Three legs and one wheel

Three legs and one wheel ... if you're looking for a Triskelion on a Unicycle, that would definitely be a specialist subject, and you've landed in the wrong place, sorry. This blog is supposed to be about trail running, I mean running off-road, on-earth as much as possible. I think, today, I must confess to deviation. For sure, almost all of my run today was off-road, as in not along the roads, but almost all of my run today was on the canal side, which is not really on-earth, really not really. Anyway, enough of a preamble witter, let's start eh?

I did a moderate hill run last weekend, it was good, but the ascents were more of a challenge for me than usual, and I know my body is still not 100% at the moment. I've been wondering what to do this weekend, thinking maybe something a bit less steep, maybe something a bit more long. Driving back from work along the M9 on Thursday, noticing as always the works at the end an idea came into my little old mind ... I'll do a load of canal side running, including an aggregate mile underground in the tunnels, with a wee bit of a wander along the Antonine Wall for variation. Oh, yes, forgot to mention, also we'll see two magnificent kelpie!

I've left the car at the car park for the Falkirk Wheel (aka, Millenium Wheel) on a misty mid-morning. The route plan for today runs in three legs, and I'm starting the first leg. This will take me about four miles along the Forth and Clyde Canal to the Carron sea loch, where the canal discharges into the tidal estuary of the River Carron.

Misty morning start

Loving the mist laden spider webs, and swan on the water

The canal boats, cheerful colours

Loch 15, the Canal Inn is the white building on the left

Intriguing two-dimensional sculptures, I guess they were intended to be photographed

There are a lot of locks on this section of the canal as it descends toward the sea, with two main flights. The bottom of the second flight is Lock 5 where swans are preening. Soon the kelpies at the sea loch come into sight in the distance. These sculptures are massive, and will be magnificent, when they are finished. You can see the workers in the cranes building up these superb structures. The Carron sea lock here is the eastern end of this canal where, it discharges into the muddy Carron estuary, near the M9 motorway.

Swans preening above Lock 5

The kelpies in the distance ...

... they are massive and magnificent

The Carron sea lock where the canal discharges ...

... into the muddy tidal estuary of the River Carron

The kelpies again, sorry, but I adore the kelpies!

So the first leg is an out-and-back job, now I turn around and back-track. I usually do not much like to back-track, but this morning I'm enjoying seeing the locks from below, always more scenic. There are some gorgeous autumn colours in the young rowan trees, and although I'm often running through an uninteresting urban/industrial landscape the reflections in the still waters of the canal are really worth the effort for me today.

Nice running up the canal locks now

Some gorgeous autumn colours ....

... and reflections in the still waters ...

... and I'm still loving running up the locks.

I'm up to Lock 16, the top of the last flight on return, and a historic place. Long ago the Union Canal descended a steep flight of locks to join the Forth and Clyde Canal here, so this was an important place, at the junction of transport routes between Edinburgh, with the Port of Leith, on the east coast, and Glasgow, on the River Clyde, the major port on the west coast. Ah, well, same old story, the railways came, the canals fell into disuse and decline, sections were filled in and built over, and the great canals no longer meet here. Still, the pub is called the "Union Inn", there's something reassuring about that, for me anyway. I'm surprised, and very pleasantly so I must say, how soon I am approaching the end of this first leg.

Historic Loch 16

Near the end of the first leg, time for lunch

I'm hungry, it's been a few hours since breakfast, and I'm looking forward to a spot of lunch at the visitor centre, where I opt for a cheese filled baked potato and side salad, with a pot of tea, and it's delicious, devoured. You might have noticed the mist has cleared, and it's a lot warmer now, so I've decided to remove the 3/4 tights and leave them in the car. I need to head to the car anyway to pick up a head torch in preparation for the third leg, I'll be underground for about a mile, also time to top up the water bottle.

I start the second leg. Here the plan is to run along the canal west to Bonnybridge, then a drudge section of roadwork, and then relief along the earth on the Antonine Wall and some exploration of Rough Castle. This should deposit me nicely on the Union Canal above the wheel in preparation for the third leg of the journey.

Starting second leg, east along the canal, popular with cyclists here

I see a solitary white swan feeding ...

... and delightful reflections in the still waters

The Antonine Wall ...

.... and Rough Castle

Giant footprints? No ... post holes on the northern defences of the ancient roman fort

I have some red gravel trails leading me up and down through bushes and trees then above Rough Castle tunnel on the Union Canal, above the wheel below. Here ends the second leg of my journey and begins the third leg. Down and through the small tunnel which is is just 180m and well lit. I'm heading east for the long tunnel near Hallglen, the locals call it the "Dark Tunnel". There are two locks of modern concrete construction here, like the tunnel these created when the new link between the canals was built around the millenium. I'm on my canal, the Union  Canal, where my running life began back in March 2011 at the Lochrin Basin in Edinburgh, but I'm at the opposite end here near Falkirk. (Note to self, maybe do a "memory lane" job from Lochrin Basin to home sometime.)

Gravel trails after rough castle ...

... lead me above the tunnel above wheel ... 

... and down through the Roughcastle tunnel ...

... then up alongside a couple of modern concrete locks ...

... and I'm on the Union Canal for leg three today.

I've been finding it hard going for a while now. I'm still far less than 100% and breath control has been a challenge. The left heel is very sore and my body is adjusting movement to minimize discomfort there, which is causing discomfort everywhere else. I am wondering how far I must continue for the long tunnel ... a couple of cyclists approach, and they tell me its 2-3 miles. I feel disheartened, I have thoughts of giving up, but a little voice in the back of my head is saying "no, this cannot be right, you recently passed a sign giving distance to Polmont, must have been a mile back, and for sure its at least a couple of miles distance from there to the tunnel, it must be less than two miles from here". Little voice, thank you, I love you today, I continue. I lose track of time, right now I sink into the music in my ears and lose track of myself, then all of a surprise the long tunnel is before me. I've read that although there are some lights in the tunnel, they are not good, a torch is advised, so I pause a moment to don my headtorch. The tunnel is 620m long, you can see the other end, but it is a dark damp rough and slippery place. It reminds me a bit of my caving years as a late teenager, which was a lot of fun, but these days I am a little afflicted with claustrophobia.

The long tunnel is before me ...

... despite feeble lighting it is dark ...

... straw stalactites hang from the roof ...

... the walls remind me of caving expeditions.

Thankfully soon I reach the end of the dark place and the sunlight is welcome. I have not far to go to a bridge over the canal which is my turning point for this third leg. There are some notable face carvings here, a brief stop for an energy snack and water, a little toilet ... thankfully there was nobody else here at the time. Now turn around and face the long dark place once more.

Escape from the dark damp place ...

... and soon to the bridge where I will rest and turn.

Angry face to the west

Happy face to the east

I turn and one more face the long dark place

This time through the Hallglen tunnel I am noticing the reflections of the lit rocks in the water, for me thay are all grotesque threatening faces, but my camera fails to capture these emotions for me. There are several water leaks through the roof above, this one runs into the water of the canal, others have given me mixed-feelings cold showers. The wee cobbled path here is slippery and uneven, I am pleased I brought the headtorch today. The end comes once more and the sight of three swans in the water warms me.

Reflections were ghostly, alas my little camera ..

... but the end is in sight, and its leaking bad here!

The end, and a welcome party of swans.

Well folks, I just have to continue to backtrack now along the same side of the canal to the wheel, maybe two or three miles. I had been struggling but somehow I'm starting to find a third wind, I'm able to go a little faster (its still dead slow of course). I pass a milestone which tells me I am 31.5 miles from the Lochrin Basin in Edinburgh, like I've said before, that's a special place for the old plodder, that's where my running began ... I've decided now, I will definitely do a memory lane photo job there soon, its in me now, and it needs to get out. Anyway, I digress, there are a few boats coming toward me along the canal, I love the sight, and folk are almost always friendly. I am surprisingly soon back at the wheel, and its moving so my timing was a bit of luck. Standing on the canal bank where I started the first leg this morning, I am done with the third and final leg, and a great view of the wheel. Hard to believe, but this morning it was lost in the mist.

Milestone, distance from Lochrin Basn in Edinburgh

Here comes a canal boat

Here comes a canal boat

I'm back at the wheel ...

... its tunring at the moment .. 

... almost done now.

Now done, viewed from the beginning and the ending of my run today.

I will summarise at first with three words: long, hard, and good. The word hard has two meanings, the terrain underfoot most of the time, and how is was for the old plodder. I've run (ahem) about 31km with a total ascent of about 390m, and I've been on the go for about four hours, not including the lunch stop at the visitor centre, but I have spent a lot of minutes filddling about with the camera today. Now about the under ground, stuff, I went through Roughcastle tunnel and Hallglen tunnel twice, so that is 2 x (180m + 620m) = 1600m = one mile. I'm thinking to plan on softer terrain the next time, my legs are hurting a bit now, thump, thump, thump, thump ... hey you legs you better be saying hello to mister rumble roller in the morning methinks.

Enjoy!