Lamington Lollop

lollop
verb
Move in an ungainly way in a series of clumsy paces or bounds

I guess I'm a little under the weather at the moment, running has been a struggle these last few days. This morning I'll be doing a scientific (not) experiment to explore the boundaries between running and walking. The field work expedition starts at the small car park near the church in the little village of Lamington on the A702, a few miles south of Biggar. The top of Tinto Hill to the north-west is lost in low cloud. I'm heading eastwards to a couple of easier hills this morning, along the Nips Road, past some very pretty cottages, and then up through the trees. I'm passing the kennels here and the dogs are excited, barking loud, as I pause to photograph a statue of a stag.

The experiment commences near Lamington Kirk

The top of nearby Tinto Hill is lost in low cloud

I'm along the Nips Road passing pretty cottages ...

... through the trees ...

... and a statue of a stag outside the (loud) dog kennels.

The path soon leaves the trees onto open ground and the first ascent of the morning, Lamington Hill, is before me. I've startled a deer, not a statue, a real live one, but it dissapears into the trees too fast for me and my little camera. I'm still on this track called Nips Road until it reaches the ridge, from here the thing dives down the other side so I'm over the stile and left onto the little path by the wall, and my efforts are entertaining the cattle (again). I wonder if they are thinking "Look at that creature, doesn't it move in an ungainly way, in a series of clumsy paces or bounds?". The going soon gets steep and I'm discovering new places in the running-walking boundary, so I'm relieved as I near the top and look back at where I've just come up, and the trig point arrives earlier than expected, still very welcome this morning.

Leaving the trees behind, the ascent of Lamington Hill comes into sight

The Nips Road (Track) dives down the other side, I'm turning left after the stile to ascend ...

... and my efforts entertain the cattle (again).

The going gets steep and deeper exploration of the running-walking boundary

It feels good to look back where I've just ascended ...

... and the welcome summit trig is in front me sooner than expected.

Time for a little pause to admire the views and scan the terrain for the next section of the route this morning. I need to rejoin the tracks and fences below me and head along the ridge, over a bump called Overburns Hill, and then up to the cairn on top of Turkey Hill.

Just admiring the views ...

... not resting ...

... just admiring the views ...

... and scanning the next section of the route

First I must cross some rough ground through the heather. I can't find even sheep tracks so I'm bouncing through and this adds a whole new dimension to the running-walking experiment. The walls and tracks are reached and the going gets a lot easier, so I'm on top of the bump of Overburns Hill in a few minutes. Time to pause for just a moment to scan the terrain for ascent of Turkey Hill. I can make out an ATV track to the right of the wall, I'll use that, then hop over the wall and through the rough to the cairn.

Turkey Hill ahead, I'll take the tracks to the right of the wall ...

... then across the rough ground ...

... to the small summit cairn.

Time for a little pause to admire the views and consult the map for the next section of the route. I need to descend from here down into Wind Gill or Howe Gill, then down to Cow Gill. I opt for Howe Gill becuase earlier I think I saw some useful looking tracks on Howegill Rig, right now out of sight below me. The track is found after some more heather bouncing experiments and the going is good for a while until I must make right alongside the fence toward Howe Gill. There is often a bit of a sheep track alongside a fence or wall which can make easier going than rough ground, for example dense heather and bracken. The risk is that there will be stones from broken down old walls, or bits and bobs of an older fence which act like tripwire. Here was the classic case of ankle wrenching stones from an older wall, half hidden in the undergrowth, so in the end it was easier burrowing down through the bracken. Down in Howe Gill now, the route to Cow Gill looks a little moist, so I'll be keeping my eye open for half decent sheep tracks to avoid the worst of the soggy marsh.

Just admiring the views again ...

... not at all restful.

Down into How Gill beside the fence ...

... then burrowing through the bracken ...

... the next section down to Cow Gill looks moist.

The area of flat pasture land down at Cow Gill is very green this morning and I arrive at a beautiful picnic spot by the little river. I've enjoyed a pleasant lunch here once before with the family on an easy hill walking day a couple of years ago now. Today I just plan to keep moving, and I have two choices for the next section of the route from here, either pick my way along the sheep tracks beside the water, or cross and use the road above the river for about a mile. The sheep tracks are very rough underfoot and my feet are asking for a bit of a rest on some easier terrain for a short while. To my left is the track coming down from Cowgill Rig. I remember running down there, in June, and stopping to remove my shirt, being watched by the sheep. To my right the stream snakes around the flatter land below.

Flat pasture land, so green, in Cow Gill

There is a lovely picnic spot near the river ...

... I've eaten here before.

To my left the track coming down from Cowgill Rig ...

... to my right the stream snakes around below.

The road would take me to the two Cowgill reservoirs but I'm not going there today, I'm leaving the road to the right and heading to a gem of a place, the narrow steep sided Key Cleugh and little Cowgill Loch.

Leaving the road on a nice soft track ...

... through narrow Key Cleugh ...

... and past pretty little Cowgill Loch.

The Nips Road (Track), which I left at the stile high above some while ago, joins with the path from Cowgill Loch here. I could turn right and backtrack, instead I continue ahead on this track above the interestingly named Bottom Burn, in the direction of Baitlaws estate. Soon I reach the delightful footpaths through the trees alongside Lamington Burn.

The other end of the Nips Road is an option here ...

... I continue toward Baitlands estate ...

... and soon into the trees by Lamington Burn.

Ford or footbridge?

Pretty little Lamington Burn.

The footpath brings me past an old ruined cottage, and then out behind the buildings at the kennels so I have not much choice but to quietly walk between the buildings back onto Nips Road. The dogs bark again of course, and a polite gentleman comes out to greet me. Err, rewind ... this chap comes out and shouts at me about me walking over his private land ... he seemed a bit agitated ... so I explained what had happened, apologised politely, then ran away, muttering a little under my breath. Anyway, I'm doing "the running which is almost but not quite walking" back along the Nips Road toward the village and I see a sign for a footpath through the trees to my right "Holy Trinity Chapel (1857)", aye why not go have a bit of a look there. Its a lovely setting, then a short jog along the A702 back to the car park, passing the main street of Lamington village I notice the cloud has risen above the top of Tinto Hill by now.

The footpath leads past an overgrown ruin and back to the kennels.

Holy Trinity Chapel (1857)

Back in Lamington village and the cloud has lifted above Tinto.

This has certainly not been the biggest hill run I've done, distance only 12.8km, ascent only 480m, but it has probably the slowest hill run I've done since I seem to have been on the go for 2:09:24 according to mr garmin. There were a few conclusions on the running-walking boundary experiments: (a) easy enough on the flat and it's amazing how little time you can spend in flight if you try; (b) very easy to be almost but not quite walking on the ascent and I most often walk on the steeper sections anyway; (c) conversely very difficult on the descent but it doesn't much matter as gravity is doing most of the work; (d) impossible when bouncing through heather! I'm exhausted.

Oh, by the way, forgot to mention. I ate a Lamington once, in Cloncurry, Queensland. It was cake ... it was nice :)

Enjoy!