Beating the Law

It's Father's Day, and as my treat today I've been let out spend a couple of hours or so in the lovely Lammermuir Hills, about an hour drive frome home.. The weather forecast is good and I've read a very positive recent report from the Carnethy bunch. I'm up and all excited a little before 7am, too early, I'm like a little kid. Junior is testing at his kung fu class this morning, I drop him and better half at the school and about an hour along the A1 and country roads to the small parking area after Longyester. Its suprsingly busy here today, I'm wondering if I have to abort due to lack of parking space, but I manage to squeeze the car in next to the fence about half a mile from my start point. I'm heading up to Lammer Law. It's the second highest summit of the Lammermuir Hills, but the most popular, and its very popular today. The plan is to do a kind of horseshoe route from Lammer Law across rough ground to Harestone Hill, then drop down to West Hopes, along the side of Hopes Reservoir, beside Sting Bank Burn, and then back to the car. I'm determined to run up Lammer Law, so with my feet, I'll be beating the Law ...

I start after a gate on a stoney path but its soon possible to run on the grassy verges, and after a few minutes Lammer Law comes into sight. It seems a long way far above me now, but I know the ascent is not steep, and I am doing my best to avoid walking on the way up this hill. There is a large group of walkers ahead of me, this will be why the parking are was so crowded.

The start, a stoney path at first.

The path ahead, not steep, but feels endless in the heat ...

... lovely views

Lots of walkers today.

I soon pass the walkers and pause to view Hopes Reservoir, I'll be there a couple of hours from now. Looking back its hard to believe I was all the way down there just ten minutes ago. Looking ahead my route leaves the stoney path and soon the track through the heather and marsh peters out into next to nothing. Some of the walkers have decided to follow me, and soon they are out of sight, I hope they know the way!

Looking back at the ground behind ...

... and ahead I leave the stoney track and through the heather ..

... the track peters out, and ..

... I hope the following walkers will find the way.

I reach the summit of Lammer Law after about 27 minutes of huffing and puffing in the heat, my t-shirt is soaked in sweat. Here at the trig and cairn there are a few runners, and some ceremony, and some sadness, and the reason for the runners and walkers crowding the parking area. Founder of the Haddington running club, the Haddington and East Lothian Pacrmakers, passed away this week at the ripe age of 86, Dave Jones. The runners are scattering the ashes, and burying artefacts deep in the cairn, I feel a bit bad after taking the photograph. Ho hum, the run will go on and I'm on hill roads for a while, lots of gravel and loose stone, and then a few miles of difficult rough ground.

Cairn and trig on Lammer Law

Tracks of loose stones ...

... and gravel ...

... and then rough ground

The rough ground goes on and on and on, its really hard going here, There were a lot of folk on Lammer Law, but here it's just me and the moor and the birds ... not even sheep! I'm zigging and I'm zagging on whatever wee bits of trod I can find. This is sapping the energy from my legs and I'm over the moors, on damp ground. We've had a bright spell, the terrain is soft, unusually springy, sometimes soggy, not a place I would like to be after days of rain. I pass numerous grouse feeding stations, windmills, and grouse butts. Eventually, after it feels like forever, I reach another gravel road. Right now this is a relief, normally I would not like to run on this surface in the walshes, it so wears down the studs, but today this track is welcome respite.

The rough ground goes on and on and on ...

... I pass grouse feeding stations ...

... a wind farm ...

... grouse butts ...

... and at last the respite of a gravel track.

I am running hard now along the gravel track in the direction of Harestone Hill, I'm trying to make up time. The clouds have gathered and the wind has picked up, I am cooler, this is making the running easier for me. Soon I leave the track on welcome soft ground and arrive at the summit area. The map shows "Whitestone Cairn" in the typeface to indicate something ancient. I know nothing of the history (its not my strong point) but I find a large cairn and shelter here. Turning around I see Miekle Says Law, the highest summit of the Lammermuirs. Its really not far away, but this one is for another run, another day. I am running on soft footpaths back to the gravel track and below me is the beauty of Hopes Reservoir. I'll be there soon. Still along the gravel track I see a wooden cabin, interesting, and then a steep descent. The gravel slips beneath my feet, this is really steep, alas there's not enough depth for a scree run, I must take care here. There seems to be a reason for these rough roads, and perhaps its not the grouse, the hillside is littered with small quarries, for gravel and sand.

Relief for the legs, soft ground up Harestone Hill ...

... to Whitestone Cairn.

Miekle Says Law, for another run, another day.

Hopes Reservoir far below

Interesting place for a chalet!

Gravel/sand quarry, the reason for these rough tracks?

On the descent I come to a feature marked on the map as a footpath and "conduit". Its obvious at ground level that this must have some something to do with waterworks, nearby Hopes Reservoir. To my right the map shows a couple of burns and dams, so I trot off along the conduit to investigate. To the left the conduit seems to run toward the reservoir and I'm thinking it has not been used for a long time now. I'm a little tempted to run along here but the plan says I descend to the pretty glen below and run up to Hopes Reservoir.

Let's explore this 'conduit' ...

... ending at a small dam on Fall Burn.

The conduit, clearly out of use, extends toward Hopes Reservoir ...

... but I will descend ...

... to the pretty glen below.

I made the right decision, its an absolute delight running through the trees below the reservoir, and then a short sharp climb to the top of the dam. Hopes Reservoir is a wonderful place. I'm really enjoying seeing the reflections of hills I've run over today in the water, its really giving me a kind of feel-good-thrill, ooh!

Gorgeous running  through the trees below Hopes Reservior ...

.... such a beautiful place ...

.. and the reflections of the hills in the water!

From here a few steep steps in the dirt and a wobbly stile lead to a delightful path on a steep slope along the north side of the reservoir. It is a lovely path but far from level and often a bit of a challenge for my weary old ankles. Frankly, at this point I am feeling tired and my legs are not exactly happy, all the niggles and twinges are playing together, but hey ho, no choice here, whatcha gonna do buddy, there aint no cab service out here, so just carry on. The path takes me alongside Sting Bank Burn, enjoy the views here and ignore the aches, then I have a short sharp pull up to the saddle through the bracken and heather. Down the other side I'm mincing through more narrow tracks in the heather and I spot my return landmark, a rusty shed. Here I avoid some unfriendly cattle and then I'm back on the stoney track I followed about two hours ago, and in a few minutes the gate, the ending, is in sight, and its one very welcome sight today. I can see my car about half a mile down the 'road'. Now time to get up the A1 back to Edinburgh, stop off to pick up a bottle of Malbec, and cook up a fine Sunday evening bbq for the family, yum!

Steps up from the reservoir ...

... to a lovely path above the northern shore

Leading along Sting Bank Burn ...

... such a pretty little place.

I ascend to the saddle through bracken and heather ....

... and then again I'm going through narrow tracks in the heather ...

... the rusty shed is my landmark on return ..

.... to the tourist roue and welcome sight of the ending.

I've been a very lucky happy old plodder today. I've managed to haul my old body almost always running up Lammer Law. I've run over a few miles of rough ground that most times would be a dreadful quagmire. I've been to places I've never been before, I've explored. I've worked my body hard today, and my legs are not thanking me at the moment, after 19.6km, total ascent 583m, and a few miles of bouncing through rough heather. I was on the go for a very hard and happy about two hours and twenty minutes ... what's not to like, eh? Oh, by the way, junior passed his testing this morning, happy daddy.

Enjoy!