Running in Touch

This week I'm working every day at one of the company locations about fifty miles from home, near the village of Cambusbarron, near the city of Stirling, in the business centre at the Touch Estate. Just as an initial matter, the pronounciation. Its not touch as in touchy-feely. Think about the guttural "ch" in Scots word loch, and think about the number two, or even better think about the "ou" in french "tous". I'm planning to run up into the hills above the estate house and explore a few water features this evening, and no doubt I'll be doing a bit of cow-dodging along the way.

I'm starting outside the stables building which has been converted into a business centre, I've been working here for over ten years now. The location is absolutely brilliant in terms of scenery, greenery and trail running opportunities. Also sheep, and cows, and tractors, and deer, and pheasants, and the sounds of shooting when in season, this is a working scottish estate, with grand and historic estate house. I'm running at first alongside the road at the rear of the estate house. Its very peaceful at this time, around 6PM, mostly I hear the sounds of Touch Burn to my right and a few bird songs. I can hear the sound of rushing cascading water, so I divert along a soft track through the trees, past the moss covered ruin of some old stone building, to take a look at one of the waterfalls on the burn.

Touch Stables, converted to the business centre

Touch House, the rear 

Touch Burn, through the trees

Heading along tracks through the trees ...

... passing a moss covered ruin of an old stone building ...

... to one of the waterfalls on Touch Burn.

I return to the road, now little more than a track, and through a gate out into the pasture and along rough ATV tracks up toward the Touch hills. The autumn colours are starting to come on some of the deciduous trees, already, late August, here, the scots pine are majestic. Soon the track is overgrown and the undergrowth brushes my legs, this is fine with me, I like it, the only problem is I cant see where my feet will land and the track is rough and stoney, so take care old plodder as you pass the farmhouse and out-buildings The next gate leads to some steep with a large tree fallen on my left. The Touch hills come into sight ahead of me and soon I'm running across the open, rough, ground. The few times I've been up here I've encountered a small herd of shaggy, horned, highland cattle. They are not here today, they will be around somewhere, and perhaps I will need to take care as they will no doubt have calves at this time.

Through the gate ...

... and onto tractor tracks over the pasture

The autumn colours are here in some of the trees ...

... and the evergreen scots pine are majestic.

The tracks become overgrown ...

... as I pass the highest farmhouse ...

... at the next gate the steeper ascent begins ...

... passing a large fallen tree ...

... and soon over rough ground in the Touch Hills.

There are a few reservoirs up here and that's where I'm heading this evening, to visit two of them. Its a little of a grind but the first of them is soon reached. I hop over the fence and run around the edge for a while until the path is lost in the bracken, so I'm back over the fence and at least there is some kind of a break in the foliage, leading me back to the water edge.

I reach the first reservoir, over the fence ...

... and along the shore

The path is lost in the bracken, so up and back over the fence ...

... to some kind of path through the undergrowth.

In a few minutes I need to leave the first reservoir and a short steep up to the larger second. I'm running around the shore again and at times the going is a little technical, then I must leave the rocky edge and ascend to safer ground through the heather. The heather is resplendent at the moment. I'm running through more bracken admiring the reservoir until I hop over a stile and onto the rough service road, and then soon to descend. The views in front of me over the Ochill Hills, in Sun, are gorgeous, and the smaller Gargunnock Hills behind me are shrouded in low cloud, what a contrast. 

Now a short sharp steep up on grass to ...

... the second reservoir where its nice to run ...

... along the rocky shore, until ...

... the going gets technical, then impossible ...

... but leaving the edge, the heather is beautiful.

Just a little more charging through the bracken, admiring the waters, until ...

... I'm out over a stile and onto the rough hiill roads.

I can make a fast pace down these tracks until I meet the herd of highland cattle, with calves as expected, blocking the way ahead. I attempt to keep a little distance, I really do not want to disturb the mothers, so I divert through the heather but still the cattle are very interested, and one starts to run toward me. Eek! I must speak with some farmers, I must learn what to do when I need to keep the cattle calm. Well, anyway, no harm done today, I ran away, and the cow stopped when I was a little more distant. In all the excitement I've ended up running in the wrong direction on the wrong track, so about turn and back uphill past the logs, and then down past the water treatment station.

The shaggy horned beasts force a diversion ...

... back up through the piles of logs ...

... and descent resumes toward the water treatment station.

There are roads from here down past a few farms to Touch Road (the "main road" around here) and I could run along them, but I don't have to do that, I've got a better plan. I'm going to run across the fields and criss-cross another wee burn. There's a colourful plant here which is unfamiliar to me, and then over a climby bit in the fence, past a magnificent old tree, and the joy of running a gentle downhill on rough pasture.

Interesting plant, unknown to me ...

... near the fence climb thing ...

... leading me past a magnificent old tree ...

... and happy gentle descent over rough pasture.

There's another wee burn down here to the left, its quite charming. I must cross at first on a weak bridge, I reckon this will be okay, I weigh way less than two tons. I'm turning right off the track over the rough and through knee deep grass, just because its a pretty place to be along the burn. I have to cross again on an old decayed wooden footbridge, luckily it can still bear my weight. Then I have another fence to negotiate, well, in the past I've got down on all fours and slithered under the gap at the bottom. I'm trying to be a good boy because the fences posts are weak and wobbly. I knew the sheep had been doing likewise because there was always some wool left snagged on the lower edge of the fence, so I've been following the example of the wise sheep again. In the meantime, farmer has created a blockage below, understandable.  Anyway, the field to the right is full of sheep and more cattle with calves, so I turn to the left. This gives me an excellent view over the front of Touch House, and then the main entrance of the stables buildings with weather vane and sun dial.

Weak bridge crossing another wee burn ...

... such a pretty little place.

Weaker, decaying, overgrown footbridge crosses again, leading ...

... to a choice of fence crossing options ... over or under?

The impressive front of Touch House ...

... and the main entrance of the stables buildings, with weather vane and sun dial.

So that was a lovely little after-work running and cow-dodging outing, I've gone a little under 8km, with a small climb of around 250m. Its been a bit on the slow side, with photo stops and cattle evasion. I was on the go for about 56 minutes. I can't remember how long I've been wanting to have a wee run here again, now its done, and I'm happier for that. Just got the sweat soaked hour of driving back home ahead of me now.

Enjoy!