Despite saying that we didn’t want to drive into town any more often than necessary, we drove back down to Corolla yesterday so Bill could run on an even surface rather than the uneven sand.  If you remember, he hurt his foot on our deck just a few days ago, and yesterday it was still pretty sore.

Again, we parked at the Currituck Lighthouse parking lot where there’s ample parking and public restrooms.  We headed north first and turned around at the cattleguard just like on Friday’s long run.  Believe it or not, this is all that keeps the horses from leaving the 4-wheel-drive section of the beach!

CorollaRunCattleGuard

While taking a picture of the cattleguard, a friendly guy biking with his family stopped and offered to take our picture.

CorollaRunBillDeb

As we headed back south, we turned into Currituck Banks Reserve and ran out the boardwalk to the Sound.  The boardwalk is about half a mile long and feels so good on the legs!

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksBoardwalk

The trip out to the estuary is worth it for the view.

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksReserveEstuary

And there’s even plenty of seating for anyone needing to have a place to rest before making the return trip to their cars.

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksReserveBillReading

On our way back, we decided to have some fun with my iPhone and take pictures of us running with different cool angles.

CorollaRunBillRunningBoardwalk

We took turns holding the phone low to the ground and taking bursts of pictures with the hopes of getting a fun and different shot.

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksBillRunning

There’s something about taking a picture of someone running around a corner that makes them look much more badass!

CorollaRunDebRunningBoardWalk

We were being a little cautious because the pine needles were a little slippery.  I guess we weren’t being to badass after all!

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksDebCornering

And, my favorite shot of the day!

CorollaRunCurrituckBanksDebFlying

After we finished playing around in the reserve, we headed back to Route 12 and ran down toward the Currituck Lighthouse and the Whalehead Club, a roaring 20’s mansion and hunting lodge.

CorollaRunCorollaLightHouse

While running we realized that we’ve never gone inside to tour the club house, so we’ll have to take of that some rainy day.  I’m sure it would be a fascinating tour!

CorollaRunWhaleHeadClub

The clubhouse sets along the banks of Currituck Sound.  With ample grassy areas to play on, water activities to watch, and a lighthouse to climb, it’s a great place to take the family for a picnic.

CorollaRunCurrituckSoundFromWhaleHead
So there you have it… our running tour of Corolla!  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend taking your time to check out these beautiful spots.

  • Questions:
  • Where was your favorite walking or running tour?
  • Have you ever gone stand-up paddleboarding? ~ It’s on my list of things to try!