The Battle Of Naseby

Today I take part in the Battle of Naseby, originally held on the 14^th June 1645 as the finale to the Civil War between Oliver Cromwell’s lot and King Charles I’s lot. Now re-enacted, of sorts, across 16.45 miles of rolling Northamptonshire countryside. They call it ideal marathon preparation.

The all road route takes in numerous memorials and viewpoints of the battle but as I haven’t packed by guidebook a lot of it passes me by. Anyhow this is all about getting the ideal marathon preparation in.

I record 2:21:51 for the unusual distance, an average of 8:40 per mile. Way below my 8:00 pace at Prestwold but inside my intended 9:00 marathon pace, so probably about where I need to be. Just need to add another 10 miles to it.

It was a pleasant little event despite the orange race t-shirt.

Back at home I book wrong the flights for Norway, getting the return date wrong by 24 hours. Oops. It takes a phone call to sort it out and surprisingly it doesn’t cost me anything.

In the evening we go to Harts Restaurant in Nottingham which is somewhere I’ve never been although L is close to being a regular there through her boss. It is possibly our last chance to experience the restaurant itself which is closing although there will be a new smaller restaurant inside the hotel.

Things don’t start off that well when they leave us loitering in the foyer for ages and then tell us the Seabream is off and has been replaced by cod, which isn’t quite the same. It’s a decent meal though which I round off with a cheeseboard and we share a bottle of red.

Afterwards we pop into the Borlase where they have Buttermuch on.

 

(Sunday 24^th February)