Sunshine and fun on Cornwall's Helford river
The first trail running retreat of 2024 got off with a bang, with everyone enjoying some sunshine and fun beside – and on! – the glorious Helford river.
Friday evening was a relaxed affair, with new friends enjoying a beach paella (cooked up by my amazing wife Natalie and her equally amazing friend Sally) and some cold drinks, followed by a SUP (stand up paddleboarding) lesson with Grace. We took a slow paddle upstream towards the sunset, and explored the tiny hidden chapel to St Francis of Assisi in the woods on the headland at Helford.
Saturday is the main event on our retreats. After a hearty breakfast at retreat HQ – the resplendent Budock Vean hotel – we had an hour’s yoga and stretch with Roz. This session is aimed at preparing the runners for their long run that takes place right afterwards. Suitably limbered up, we made our way to the start point for a few warm up games.
The long run starts on the beach below the hotel’s golf course. It runs along the coast path fringing the Helford and out onto Falmouth Bay. This time, we stopped at Bream Cove (home to the launch of the first ever Range Rover in 1970), and turned back. We covered about 12km, with around 400m of climb, although we stopped a short way into the run for a technical session with Coach Becky on dealing with steep downhill sections on rough terrain.
Once we’d all safely returned to the Ferryboat Inn on Passage beach, it was time for a Cornish Pasty each. Natalie had kindly collected a box of pasties from the peerless Gear Farm pasty company. These were seen off with one or two local ales, while sitting in the sunshine.
Then it was time to wander back to the hotel, because the attendees were just about ready for a deep tissue sports massage with Sally from Massage in Motion. By the time these were done, most attendees were relaxed and ready for dinner in Budock Vean’s elegant dining room, and an early night!
Sunday would normally mean a gentle local loop to stretch the legs after Saturday’s exertions, but some early departures meant that the option for a relaxed breakfast and quick swim was taken instead. Who can blame them?
And so, the first retreat of the season was complete. Lots of fun was had, stunning scenery was enjoyed, along with some great food and drink, and Budock Vean’s top notch hospitality.
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Budock vean hotel
Roz in Kernow Yoga
Massage Motion Sally
Becky McWass Coaching
Grace Fisher SUP instructor
The Main Event:
Yoga, the long run, a pasty, and a massage!
Our special Guest
On this retreat, we were very happy to have a special guest along to join us. Emily Shane is a ‘slow runner’, who has just featured her journey to her first marathon on instagram and youtube. This was Emily’s first experience of a trail run, and I think we can safely say that she enjoyed it!
Have a look at the social posts she’s made, and follow her onwards journey towards her next challenge. We think she should do an Ultra, but you should definitely join her conversation and let her know.
