The
cars were all honking their horns and as I ran past, a woman wound
down her car window and shouted at me. I adjusted my hat. And beard.
And ran on to a chorus of car horns.
I
was running with Warwick Rocks a friendly, informal running club in
Warwick and I was one of nine Santas running from Warwick to
Leamington to Leek Wootton to Kenilworth and back to Warwick. And we
were stopping at 5 pubs for a mulled wine in each. Wine
and Running. Two of the great pleasures. AND whilst wearing a Santa
Suit.
Route and Pub List thanks to Jodie |
I'd
expected running to become more difficult with each pub and
subsequent mulled wine, but I hadn't banked on struggling to get to
the first pub …
I'd
used my satellite navigation to reliably direct me plenty of times in
the past and had no reason to suspect it had been at the Christmas
brandy today. I'd typed in “Market Square, Warwick” and driving
past the signs to Warwick, I had no misgivings, confidently expecting
it to direct me capably and correctly to the the the Market Square in
Warwick.
However
after several mies of country lane and ending up in a tiny village,
my satnav announced that I was at my destination. I looked around. I
was in a small village, dressed in a santa outfit, with the locals
looking at me suspiciously. This was definitely not Warwick. Royston
Vasey possibly. Not Warwick.
I
double-checked the satnav. Yep the satnav confidently told me. This
is DEFINITELY Market Square, Warwick. Yet the lack of castle, pubs
and LIFE begged to differ. I quickly looked up the address of the
Rose & Crown and actually typed in the postcode. 11 miles away. I
delivered my opinion of it in very unSanta-like language and turned
the car around.
A
hastily typed tweet to the organiser @jacklinstead read “Running 6
mums late.” Luckily he deciphered it as lateness rather than
multiple maternal deaths.
Clear
roads and little traffic meant that I arrived at the pub only 10
minutes late. My beard hastily dragged on and my hat jammed on over
my eyes and there was a stressed – and rather effeminate - Santa
pegging it down the lanes of Warwick in a mad search for the Rose & Crown. It must have looked rather as if having lost my reindeer and
sleigh, I was in dire need of a brandy.
Bedraggled Sarah-Santa |
Finally
arrived at pub, my beautiful white beard looking rather bedraggled,
to find 7 other Santas waiting for me. The 8th Santa, Jo had been similarly misled by the satnav which must have
been sharing the brandy with mine. I had arrived. The first pub: The Rose & Crown. A friendly and welcoming pub, it had recently been
in the Top Ten Pub awards and also won Best Pub in the UK previously.
Despite being dressed in a combination of Santa and neon, we were
given a friendly reception and friendly smiles from the staff and
locals.
We
all started off – a ho of Santas running through the streets of
Warwick in the search for a pub. A good run, in fancy dress, to a
pub. It was a win whichever way you looked at it. We passed a group
of children on horseback dressed as elves, mini-Santas and wearing
reindeer hats. It was a relief to see other seasonal lunatics in
Warwick. If any Scrooges appeared we'd send them after the kids
first.
Jo and Jack |
The
next pub on the list was the Star and Garter. Tucked away in Warwick, we came in through the doors in a rush of
Christmas, to find Santa hats on every table and a jazz band playing.
My intentions were to have a soft drink in every pub but the thought
of mulled cider – which smelled AMAZING – and which was served in
an old fashioned dimpled half pint mug was too much to resist. The
pub was lovely, old fashioned enough to feel like a proper pub but
modern enough to welcome children.
The next section was a run to Anchor Inn in Leek Wootton, a 3.7 mile run through the countryside. There was a
section along the main road, dull and dirty, but unexpectedly this
was one of the most fun parts! Cars beeped as they passed us,
children waved; thrilled to se a horde of Santas charging through the
countryside. The fact that we were on a mission to find our third pub
and more mulled wine wasn't disclosed. A woman wound down her car
window as we passed and her shout of ”Meeeeerrrrryy
Chrrriiiisssstmas!!” followed us as we ran on.
(L-R) Brian, Jo, Jack, Tanya, Jo, Jodie, Chris |
This
section of the run took in some very pretty sections of the
Warwickshire countryside. A river, shaded by tall, ancient trees
which were leafless in the winter sunshine. The road wound and we
passed cottages tucked away, pretty and secluded, the Christmas trees
visible through their windows. Most cars that passed us on the lanes
were thrilled to see us as we passed, our red and white hats with
their bobbles bouncing merrily, in rhythm with our pace. We were
passed by a Scrooge or two in their cars who were NOT impressed to
find us cluttering up their lanes but apart from the muttered
unseasonal grumble and attempt to drown the Santas in puddle-splash
they restrained themselves. However, our spirits were kept high by Jo
who ran while singing Christmas songs which we joined in with like a
group of seasonal Forrest Gumps.
The Anchor, Leek Wootton |
The Anchor was at the top of a hill in Leek Wootton. Boasting such seasonal
ales as ReinBeer, we were the first customers through the door
although we were soon followed by others, dressed in their sunday
best coming for a roast dinner while carefully avoiding the stinky
runners. We retired to the bar and agreed that the food smelled
amazing but we decided it probably wasn't a good idea to stop for a
roast dinner only 6 miles into a run. Roast dinners halfway through
would lead to slower running, toilet stops and possibly soiled lycra.
The Almanack, Kenilworth |
After
only 1.7 miles, we were in Kenilworth and had arrived at our next
pub: The Almanack. This was a modern pub in the centre of Kenilworth with big squashy
sofas, large enough for a sleighful of Santas. Sitting in the
sunshine coming through the large windows, I was nice and
comfortable. Well … apart from the itchy beard. Our only complaint
was lack of mull. They hadn't yet put on the mulled wine or cider so
we were mull-less. However a nice glass of Aspalls cider made up for
it.
Jo, Tanya, Jo |
Sarah, Jodie |
Running
along the streets of Kenilworth, we were surrounded by the locals
doing their Christmas shopping. Anyone would think they hadn't seen
multiple Father Christmas's running-like-they-stole-something through
their town before. The best reaction was from a man sitting in a
supermarket window. He stared open mouthed as I passed, my white
beard streaming in the wind. He looked as though he had finally
realised that Santa was real and that what had been told to him in
the playground as a 10year old by his classmates was lies. A
Santa-based moment of epiphany.
As
we ran back towards Warwick, we passed a runner going the other way.
Unlike the usual runner -shared greeting, he stared down as he ran,
not making eye contact. Strange. Until Chris suggested he
might have considered the sight of 9 Santas streaming towards him a
hallucination brought on by a gel overdose or too many miles run.
Poor lad. If anyone finds someone dressed in running gear in the
Kenilworth area, rocking and gibbering about not sitting on Santa's
lap because he couldn't catch him then, pat him on the back and take
him home.
The Saxon Mill, Warwick |
It
was now just 3 miles to the Saxon Mill in Guy's Cliffe. This pub is a former mill about a mile outside
Warwick. It's a beautiful and ancient looking building which is
welcoming and comfortable inside. The bar staff were friendly and
helpful despite there being 9 Santas all in varying states of
drink-decisiveness and stinkiness after the 10 miles of running.
Drinks obtained, Tanya found some comfy chairs for us all in a cosy
corner and we sat. Bliss.
Brian, Jo, Tanya, Jo, Jodie, Jack |
Chris, Mike, Brian |
We
had been rejoined by Mike, who having had to dash off to take a
driving lesson had missed a pub. We decided this just wasn't on and
insisted on him having an additional mulled wine to catch up. Mike –
sensibly – declined although Chris who had managed a drink of some
mulled variety in every pub (except the mulled-less Almanac) was
leading the pack.
As
I sat nursing my orange juice, the windows started rattling. This
wasn't something brought on by excessive sprout consumption. This was
a SERIOUS rainstorm. The windows were darkened by grey thunderclouds
and the water pouring down the windows made the pub interior seem
even more inviting. However, it was soon time to move and we darted
across the car park, jumping over the massive puddles that had
formed. The Santa suits were getting heavier and heavier and Santa
was getting more bedraggled. However the christmas spirit was still
evident. As we hopped and dodged on the pavements avoiding the deeper
puddles, the cars beeped and people waved, cars let us cross the
roads in front of them and people smiled. Jodie who had her first
half marathon booked in for the new year was getting closer and
closer to the magic 13.1 miles ... in a training run!
Brian
who had had to wring out his Santa hat from exertion, to a round of
laughter, after arriving at the Saxon Mill, had the satisfying sight
of us ALL wringing wet after after thunder dash. Karma …
After
only 1.7 miles were all back in front of the Rose & Crown which
had been our starting pub. A welcome sight, windows glowing with
yellow light and Christmas tree sparkling by the door. As we all
trooped in, victorious, 12 miles under our thick black belts, the
landlady welcomed us warmly … and bought us a round of drinks fas a
well done for our run! I ordered a cup of coffee. Something warm and
delicious and it came with big lumps of sugar and a pot of chocolate
smarties. I settled back into the squashy sofa with a big smile and
the feeling of a job well done.
(L-R) Chris, Mike, Jack, Jodie, Tanya, Brian, Sarah, Jo, Jo |
Join Us!
This is likely to become an annual event so next year keep an eye out on Twitter for #12milesofchristmas or follow @WarwickRocks
The Pubs Visited:
0 miles Rose
& Crown, Warwick @TheRoseWarwick
2.3 miles Star
& Garter, Leamington @Star_Leamington
6 miles Anchor
Inn, Leek Wootton
7.8 miles Almanack
Kenilworth @The_Almanack
10.9 miles Saxon
Mill, Warwick @TheSaxonMill
Disclaimer: somehow we ended up at a total of 13.2 miles!
Santas 2013:
Jo, Jo, Jodie, Tania, Brian, Jack, Chris, Mike, Sarah.