Traveling from tropical Malaysia to the United Kingdom in early December, I experienced a drastic temperature change. As such, I took it easy, acclimatising for two weeks to the cold before I resumed running, typically done in 30°C temps.

I finally ventured out for a 5km run around the neighbourhood. While the rest of me eventually warmed up, my ears and fingers were frozen the entire time. Completing this first run was crucial, to overcome the fear of running in <10°C. If not, my running would stall for the next 2 months. I did it, and basked in the familiar runner’s high after.

With my niece Claire as my run buddy, we clocked a faster time for the next three runs. Though I struggled to keep up with the power of youth (faster pace and longer strides), I enjoyed the workout.

Just after the new year, Claire got creative and suggested Caesar’s Camp as our new playground. Here’s how it happened.

Driving home after lunch at 2.30pm, feeling warm and toasty in the car with the sun out, Claire suggested a run. Alas by the time we got home at 3.45pm, the sun had disappeared, mercury dipped to 3°C.  But this aunty did not want to cry 'chicken' and neither did Claire 🤣. 

Absolutely unique experience

Claire put on an extra layer and off we went. To get warm, I started running immediately. Unfortunately it was all uphill at the beginning, and all too soon I was winded. And none the warmer. I stopped to catch my breath as the ground flattened out, while Claire pointed to our target – promontory in the distance.

I followed Claire’s lead, taking the direct path up, which is also the steepest. I did not stop to capture the blazing golden rays, due to the biting wind chill and frozen fingers.

Suckers for punishment

We headed out again the next day, with me putting on an extra layer as well. We managed to get there 15 minutes earlier at 3.41pm, hoping to fit in a longer run. As such, I asked Claire to find a more gradual uphill route, so that I can warm up, and more importantly, sustain my pace.

The dirt path led to an open plateau and a body of water. It was past 4pm and would be dark soon. We decided to skirt around the right side, following an up-down trail with views of the water.

Staying on this trail, we headed east and arrived at Caesar’s Camp 5 minutes later. Comfortably warmed up by now, we lingered to take in the views of both the Surrey and Hampshire landscape, from our hilltop vantage point.

Back on familiar ground, we retraced the route of yesterday, making it back to the car shortly after 4.38pm.

Can’t wait to run

Having figured out that 3 layers makes running in <10°C very bearable, Claire and I needed no further urging and were ready to go by 3pm. Our usual carpark was closed when we arrived at 3.15pm. Undaunted, Claire immediately activated plan B. We hit the trails five minutes later, from a different access point.

This time, the 30-minute climb to the plateau felt easier and I was sufficiently ‘warmed up’ when we got to the lake. Wanting to expand the route, we circled left around the lake running on a wide sandy track with the sun beating on our backs.

On the approach to Caesar’s Camp from the west, we had noticed numerous trails going down the ramparts. We randomly picked a trail and found ourselves heading down a rocky track. Then came a short, narrow windy section where the trail turned muddy, before widening out once again.

In the open heathland, the undulating sandy track stretched out before us. Going with our instincts on unchartered territory, we ran, letting our feet take flight.

Our feet led us to a fence, we turned back, found the right turn we missed, and were soon back at our starting point.

One Final Run

This was my last chance to run with Claire as I would be heading home on January 18. Following yesterday’s run in the late afternoon, my Run App recommended a recovery time of 22 hours. A morning run at 11am meant I was 3 hours short of full recovery. But… Claire had a packed schedule and this was her only free time. I bit the bullet.

For a change, my pictures turned out well with blue skies and vibrant colours.

When it’s bright and sunny, the Reservoir (white rounded roof) can be seen more clearly from Caesar’s Camp viewpoint, including the high-rise buildings of neighbouring towns and the runway at Farnborough Airport.

And I had fun ‘cloning’ Claire, finally succeeding after many, many attempts.

At the bottom, as we ran on the sandy trails, we noticed a layer of ice had developed over puddling water along its sides. Claire couldn’t resist stepping on the ice to hear it go ‘crack’.

Shortly after this, I ran out of steam, a combination of insufficient recovery time and no breakfast (due to intermittent fasting). I had to call time-out and walked the final uphill. Had I known we were so close to the end, I would have persisted.

Caesar's Camp is an Iron Age hill fort occupying an irregular promontory, with an entrance on the south side. Located in Aldershot, it sits on the border with Farnham, and the counties of Surrey and Hampshire in southern England, with stunning views all around.

Standing 177m (581ft) above mean sea level, Caesar's Camp is a hill with steep sides for defense but a huge flat interior, about 500m across its longest parts. Consisting of a nature reserve, sandy hills, pinewoods, meadow and heathland, it's a haven for wildlife.

There are fantastic walking opportunities to discover including a circular route that combines Bourley Lakes and Rowhill Nature Reserve.