Two Cairns and a Slap

I am back in Scotland and looking forward to running on softer ground after a week on city streets and rocky dusty hill trails in Pune. I rise this Sunday morning about half an hour after dawn, and the weather is beautiful. I'm feeling the jet lag but this didn't stop me the last time, see Jet Lag Jog, December 2, 2012, when I ran along the Thiefs' Road from Baddinsgill to the Cauldstane Slap and over East Cairn and West Cairn hills. Today I have the Two Cairns and the Slap in mind, approaching this time from Little Vantage to the north west. The ground was frozen solid in December, today ground conditions should be soft, despite the patches of snow lingering on the hill sides.

I start on the Thiefs' Road with the Cairns and the Slap in the distance. The sun shines bright, the sky is blue, the ground underfoot is soft. In fact it's too soft - it's soggy, boggy, and often flooded. I can tell already that today is going to be hard work, and slower than I'd have liked ... oh well, carry on. There are a lot of places where railway sleepers have been used to bridge across streams and the wetter parts of the marshland here. These bridges work well enough, except where the path is flooded and the sleepers themselves are underwater. The runner needs to take care here, the wood is incredibly slippery when wet, this morning the walshies lost grip on a sleeper a few minutes after the start and I went tumbling over into shallow water.

East Cairn, Cauldstane Slap and West Cairn, on the Thiefs' Road near Little Vantage

Railway sleeper bridges over streams and wetter marshland ...

... sometimes underwater where the path is flooded.

I decide to leave the Thief's Road at the earliest opportunity before reaching the Cauldstane Slap and ascend East Cairn on a narrow, very steep track. The path makes for a tough ascent, slippery and rocky, not runnable, but the views behind are wonderful and the stone shelter on the west end of the ridge is soon reached. The shelter has a small stone bench affair inside, it's a great place to picnic when out walking with the family, today the bench is covered in frozen snow.

The steep ascent of East Cairn

The views behind are beautiful ...

... but the path is rocky and slippy and mostly not runnable

The stone shelter soon enough comes into view ...

... today the bench is covered in frozen snow.

This is not the summit of East Cairn. To reach the summit I run east along the very boggy flat ridge. The surface water is frozen in places, but the ground has thawed. I approach a group of three mad mountain bikers pushing their bikes through this quagmire. I feel my feet sinking ankle deep and more, oddly enough, although it's hard work, I'm loving it, and as I whoop with joy the mountain bikers turn and laugh. The summit is marked by a small cairn. I must now turn around and back track a little for descent of East Cairn to the Cauldstane Slap. The frozen drift snow clinging to the fence line provides an interesting visual contrast. The three mountain bikers are coming through the gate, still slowly pushing their bikes, and now wondering about the route to their destination. We chat a little and have a bit of a laugh together at the conditions, consult my map for route guidance, and they are kind enough to take a photograph.

The surface is water is frozen in places, the ground, not so much.

This small cairn marks the summit of East Cairn

Frozen drift snow and mad mountain bikers

Chatting with mad mountain bikers on East Cairn

The descent from East Cairn to Cauldstane Slap is another rocky muddy slippery affair although not quite as steep as the ascent had been. This is kind of runnable. I do not recognise this tree, perhaps someone has recently planted their Christmas tree here?! The ascent of West Cairn is not so steep and not at all rocky ... it's very soggy and the climb is slow but hard sapping the energy from my legs as my feet sink into the ground on every step. There is a lot of surface water, and even where there is none the ground gives way to my every step ... I'm really starting to feel it in the calves today. No matter the summit is soon reached with cairn and trig and the views are great.

Did someone plant their christmas tree here?

Descending East Cairn toward Cauldstane Slap

Tough ascending West Cairn on wet ground

Cairn and trig at summit of West Cairn

View toward East Cairn

Harperrig Reservoir

Baddinsgill Reservoir and surrounding hills

I descend West Cairn to the north on rough ground through boulders and patches of frozen snow, big fun. Just before the horrible tussocky grassy marshland below I pick up an ATV track turning to the right, hoping to traverse above the marsh, and rejoin the Thiefs' Road on the other side of the marsh. The track does not traverse, it ascends a while and then disappears, and I must make my way across the tussocky grassy marsh back to the Cauldstane Slap. Here I find a couple of walkers taking a picnic at the stile before they head up East Cairn. I stop to chat for a few minutes and then head down the Thiefs' Road back toward Little Vantage.

Descending West Cairn ...

... steep, boulders, and patches of snow.

Crossing tussocky marshland back to Cauldstane Slap

Thiefs' Road from Cauldstane Slap to Little Vantage

Running down the Thiefs' Road I take a moment to look around. To my left West Cairn and the edge I descended a short while earlier. To my right East Cairn and the edge I ascended a long while earlier. Ahead is Harperrig Reservoir. The Water of Leith flows from this reservoir You can find a couple of "Riverside Ramble" posts here and here on this blog about great runs along the river side path.

West Cairn, descent along the edge

East Cairn, ascent along the edge

Harperrig Reservoir

In a few minutes I approach the car park, and to be frank today I'm happy that it's almost over. I'm tired, the jet lag has really kicked in, my calves are aching. I must first cross my nemesis, the wooden railway sleeper bridge where I slithered and tumbled into shallow water a couple of hours ago.

The relief of the end in sight., but first ...

... my nemesis ...

So I am done, back at the car park at Little Vantage. I've run just over 16km, climbed just under 550m, and it's taken me a little more than two and a half hours. It's been slow, but hard, and I'm very glad now that it's all done and dusted. The bottom halves of my calves are plastered in mud. I have mud inside my shoes, I have mud inside my socks. It was great to get out in the lush green hills for a bit of a run today. I could have chosen a less sodden route, perhaps I'll learn, perhaps not ;-)

Enjoy!