Broughton Marilyns, snowed off ....

I've been enjoying running further afield these last few weeks, places I've been before walking once or twice over the last couple of years, but never before running. I was out on Tinto Hill a fortnight ago, and the Paps of Fife last weekend. Today, with snow still on the hills, and a fair weather forecast for the Borders, I'm heading down to the Broughton Marilyns. I'm hoping for a good long run out starting at the car park near Broughton Place, about three hours or so, up and over Trahenna, the Broughton Heights, and Penvalla, with an easy and fast return to the car park on The John Buchan Way.

I left home about 10am after feeding the rest of the family with "big breakfast" (muesli with raw cacao nibs for me, yum!). I have about an hour's drive to a small walkers' car park at the end of a short rough track near Broughton Place. I got started about 11.15am, there was only one other car here. I am wondering whether I'll see anyone at all over the next few hours ...

I had planned to run along the John Buchan Way a little at the start, beyond the patches of forestry, but I can see a track heading to the right above the trees, so after a quick check of the map, that's the route for me this morning. The track is lost in the snow and I follow sheep runs for a while, until the bulk of Trahenna Hill comes into view before me. The sheep runs are traversing, but I can see now that I need to ascend, so it's over the heather for me, and the snow is deeper than expected. This is hard work already and I've just started. The view on my route ahead is good here.

The beginning, small car park near Broughton Place.

The bulk of Trahenna comes into sight ...

... and the view of the route ahead is good.

I've spotted a track heading in the right direction and I'm looking forward to getting out of the heather and getting up a bit more speed. Turns out the snow is deeper on the track, varying between ankle and knee, and after a while is lost in deeper snow drifts. It has become very difficult to run at all now with the depth of the snow. I reach the summit of Trahenna after wading through deep snow. The summit marker? It's a stick, that's all, just a stick, I've hauled my old body up through the snow and I'll I get is this lousy stick? Well, not quite, the views around me are wonderful.

I find the track ... it's not much easier than the heather today ...

... and it's lost in the drifts.

Trahenna summit, just a stick ...ah but the views.

I must wade back through the same deep drifts a while now and then run along the ridge over Grey Yades and Green Lairs to Hammer Head. This should be a fast section on a reasonable path, but not today, the snow is heavy here again. Oh well, carry on, maybe this is just a bit of drifting on the leeward side, and maybe it'll get easier later. I'm looking over to the Broughton Heights and wondering about today. It's hard along the ridge, the drifts are deeper, there is a footpath here but I can't find the thing, so I'm running alongside the fence and trying to avoid what looks to me like the worst of the drifting. Nevertheless, I'm almost waist deep at times, and then all of a sudden I'm unnervingly more than waist deep. You know the way the sheep make these little wind shelters in the hills. I guess I've dropped into one of them hidden beneath the drifting snow, so there's an unexpected extra couple of feet around me. Eeek! I reach the summit Cairn at Hammer Head after several hops either side of the fence trying to find the easier path.

Nice run along the ridge, except for the snow, too much snow!

Looking at the route ahead, wondering whether it might get easier. 

Summit cairn on Hammer Head

I now have a steep descent before I can start on the Broughton Heights. I'm remembering descending Tinto Hill in snow a couple of weeks ago, it was steep, and it was great fun, so I'm starting to feel a bit better about the run today. There have been no walkers here today cutting a channel through the snow, and it's deeper, somewhere between knees and buttocks at times, more times than I'd like to be honest. I reach the bottom, to cross the John Buchan Way. I know I'm late here, it's been hard and slow on Trahenna. I check my watch and start some calculation, I don't have time to complete the route today, even if conditions were favourable from here, so I'll have to drop Penvalla. But, what are the conditions like on this path, it's supposed to be an easy fast return to the car park. Hmm, not so good, some more calculation. It's a bit of a push, but I think I just about have time for Broughton Heights, dropping down to Stobo Hopehead along Perliega Burn. Now, a new experience for me, I'm questioning whether or not I want to do this, whether or not I want to spend my time wading through this snow, instead of running free and happy. I have no feeling in my right toes, numb through cold. I don't want to. I want to get back to my car, and go home, and get warm,  and do Easter ... and it's started snowing again now. I can hardly believe that tomorrow is the start of British Summer Time ...

Descending Hammer Head ...

... to the John Buchan Way.

The path is all snow here as well.

I run along the path a while and then I'm thinking to myself, well, this isn't as good as I'd like. I might just as well pop up little Clover Law to my right and run back to the car park along the ridge up there. I stop to make a phone call home to advise the route change ... but no network ... I'm here with all these hills around me. Oh well, I've been standing here for a couple of minutes now, messing about with the backpack and the mobile phone, might as well take some more photos, the views are great anyway.

Hammer Head

Broughton Hope

There is less snow here on Clover Law but the going ascending is not quite as good as I'd hoped. Well, never mind, the summit is reached before long and the views once more are a reward.

Ascending Clover Law ...

... more hard work ... 

... but the views from the summit make the effort worthwhile.

I'm coming down Clover Law now and at last the snow starts to clear, and I have a sheep track over semi-frozen ground. Grass, and a sheep track, this is nice, very nice, my kind of running here. I have a good view over Broughton Place. The wikipedia says "... a private house built in the style of a 17th-century Scottish tower house, which was designed by Basil Spence in 1938 and incorporates decorative reliefs by architectural sculptor Hew Lorimer ...". It has been converted into apartments, there's one on the market right now if you're interested. I can also see the car park from here. I think I'll just bomb down over the grass slopes here and find somewhere to cross the stream below.

Grass! Sheeptrack! I like it very much!

Nice view to Broughton Place

Car park ahead, I'll bomb down here.

I find an easy crossing place at the stream, and I'm liking the views up Broughton Hope here. Somehow more gentle, so much less brutal, than conditions an hour ago.

Handy stream crossing ...

... loving the view along the stream,.

It takes just a couple of minutes over tussocky grass and patches of snow to regain the John Buchan Way and back to the car park. It's been an, umm, err, interesting time today. I've done a pathetic 8.5km and climbed a puny 449m, and I've been going for 1:49:34. Too much snow drift wading and not enough free and happy running. The views were nice. I have feeling in the toes of my right foot again now, and my legs are feeling very tired. The other car is still in the car park here, but I haven't seen a soul these last couple of hours. Driving home I'm looking at lots of pretty little hills with almost no snow ... maybe I should keep under the snowline the next time!

A Den, two Paps, a Bunnet, and a Bower.

I've been itching to have a wee run in the Lomond Hills near Falkland in Fife for an age now. Today I scratched that itch, and to be honest my legs are not very grateful at the moment. Two defining attributes of my day have been snow and wind. There are two very distinctive summits in the Lomond Hills, which on the map are named as East Lomond Hill and West Lomond Hill. More romantically, these are also known as the Paps of Fife.

I'm starting late morning from the car park at the end of a little road called West Port in the village of Falkland. I have a good view of East Lomond Hill above, and it's snowing at the moment. I'm going to start the ascent on the path up Maspie Den, a little gem of a place.

Good view of snow clad East Lomond Hill from the car park

Entering Maspie Den

Easy going ascent at the start of Masipe Den

Maspie Den is lovely. There's a pretty bridge over with two arches, one for the Maspie Burn, and a smaller one for the footpath. There's a short tunnel, today the entrance has icicles. The footpath runs over a wooden bridge underneath a stone bridge. There are plenty of pretty small waterfalls, and the path goes behind one larger waterfall. This one is partially frozen and the icicles are fantastic. I had to duck low to avoid them! If you've done much caving, well, it's like trying not to bump into the stalactites, but with better light.

Double acrhed bridge

Wooden footbridge underneath stone bridge

Tunnel, with icicles, like vampire teeth!

Waterfall, partially frozen, duck to avoid the icicles

Wonderful display of icicles near the waterfall

Now the path leaves the pretty valley and the snow starts to get deeper, the run starts to get harder. I pass a group of walkers and soon onto the open hillside. The wind is very strong here and the snow is drifting. Sometimes the path is very runnable, sometimes not so much. While I've been wading through drifts the conical summit of West Lomond Hill have come into view. This is my first target, it feels like it's a long way away through this snow. Oh well, never mind, carry on.

Leaving Maspie Den the snow is deeper, the running harder ...

... soon leading to the open hillside where strong wind is drifting the snow

The conical summit of West Lomond Hill comes into view

I pass an area with large boulders on the ridge. These are marked as hut circles on map, relics of ancient briton habitation. I come to a dip, the bottom of which is usually soggy and boggy. Today the snow is drifting deep here. Well, anyway, nice view at the bottom.

Hut circles

Snow drifting in the dip ...

... it's knee deep ...

... but the view is nice.

It feels like it takes forever but I reach the base of the summit cone. I'm going to take the easy path which loops around upward to the right and then cuts back on the other side of the cone. Might not have been the best decision I ever made. The other side of the cone is in the lee and the steep snow drift here is even difficult to walk. The summit cairn, trig point and shelters are reached after some effort. Then snap a photo of East Lomond Hill, my next target, it looks so far away through all those snow drifts. The wind is fierce on the top here, I charge straight down the summit cone on rough ground, without thought of footpath, leaping and bounding in the snow. The run back from West Lomond Hill is hard. The wind is picking up and it's in my face. The gradient is gentle and this section should be fast but the snow drifts are slowing me and tiring me. I meet a small group of walkers and stop for a brief chat, and some mutual photographic assist.

Approaching the summit cone of West Lomond Hill

Steep deep drifts in the lee  ascending ...

... the summit cairn, trig point, and shelters are reached.

View to East Lomond Hill

Running from West Lomond toward East Lomond

The route from West Lomond to East Lomond descends to cross a high level road near a car park and picnic area. There's a short steep section and then a longer section of gentle ascent. I had hoped to have a good fast run along this section but the snow drifts are deeper here, above the fence tops in places. I pause to look back along this section and I'm starting to wonder why I'm doing this today. The base of the summit cone of East Lomond Hill is approached and I'm thinking to myself, no way these legs are going to let me do that today. Well, sometimes it's a case of mind over matter. The viewfinder on the summit comes into view. The trig point is not on the summit of this hill, it's below me.

Deep drifts here

Looking back near the summit cone of East Lomond Hill

Approaching the summit cone of East Lomond Hill

The summit viewfinder comes into sight ...

... the trig point is below.

I pause in the summit area to take a couple of pictures. I like the view over the village of Falkland. My descent will take me through the forest to the north. The wind up here is even more fierce than before, a couple of strong gusts have nearly knocked me over, I want down from here. I have no other thought in my head, and follow the track to the south-east. Yet another less than brilliant decision, the course correction has me running across rough tussocky grassland at times landing almost waist deep in the snow. Luckily it's only a handful of minutes before I find the correct path, and the entrance to the forest.

View of Falkland from East Lomond Hill

I should descend through forest to the north, left of picture ...

... but I take the wrong path and must cross rough ground

The entrance to the forest

The steep stepped path through the forest offers stunning views. The steps are snowy and slippery and I must concentrate on footwork. I startle several deer but they are gone before I can be ready with camera. Leaving the forest I have about 500m through the village back to the car park, and then a short drive to the start point of Part 2 ...

Descending snowy steep steps through the forest ...

... lovely views here.

... Part 2 is a short trip to the Bunnet Stane and Maiden's Bower underneath West Lomond Hill to the north. The view of the steep craggy north side of West Lomond Hill is impressive, the going underfoot less so with more deep drifting snow. The Bunnet Stane is a curious natural rock formation. The Maiden's Bower is an un-natural cave in the same outcrop.

Views of West Lomond Hill on approach to Bunnet Stane ...

... the going underfoot is less wonderful

The Bunnet Stane

The Maiden's Bower

The Bunnet Stane

I have a short jog through the deep snow back to the car from here, and then I'm done for the day, and about 45 minutes drive back home. It's been an, err, umm, interesting and challenging day.Some of the sights have been very special, the waterfall and icicles come to mind. Most of the running has been wonderful, the snow drift wading, well, not so much, and there's been an awful lot of snow drift wading.

I've done about 2:45 of running/wading, covered a little over 18km horizontal, climbed a bit more than 700m, and my legs are tired, very tired. I can see a session on the foam roller for me this evening ...