Week 5 – no golf but plenty of ice

My cold has finally snuffled off and the toothache that followed it is under control so I am running again on a frozen Christmas Eve. Unsure how it will be underfoot, I take my gym membership card with me in case I have to abort the mission and use the treadmill instead.
As I leave the jurisdiction of Coventry freezing fog closes in, but fortunately does not last. This morning the spokesperson from Living Streets (which I am a supporter of) was complaining on the radio that pavements never get gritted. Sure enough, up and down Common Lane and Knowle Hill I have to take to the road as the pavements are too dangerous.

The route sends you down the narrow footpath next to Frythe Close. There is only room to proceed single file and at times even that is challenging with holly pushes hemming you in against the back fence of the adjoining gardens. It might have been more sensible for the footpath to be incorporated into Frythe Close when it was built, but the periphery of Kenilworth is the land of the cul-de-sac where nothing connects. Further along an ivy-clad tree has toppled across the path causing you to duck.
The temperature is 1°C and as I start to breath deeply it feels like my lungs are freezing up. I have a pain in the chest and breathing is difficult. Hence there is a lot of walking on this ‘run’ as I struggle to catch my breath.
I am not a fan of golf or golf courses, the latter take swathes of perfectly good countryside and turn it into telly-tubbyland. But crossing Kenilworth Golf Club’s course makes a change from lanes and fields. There are lots of warnings in the book and on signs around the golf course about the dangers of flying golf balls, but today there are no golfers as it is too cold.

After the golf course I cross fields which are in the state where you cannot tell whether it there is a heavy frost or light snow. As I approach Kingswood Farm there is a pen of hens and a dog nearby. Is he guarding them? Will he take me for someone intent on rustling his Christmas dinner? He bounds up to me and another smaller dog follows, but they are friendly and the only danger is that they might knock me over in their enthusiasm. As I hack out across the next field they join me, but soon I hear a whistle behind as they are summoned home.

In the drive of the next house is a Thelwell-like Shetland pony and in the next field a full-size horse bounds over to me.  I fear that it might display the same enthusiasm as the dog, but it stops a few meters short; curious rather than friendly.

The noise of the A46 grows and in the final field is a herd of sheep, including a starer. I conclude that all herds of sheep must elect one of their number to stare at runners and walkers. Perhaps they have a rota. 
I trot up the steps to Stoneleigh Road, take a look and trot down again.  As I am driving myself this is an out-and-back run, so I return past staring sheep, curious horse, short-legged pony, enthusiastic dogs, golfless course, too narrow path, ‘ouch!’ fallen tree, Kenilworth lanes with icy footways and back to my nice warm car.
This week Map 4 more or less completed 6.57k there and back at a miserable pace of 8:16.
So far 4 maps completed: 16.9k