Before the current UK Lockdown restrictions were announced, we'd just started Running Microadventures. They're close to home, cheap, simple, short and 100% guaranteed to refresh your life. Now's the perfect time to start planning your own.

So what’s a microadventure? According to author, Alastair Humphreys, who’s written a book on the subject it’s close to home, cheap, simple, short and 100% guaranteed to refresh your life. A microadventure takes the spirit of a big adventure and squeezes it into a day or even a few hours. 

Whilst this author doesn’t stick exclusively to running, in my book microadventures are perfectly suited for runners. Like a long run, a microadventure can cover a fair amount of distance. But your mindset is completely different. You may wear a watch but it’s not about the time, it’s about running somewhere you wouldn’t normally run and soaking up the adventure. Ironically you will find that you’re so absorbed in the run, that time will pass in a flash and next thing you know you’ll have covered more miles than you would have in a normal long run.  

Unlike a long run you might stop to enjoy the view, take a few pictures and even take the odd snack or coffee break.  

Being West London based we have recently enjoyed a couple of Sunday microadventures and are already plotting the next one. 

Climbing Black Hill on the Malvern Ridge

Malvern Ridge 

The Malverns are something of an undiscovered gem, only a short 2.5 hour drive from London. The run itself is 9-10 miles and offers some of the most incredible views of Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Wales. You can either take the upper ridge path, which involves some steep hills or take the lower trail.  The upper path gets gradually more rugged as you run northwards with a spectacular decent from the final summit of North Hill. If you don’t plan to retrace your steps to the start you need to organise a car at the other end to take you back to where you started. (We parked at the small Chase End Hill car park at the southern end of the range, and finished at the Clock Tower in Great Malvern.) 

Beachy Head cliff and lighthouse

Seven Sisters Route 

The Severn Sisters route is a stunning coastal trail between Seaford and Eastbourne along Sussex Coast. We set our start and finish points as the Martello Tower on Seaford sea front and Eastbourne’s pier, making the total run around 12 miles. The route is mainly along rolling chalk grassland, dropping down to Cuckmere (with an interesting river crossing) and Birling Gap along the way. Highlights for us included fantastic views of the Seven Sisters and the Beachy Head lighthouse.  The number 12 bus runs between Eastbourne and Seaford for the return journey.  Unless of course you’d like to double the distance and run back to the start! 

What you'll need 

We recommend taking a light backpack, map, compass, water, a few snacks and some warm clothes for when you finish.  And, of course, a sense of adventure. 

If you have any good routes for microadventures, please let us know at claire@iffleyroad.com and we’ll add them to this blog. 

 Where will your micro adventure take you?