Misty Mendick Hill Meander

It was snowing in Edinburgh this morning. The slopes of the Pentland Hills are sporting a dusting of snow, like icing sugar on a delicious cake. The summits are lost in the mist, the cloud base is about 350m. Just seven days ago, last Saturday, I was running around Holyrood Park, bare chested and sweating. Today I'm heading up Mendick Hill and a bit of a ramble around the area, which is not so familiar to me. I'm wearing two tops, leggings, and carrying a backpack stuffed full of the being-sensible just-in-case things. One of the defining aspects of last Saturday was the crowds, there were so many people walking and running about the place, it was good to see folk out and about, and I liked it. Today, I ran over hills and marshes and moors for just over two hours, and did not see another soul, and I liked it. These place I go, these things I do, they do not disappoint for contrast. Variety is the spice of life (well, also chili peppers)!

I start today from the access road to the golf course at West Linton. There's just about enough room to squeeze a few cars on the side of the road. Looking through trees over the golf course toward Mendick Hill, the summit is lost in the low could. Mendick Hill is another southern outlier of the Pentland Hills, a bit smaller than Black Mount, and a little closer to home.The run starts on road but after a few yards the softer grass verges are wide and flat enough for running.

Mendick Hill, lost in the clouds.

The beginning, road and soon softer grass verges.

The road is soon left and onto the real soft ground. I'm following the course of a Roman road here, with trees to my right, and fields to my left. There is a lot of history in this area, I'll see some more on today's excursion. The roman road passes over an ancient roman bridge. I've read that in times past there was a turnpike here, there was a toll to cross the bridge. I pass through one of the many gates along this path and a patch of snowdrops catches my eye.

The real soft ground along the roman road

Trees to the right, fields to the left

Roman bridge

Snowdrops!

This path leads past pretty little Hardgatehead Cottage and then a finger post points the way to Mendick Hill. turning in the direction the summit remains shrouded in mist today. I am alone now, just me and the sheep and the mist, and this muddy boggy track around the base of the hill. Soon, here comes the steep stuff ... behind me the snow-dusted main Pentland Hills, only a few miles away, are nowhere to be seen.

Hardgatehead Cottage

Fingerpost, showing the way to Mendick Hill ...

... the summit lost in the clouds.

It's just me and the sheep out here ...

... and this muddy boggy track around the base of the hill.

Here come's the steep stuff :-)

The snow-dusted Pentland Hills are a few miles in this direction.

I feel like I've been climbing forever. It's silly really, Mendick Hill can be steep, but it's just a tiddler. I guess it's headology, because visibility is poor, and I can't see the summit. Then, all of a sudden, the trig point appears in the mist. When I reach the trig point, I stop to savour the views, well, in good weather the views from here are wonderful. Today, not so much. So a very brief stop and then charge off downhill in the general direction of the route ... but, oh, there's an old quarry somewhere here, better be careful, and now there in front of me is the edge. I divert, with vague memories of a family walk here a couple of years ago, until I find some more familar ground for descent. Then I'm running happy as can be across rough marsh and moor along a fence until a little voice in my head starts whispering "something wrong, shouldn't be here". Stop, find the map, make the best of what we can see in the mist, little voice is right, I'm running along side the wrong fence. The course correction is a rough run across boggy marshy ground, oh well, never mind, carry on.

The trig appears in the mist ...

.... views from the summit are, umm, as spectacular as usual!

Following the wrong fence line, course correction is on the horizon.

There is a short steep descent into Garvald Burn, and an all-fours short steep ascent back out again. The reward is Nether Cairn, it's about ten feet high, and is believed to be a prehistoric burial cairn around 4,000 years old. There's an old drove road here, and further along is Upper Cairn, another ancient thing. This place,  this wild desolate place, has a feel about it, it's a strange feeling, almost like whispers from our ancient past. There are mounds of rock here and there and everywhere, somehow I feel that, long ago, there were a lot of people living here. Looking ahead along the Drovers' Road, my next summit is on the horizon, little Slipperfield Mount.

Garvald Burn

Nether Cairn

Upper Cairn

Drovers' Road, Slipperfield Mount on the horizon

The views from the indistinct summit of Slipperfield Mount are, well, situation normal for the day. There is a fierce chilling wind in my face here and the going on rough tussocky grassland is hard. Soon I start to descend toward  West Water Reservoir and the strip of forestry offer welcome relief from the cold wind. I descend toward West Water Reservoir, through wet boggy ground - ah but my feet are already so wet, they can not get wetter, so no matter - and cross the dam at the reservoir. Ahead is Little King Seat Hill (what a name!), my last summit today. Ascending, I look back over to Slipperfield Hill and the strip of forestry which gave welcome shelter from the wind on descent, and up to King Seat Hill with summit shrouded in mist.

Fantastic views from Slipperfield Mount

Descent toward West Water Reservoir

Crossing the dam at the reservoir, and Little King Seat Hill

Ascending Little King Seat Hill, looking back at Slipperfield Mount ...

... and up to King Seat Hill, summit shrouded in mist.

I'm descending Little King Seat Hill with a short section through a strip of forestry, following a surprisingly nonchalant sheep. Turning to the left and a small ascent I reach the site of a roman camp, marked as a rectangle on the OS Explorer map. I find some slightly raised ground is a rectangle shape, nothing more. I am running with map in hand now, I do not know this place. The next reference point is another patch of forestry which has but one remarkable feature, the name on the map, "Lucky Dip".

Forest track, nonchalant sheep 

Corners of roman camp remains

Lucky Dip!

From here I have a couple gates and fields, and then a short stretch of road side verges back to the start point near the golf club at West Linton, I've had a happy couple of hours running, most of the time on rough marsh and moor without paths or even sheep tracks. I've been exploring a few unfamiliar places, so I've been using the map on the run which has been interesting for me today. I've made a couple of nav errors in the mist, and a close encounter with the tops of some old quarries, but no harm done, so all is well. I've seen a few roman and ancient briton bits and pieces as a bonus. I've not seen a soul, just sheep, a few grouse, and one hare. I didn't bother with the media player today, I just listened to the music of mother nature, and the rhythm of my feet squelching into the soft ground. This was a peaceful run. I've covered about 9.5 miles, and climbed about 1,500 feet, and it's all good memories for me today.

Enjoy!