Café run: Flat Caps, Willi's and Urban Green

Another lunchtime run today (as I'd promised myself), but this one felt a lot tougher. I couldn't as comfortably pick up the pace when I wanted to, unlike on the previous run. (That said, it only ever feels like I had the capacity to pick up the pace long after a run; at the time, it almost always feels impossible.)

As for where I went, it was another case of make it up as you go along. Trying to avoid the worst of the lunchtime crowds while still heading north, I trotted down Worswick Street toward the excellent Flat Caps Coffee on Carliol Square and then round the corner and up John Dobson Street to the Civic Centre. Past the pond where we used to feed the ducks on the way to my daughter's nursery, and then over the central motorway towards Jesmond Metro. It felt kinda weird doing this bit without a buggy to push. 😁

From there, it was up alongside the Metro line to the Clayton Road shops, including Willi's Café (pancakes, chocolate spread and strawberries ftw) and some other café whose name I forget. Carried on to Brandling Park and its sadly neglected bowling green, then under the Great North Road and into Exhibition Park. Past the Urban Green café (anyone would think I navigate by cafés), briefly out onto the Town Moor (where the junior parkrun's held) and back over the central motorway to the Newcastle University campus.

From there, it just got congested with students, shoppers and office workers on lunch, but at least the final stretch back to my office was downhill. All in all, it was a reasonable route without too many road crossings at which you might have to wait for traffic. Or maybe I just got lucky.

I'm now running out of new directions I can take on a lunchtime, mind. To the east, I've done bits of Byker, Ouseburn, and the quayside (both sides of the river). To the west, I've likewise done the quayside on both the Newcastle and Gateshead sides of the river. I've done the Town Moor and Leazes Park to the north-west, and now Jesmond to the north. Shieldfield and Heaton to the north-east don't appeal much (unless I drop into Flea Circus for some new, old threads!) and neither does Westgate Road (for the traffic levels). Maybe a venture further into Gateshead to the south is on the cards. 🤔

The very next run, however, should be the Morpeth parkrun, bagging event #55 for the Fibonacci achievement on the app. And hopefully, I'll build back up (or down?) to my parkrun PB in the process. 🤞