to be leading to allotments.

They weren’t allotments but private gardens which were set out in a country cottage style. We had a look at them all but had to turn back as there was no way through.

We‘d nearly got our eight miles in so we thought it was time to return to the car. What an amazing morning we’d had in Colton.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 30

One more trig and we would reach our total of ten for May. When we’d driven from St. Stephen’s Hill to Coley last Thursday we had passed near to Colton Manor Farm trig so we decided to go back and bag that one on Saturday.

I arrived at Carol’s house at about 8.30 and we set off in the same direction as Thursday. It wasn’t long before we reached Colton and were looking for somewhere to park. There was a sign for the village hall so I indicated left. It was empty and nothing to say we shouldn’t park there so it seemed the ideal place to stop.

We got ourselves sorted and set off through the pretty little village. There were lots of walled gardens and stone cottages and we could see this was the old part of the village. The wisteria clad frontages gave the buildings a regal appearance. It looked a beautiful place to live.

As per usual, the road then began to rise. To reach most trigs there has to be an up hill and this was no exception. It was quite steep but it didn’t take too long to reach the top. We then had to look for the footpath to take us on the direction of the trig.

It was quickly located but we also discovered a prickly problem. One that would keep reappearing throughout the morning. We found out that Colton seems to be the epicentre of nettle production.

The right of way was overgrown with sharp, stingy nettles. It wasn’t too bad for me as I had support socks on which came up to my knees and then Capri leggings below my knees so my legs were well covered. Unfortunately, Carol wasn’t so lucky. All her lower legs were exposed so she ended up with lots of stings even though we tried our best to flatten them down.

We managed to get through this first hazard of the day and found ourselves on a farm track which we started running up. We hadn’t been running for long when Carol spotted the trig standing proudly on the top of a hill. Wow! That hadn’t taken long.

We found a way into the field and we had a clear view of both the trig and the remaining four towers at Rugeley Power Station. We knew these were to be demolished in a week’s time so we felt lucky to have got there and seen this landscape before it changed for ever.

We then made our way up to Colton Manor Farm trig.

It was in lovely condition and standing in a beautiful location as you can see from our pictures and video.

It had been a special trig to visit with the destruction of the towers being imminent and Carol captured a great picture of the trig and the towers together. The trig is hard to see as it is camouflaged by the trees but if you zoom in you will be able to see it. This is definitely one to keep for future, historical interest.

So, we’d found our thirtieth trig. We just had to make our run up to eight miles now to keep up with our training plan!

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Coley trig 5K

As we were leaving the farm we heard a noise and spotted a worker making their way up a metal structure in the field.

The person up there must have had a spectacular view on such a lovely morning.

We turned right as we came out of the drive and managed to get a last look at Coley trig.

After all the stop, we had to get running so we set off along the road. Everywhere looked so pretty in the sunshine. We’d gone some distance when the road ended and to the left and right there were private signs up.

The only way was to take the footpath into the field. Once we’d passed through a metal gate we found the ground quite boggy and we had to tread carefully. There was also another pond with more ducks enjoying a swim in the sun.

In front of us was a large field with a crop growing.

We ran down the side of the above field and then into another one where we passed a smouldering pile of rubbish. Just beyond the fire, we reached a lane that seemed to lead up to a farm house in one direction. We checked our watches and we’d run over a mile and a half so we decided to make our way back.

It didn’t take us long to reach our cars but we still hadn’t run 5K so we had to deviate once more up another picturesque lane. We came to the conclusion that Colwich is a lovely little village.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 29

Once we had clocked up the mileage for Stephen’s Hill trig we jumped in our cars and set off to Colwich. I didn’t know the way so I followed close behind Carol. I’d never driven the route before and was therefore surprised when we came out on the main road and the turning for Colwich was just up ahead.

I had a supply teaching assignment at Colwich Primary School in the afternoon. I had been there a time or two but had never driven further than the school. I was surprised to find how much more there was to the village as we drove to our start point.

We parked up in a very picturesque lane and set off running up hill. Once we’d ran about half a mile we reached a farm entrance and Carol said this was where the trig was located. She pointed over to the left and there it was, a short distance away. We walked over the cattle grid and made our way towards the farm. To our right there were horses in the field and they had a nosey at us over the wall.

We could see a woman in the yard and as we got closer we said hello and commented on the lovely weather. Carol then asked if we could go up and look at the trig. She was very friendly and readily agreed to our request. She did however warn us that it might be muddy in the field.

We made our way into the paddock and shut the gate as there were hens and ducks at play.

Keeping them company was Coley trig.

We let out a gasp, before us was the most beautiful sight we’d seen when out trig hunting. The trig stood by a round pond and a variety of ducks were splashing about in the sunshine.

It was a lovely place to be on a sunny morning and we couldn’t help but smile at the beauty all around us. I hope we’ve captured it in our pictures and video.

We had an excellent experience visiting Coley trig but we’d got to run 5K so it was time to set off and clock up the mileage.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 28

The end of May was fast approaching and we’d still got three trigs to bag if we were going to keep up with our target of ten a month. Therefore, we planned our Thursday run was going to be a trig run too.

We’d not managed to get Abbots Bromley trig at the weekend so that seemed a good place to start. I was doing some supply teaching at Colwich that afternoon and there was a trig there so we planned to get that one too. I would then remain in Colwich for work.

I wasn’t sure of the route so I drove to Carol’s house and then followed her. It didn’t take us long to reach Blithfield Reservoir and we parked up and Carol pointed out the direction we would be heading in.

As we set off over the bridge that spans the reservoir we spotted two hot air balloons in the distance. I’d not seen any of these for a long time due to the pandemic and it was lovely seeing another sign of things beginning to get back to normal. They looked so peaceful floating along the sky line.

Soon we were on the ascent and we had to be careful as we were running up a really fast road. However, it didn’t take us too long to reach the summit and then we turned left into a quieter lane. We didn’t have to run far along the lane before we reached the entrance to a farm and there, not far down the track, was our trig sitting looking out over the reservoir. Can you spot it? This trig is called Stephen’s Hill and we pondered who Stephen was/is.

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, the sky was blue and fresh green foliage sparkled on the trees. In the distance we could see the yellow rapeseed oil gleaming in the fields and the Hawthorne bushes were laden with white blossom. Below us the water sparkled and there wasn’t a breath of wind. What a joy it was to be put on a day like this looking for trigs.

Carol quickly got to work logging the trig and getting the three word location completed. We also took lots of photos and we hope you enjoy them.

All we had to do then was head back the way we had come and we had a lovely downhill to savour. When we reached the cars we still hadnt completed 5k so we ran down the lane by the car park until our mileage was correct.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 27

The third trig of the day would have been too far to run to so we headed off towards Rugeley in the car. Carol knew the way and it didn’t take us long to reach our next stop. Because of the rain the car park was very wet and I was worried we were going to sink into one of the mini lakes that had formed in the pot holes. The car park was very busy this time, with people out on their mountain bikes but we did manage to find a spot.

We didn’t waste any time getting going and we were soon on the path. Hey presto, there was Regents Wood trig. This was the easiest and quickest we had found to date. It was just there. We captured our find on these photos and video.

The trig also had a sign on saying it was a passive trig station like the one we saw on Morridge.

By the side of the trig was a tree and on and around the tree were lots of Christmas ornaments and flowers which had been left in memory of someone.

Once we’d found the trig and logged its location we then had to set off on our run as we needed to cover a distance of three miles. We weren’t sure where we were heading but we had an interesting one that took us through woodland, an industrial estate and open ground with new bracken springing up through the earth. We also saw Rugely power station and this was special because the remaining towers are due to be demolished in the next few days. There was evidence too, of people having fun building dens.

It was quite undulating underfoot so by the time we had made the distance up we were getting tired and hungry. It had been our intention to move on to find a fourth trig but in the end we decided it was best to keep that one for another day.

We had to pass Regents Wood trig as we made our way back to the car and it brought a smile to our faces at how easy it had been to find.

[the-trig-and-tonics]

Trig Point Premier League - Trig 26

We set off and quickly arrived back at the crossroads. Which way were we to go to find the next trig? We plumped for the right! By now you must be yelling, no, you need to go left. We looked at Carol’s phone and as you’ve guessed, we were going away from the trig. By chance the couple we’d spoken to earlier were walking towards us again and they confirmed that, yes in deed, we needed to go left. They also kindly pointed out the landmarks we needed to head for.

As we ran along we thought it was amazing that we had bumped into people who knew what a trig was. Usually stare at us blankly when we ask if they know where a trig is. Anyway, they did, so we were off to find number 26.

As we reached the bottom of the valley we could see a river and horse riders were making their way through the water.

When we arrived there was quite a queue to get across. As well as the horses, there was a woman on a bike and a couple of walkers waiting to cross too. It didn’t take long though and it was quite exciting using the stepping the stones as the water was quite high after all the rain we‘d had.

The path then started to climb steeply and it took a lot of energy to get to the top. Once up there, the ground levelled out and we quite quickly spotted our trig. As we approached The Butts, a plane was flying overhead and I wondered if the pilot could see what we were doing.

We’d never seen a trig with so much of it’s base exposed before and it made a good platform for photos as you can see here:

Our video also shows what it was like at The Butts trig too:

That was trig number 26 in the bag. We just had to run back to the car park as we had got to drive to our next location. Surprisingly, we made our way back without too many hiccups and we were soon on our way to find Regents Wood.