Step back in time on these five historic routes, created by running historian Sam Edwards
‘I’ve been a “running historian” for well over two decades now and, as far as I’m concerned, the two things – moving on foot through the landscape and pondering the past – go step in step. They have become so bound together in my life that I actively seek out routes that will take me back to the past. Here are five of my favourites.’
1 Invasion ruins on the Suffolk coast
The east coast of England has long been threatened by foreign invasion – this is where the Saxons landed and where the Vikings raided. It’s also the coast once menaced by German invasion, during both the First and Second World Wars. It’s this latter history that you’ll encounter on this route. Starting in the coastal village of Kessingland, the route heads south along a beach upon which implements from both the Palaeolithic and Neolithic Ages have been found. But it’s a slightly more obvious history that will likely catch your attention: anti-invasion defences of 1940s vintage can be seen at various points, built to defend against a Nazi attack that never in fact materialised. Today, they linger in the landscape like the relics of a recent past. Beyond Benacre, the route now flows inland on the Suffolk Coast Path, passing the ruined St Andrew’s Church of Covehithe (pictured below), before winding south to the quaint seaside town of Southwold. Stop off for a pint of Adnams (brewed in the town) at one of the many good pubs before taking the bus back to where you started.
AllTrails link to route:
2 Corfe Castle to Swanage along an ancient ridgeway
This route begins before the ruins of a rather more distant past: Corfe Castle (pictured above) – which stands above a village of the same name on the Isle of Purbeck peninsula in Dorset. It was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror to command the route between Swanage on the coast and Wareham to the north. It’s an atmospheric spot – especially when the rain rolls in from across the Purbeck Hills. And it’s these hills – and the ridgeway of chalk down they provide through to Swanage – that dominate this historic run. From the village at the foot of the castle, head east on a narrow country lane before leaving the road for the Purbeck Way, the trail that follows the high ground through to the sea. This is an ancient landscape, one that holds the myths and legends of deep time and that has been walked by Britons, Romans and Saxons alike. Follow the trail through to cliffs overlooking the English Channel, and then take the South West Coast Path to Swanage – where you could even take a dip in the sea to end.
AllTrails link to route:
3 Monks and rivers on the Scottish Borders
If you like a bit of incline, then this is a satisfying route, one that rewards with views ac
