Foot & Mouth Disease

I was staying in Egham which is right near the Windsor Great Park, vast property of the Crown, so I had been eager to go for a long run through the park on this sunny morning of around 52 degrees. However, I learned that the park was closed due to the Foot & Mouth disease. It seems they want to protect the Queen's deer from getting infected. So I decided I'd run through the nearby Runnymede Park, the grounds on which the Magna Carta was signed in 1215. However, when I reached it, I found signs declaring all entrances to be closed because the cattle in those fields actually had Foot & Mouth. So I continued on the path outside the fence. Eventually I made it to the Air Force Memorial (honoring the 20,000 people with no graves who died flying in WWII), which had a great view of the area. I saw the River Thames in the distance, lined with colorful trees and decided I'd run to the town of Old Windsor, then run along the river back to Egham.
Well...I ended up taking a few detours along very windy and hilly roads...fortunately various elderly people out for a morning stroll helped to point me in the right direction...only to discover that portions of the "toepath" along the river was closed due to Foot & Mouth.
Nevertheless, throughout this 11.5 miles, I did see some lovely sights! I was carrying my camera, and it was quite a pleasant adventure. Eventually I ended up in Egham, and enjoyed a blueberry smoothie and mozzarella/tomato/pesto panini before heading back up the hill to the university.