The Spartan Race on Sunday 1st October 2017

Here is a page of pictures from Robin and June's walk near the Spartan Race and the Barossa Army training area, north of Camberley. Click on pictures to enlarge, or get more detail. e,g. the Barossa page and the Video .

A few of Robin's friends will realise their significance, and some will bring back memories: mostly enjoyable ones. e.g. that Royal Navy Merlin helicopter; that Barossa area, where Robin and his EASAMS workmates "mucked about" with the British (and Canadian) Army before the first Gulf War.

That Sunday, June and Robin were looking for a place to visit and take a walk. They were thinking of a National Garden Centre (NGS) place, open for the day for charity. Dipley Mill and Tylney Hall were open. But Robin looked on his "What's On" site, www.wherecanwego.com and his curiosity was aroused by the Spartan Race Event . The description implied Windsor Great Park, where they had also been thinking of taking a walk. But the location was near that Barossa area. Has the area changed ? Visiting www.spartanrace.uk and particularly the Spartan Videos aroused his curiosity further. There is more in the Wiki Spartan Race article , including about Joe De Sena.

Let these pictures and the Video tell their story. We arrived at Rapley Farm just as everybody seemed to be leaving, but this Royal Navy Merlin helicopter caught Robin's eye ... We saw a guy hitching a lift: Matt, all the way from Boston, USA - just a short drive from Plymouth, the destination of Snoopy's Robot Boat . We dropped Matt off at Martin Heron's Rail Station, and decided to take a walk south, from The Lookout, through the Barossa area, and back to the field where the helicopter, tents, and portaloos were.

We parked our car in The Lookout car park, and walked south, past the "Go Ape" tree walk area ...

Robin exploited a disused watering post, to grab a half eaten banana and scoop a drink from a puddle

We saw impressive examples of the equipment the Spartan Race organisation had deployed ....

Climbing frames ? ....

We met another Mat and Brody, checking the course, and they told us a lot about the recent American origin of the "Spartan Race" ...

Within 100 yards of our destination, a "Private Land" sign was enough for June to turn back. We both had 'phones, so Robin went on, and did not regret it: chatting with Steve. It seems that last year's Spartan Race had been run in Windsor Great Park, but some competitors complained that there had not been enough mud. This year, they had it up to their chests :-)

... and then with the Royal Navy guys, including Dave, who took this photo of Robin, checking out the passenger seating on the Merlin, until June returned to pick him up :-)

Snoopy and Robin watch and film the guys leave the next day ....

The Youtube video will be here. Stay Safe Guys ....

Click on these two pictures to expand. They were taken later that day, when their youngest daughter Michelle insisted they go deer-spotting. Not enough mud last year ? :-)

Here are some maps that will mean something to those of us who can read them : June and Robin walked from "The Discovery Centre" car park to "Rapley Farm".

From Robin in 2015: The above Barossa page was added to GPSS.co.uk in 1995. I hope you guys are all well, and you don't mind my adding this old picture below.

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