It has been some years since I last ran my route over Beacon Hill, Copt Oak, Timberwood Hill and Lubcloud; about 14 miles and 2200 feet of climbing, including some fairly rough ground (including cattle pasture, and we know what cattle do to the ground when it is soft after rain). I think I took a little over 2h20m last time, so I was quite pleased with 2h40m this afternoon, especially considering how much walking I was doing in the last 4 miles.
The permissive path through the Charnwood Lodge nature reserve, including the steep climb up the east side of Timberwood Hill, is one of my favourite routes for walking or running. Parts of it have a really wild aspect; on one occasion in the clag, the hill top felt like a minor summit in the Lake District, with only the cairn, the bilberry and moss vegetation and the rock outcrops within sight. I was a bit worried that bracken was taking over that steep eastern slope, although later I passed some longhorn cattle (but not in an area where there was any bracken for them to tread down). I love the way you can run within a few feet of these beasts and they won't bat an eyelid.