Snow time on Blackford and Braid Hills

I wrote about an excursion over these little gems at the end of last year in Happy Feet, Blackford and Braid Hills: December 29, 2012. Today I'm heading there again, not quite the same route, and in rather different conditions. There has been very heavy snow here overnight and much of the morning, with lovely fluffy flakes swirling about in the wind, the inner child has been dancing.

Lunchtime comes along and the snow has been replaced with an intermittent sleety drizzle. I'm starting from the gate near Blackford Pond, and at street level here there really is next to nothing see from all the snow earlier. There is some white stuff on the fields at Midmar Paddock. It's not the crispy crunchy stuff I'd hoped for, instead it's slushy and muddy here. I cross the paddock, slither down a short muddy bank, over a stile and turn right onto trails through the trees along both sides of the Hermitage of Braid. I emerge onto fields on the other side of this pretty little steep sided valley, always popular with folk walking the dog. Same kind of slushy muddy stuff about the fields here ... the path around the edge is very waterlogged so I just head across the snow and grass to Braid Hills Drive above.
 

Gate near Blackford Pond ... where did all that snow go?

Midmar Paddock, slushy and muddy

Fields above Hermitage of Braid, not crispy and crunchy

In a moment I'm through the bushes and turn left onto the bridlepath. It's a mudbath here, not nice. Oh well, never mind, I'm guessing nobody will be playing golf here at the moment, so I'll just head away from the path across the golf course.

Bridlepath mudbath

Escape to the golf course ...

... was a good call, this is a bit more like it ...

... feeling happier now.

I don't know my way around the golf course and end up on the red gravel part of the bridlepath ascending from the east. The surface is slushy but not a mudbath here, it's alright, I can even enjoy some ankle deep drifts in places. The good news is I have the wind to my back. I'm up around the masts in a few minutes where I see a chap half way up a mast clearing snow from the dishes, then I'm into some knee deep drifts, great fun. I am noticing two sets of footprints in the snow. Two runners have been along here in the opposite direction in the last few hours, one of them, like me, in full studs, a pair of walshes. The summit of Braid Hill is reached in a moment. The Pentland Hills are lost in the clouds. So now I must descend and head along the bridlepath back to the Lang Linn Path. I choose to descend on the steep narrow path through the gorse as usual. There are no human footprints here. I leave behind studmarks and the evidence of one posterior plant (giggle). The weight of snow on the gorse is causing it to collapse over the path. Scratchy stuff, but I'm wearing some thick tights, I'll be alright so long as I don't trip.

Red gravel path ascending, slushy but not too muddy

Blackford Hill summit, Craiglockhart Hills visible ...

... and Pentlands Hills lost in the clouds.

Snowy steep narrow path through the gorse descending ...

... snow laden gorse collapsed across the path.

The bridlepath becomes a complete mudbath once more, ho hum, so at the first chance I head off over the golf course again. I guess I've found the 18th tee. I look down at the route ahead, there's another golf course below, nobody playing golf there either ... this gives me an idea for more route variation.

Found the 18th tee

The route ahead and another golf course, I have an idea ...

... just run across the course of course.

The footpaths ascending Blackford Hill are a slushy slippy slog but no matter it's just a tiddler and the summit is soon reached. Interesting how the snow is drifting on the trig point. There's a fierce blast of a wind up here. The Braid Hills are visible from here, two masts in the mists, nothing beyond. I run hard down toward the Royal Observatory, the fierce wind right in my face (brrrr). Nice view of Arthur's Seat from this spot. It's hard to believe that seventeen days ago I was running up around there almost naked ... a tiny pair of shorts and nothing on top ... but it's true.

Trig point and bench on Blackford Hill

The royal observatory

Nice view of Athur's seat here.

I have about a mile to go now. I turn left and charge into the gorse, the ground is soggy and muddy and lots of puddles but I don't care now, my feet could not be wetter, so I'm enjoying a nice bit of splashing. I finish up with a celebration lap around the duck pond.

Back into the bushes on Blackford Hill

The duck pond

Not a bad run today, not exactly what I'd been anticipating, but it was a bit of fun for me being able to romp over the golf courses for a change.

Enjoy!