Goodspeed!

Last year GoodGym Ealing did a walking survey of the Slow Ways route from Southall to Ealing Broadway - Souleal Two. Apart from a recce of the path, last year's wander featured a social stroll for new joiners and tales of GoodGym Ealing feats. 2024 brought some fresh air with a different approach to Ealing-Southall expeditions. In the morning, we explored a new route to Southall, north of Uxbridge Road. Sevan came up with an idea to do surveys both ways with a social in between. Smart move! Who can resist a cup of warm chaii 🫖 and Indian snacks after a walk in chilly weather? But what about the second survey? Another 90 minutes of walking in the cold? No need to walk if you can run!

We decided to survey Souleal Two again after 11 months, but this time double the speed! We ran from Southall Town Hall towards Southall Park, where we encountered the first obstacle on our way: a fallen tree! 🪵 We stuck to the route rigorously and jumped over the obstruction. It's going to be mentioned in the Slow Ways report for sure! Next up, we clocked a fair amount of litter in the alleyway between the park and the canal - a material for a litter-picking task? 🤔

At Glade Lane Canalside Park we learned that the works we saw last year didn't finish and the mounds of earth raised there could now compete with those at Northala Fields! 🗻 A part of the path there was blocked by metal barriers, another was turned into a muddy trail by the wheels of machines. We still made it to the Grand Union Canal and entered the most picturesque part of the route. Louise was super excited to finally jog along the canal along the Hanwell Flight Of Locks. We ran past the old Asylum Lock (now a site of the Ealing Hospital) which made Steph think about what a mad bunch of runners we were! After all, who on Earth would turn a Slow Way into a highway?

We left the canal behind at Elthorne Park and ran past Ealing's own version of Stonehenge. Radbourne Walk brought a trail run vibe and a danger of hidden landmines 💩 Luckily, we didn't step into any! We entered West Ealing next to the Friday Soup Kitchen Hub, then popped into Walpole Park where we have a task next Tuesday. After running past our group run location, Bodyline, we crossed Haven Green, then finished our 7 km journey at the Ealing Broadway Station. It was a nice wrap-up of the Sunday GoodGymming for our team, with a good chunk of the afternoon still ahead of us. We disbanded to meet our other friends, cook dinner or... write today's reports 😉