Sunset slog to finish a two week streak

I really enjoyed my first sunset run in the Pentlands on Wednesday evening. I've been on a bit of an impromptu streak of late, running every day for the last thirteen days. I want to end that streak today with an out in the hills, and I've decided to do another sunset job in the Pentlands, mostly different hills, of course.

This evening I'm starting from the car park at Harlaw about 5:15PM. It's lambing time here, at last. so the dog walkers/runners are encouraged to keep dogs under close control. I'm heading along the path up to the top of Maidens's Cleugh. Most of the other runners here are heading around the reservoir, good on them. I find two runners who go up to the stile at the top of Maiden's Cleugh, and back down to Harlaw. That's even better, some ascent, but alas no summits for these two. I'm after a few summits, as usual, and from the stile I take a narrow path leading up toward the top of Bellls Hill.

The beginning 

Path up to the top of Maidens Cleugh

Lots of runners go around the reservoir

For me the first top today is Bells Hilll

It's a short effort on soggy boggy ground up Bells Hill and I look to Black Hill, the next target today. The ground has thawed here so I'm thinking it will be hard going on boggy Black Hill. No matter, it's what I'm here for anyway. The steep descent of Bells Hill is entertaining, with all the melt there is water running along the path. The cleugh below is sodden and legs are sinking deep in the soft ground, but there is a reward, two very pretty little lambs. Mother is nearby and she is not happy about my presence, I should politely be on my way now.

Black Hill, the next target

Melt water flows along the path on steep descenbt

In the cleugh below, two pretty little lambs

From here I start the ascent of Black Hill, its steep to start with, the sun in my face, and I often have to use a hand to shade the sun from my eyes to see the path. Maybe I should get a peaked cap. Well, after a short hard steep slog the gradient becomes a bit easier, but this is relentless, false summit after false summit ... as I ascend to higher ground the snow drift over the path has remained, and it's often calf deep. This is hard going, and I am reminded of last week in the Broughton Marilyns, but today there's a difference, I have a date with a sunset on a specific summit, so I plough on with that thought in mind and memories of the beauty of Wednesday evening. There's an isolated 'Christmas' tree here, wondering how that got there :-)

Steep ascending Black Hill from the cleugh, sun in face ...

... soon levels a little, and then relentless, endless false summits

Higher up the remains of snow cling to the path ...

... and the going is tough now

What's this tree doing here?

There is a farm track near the summit which leads down the eastern side of Black Hill. It's like a scar on the side of the hill, perhaps a bit ugly to be honest, but its easy fast running and my vision for today has me bombing down toward Glencorse Reservoir along this track. The best laid plans of mice and men ... the snow drift clings to the scar and progress is hampered ... not as fast as I wanted but it is fun descending here, I have confidence in the ground beneath the snow, so I can relax, I can let go, and at the same time I experience both disappointment and happiness. I reach a bend and there has been a farm vehicle here, it has ploughed two deep tracks through the snow, so some careful footwork following these tracks now and hopping between one and the other, whichever looks like the easiest going. The melt water is flowing down these narrow furrows so I'm running through ice cold water and my feet are becoming little numb. No matter I am soon below the snow line, the footwork is easier although still wet, and I am liking the view up the cleugh to my left where I saw the pretty little lambs after a wet descent of Bells Hill . The scar peters out in fields below and a couple of gates lead me to the road down in the valley around the reservoirs. The bubbling burn flows fast at the moment with all the melt water and I'm happy running along the grassy verges of the road.

Snow dirft clinging to the scar on Black Hill ...

... dainty footwork along the farm vehicle tracks.

Lower down the going gets better ...

... with lovely views up the cleugh.

The scar peters out in grassy fields ...

... and after a couple of gates I'm on the grassy verges beside the road along the reservoirs.

I have just over a mile to go along this road, sometimes on the verges, sometimes on the road. It has been slower than expected on Black Hill so I need to make up time now ... Glencorse reservoir soon comes into view. The reservoirs in this glen are popular popular places for fishers, although there are none at this time of the evening today. I look across the reservoir to the flanks of Turnhouse Hill.

Last year I was running on Turnhouse and the other hills over there. It was a good long run with some exploration. I descended Turhnouse on rough ground toward the reservoir and made a traverse to the right around here. The sheep runs through the heather look great, but really that traverse was dreadful, the ground is steeper than it looks, and often there is nothing but the heather beneath the feet, no earth ... sheep seem to be able to run on next to nothing, me, not so much.

I am captivated by the reflections of the cloudscape on the surface of the water. You should be able to see a thin strip of forest ascending from the reservoir, there's a short steep part-stepped footpath there, and that's where I'm going to leave the roadside.

Reaching Glencorse reservoir ...

... popular with the fishers.

Looking over the reservoir to the flank of Turnhouse Hill ...

... and captivated by the reflections of the cloudscape.

I've just come up the short steep part-stepped footpath and now my legs are feeling the strain of the streak, there's part of me which wants back to the car, back home to supper, but I want to be atop Harbour Hill at sunset, that's the plan ... luckily the going from here looks a lot easier as I run along the track underneath the army firing ranges at Castlelaw. There's another ancient briton hill fort here, there are so many in these parts, but this one has a special feature, an 'earth house'. The archaeological information is that this was not a house, as in a dwelling, but a place for storage, perhaps related to trade between the local brythonic celts and the romans. The earth house is a tunnel, with a room to the right through a low arch, but alas my frozen fingers take poor photographs this cold evening.

The short steep part stepped path from Glencorse Reservoir, hard work for tired legs today ...

.... but the track onward looks like easier going.

The track runs below military firing ranges below Castlelaw Hill

There's an ancient briton hill fort here with a special feature, an earth house ...

... an undergound tunnel ...

... with a small room to the side.

From here I'm ascending around Castlelaw Hill on the 'red brick road'. I'm not sure if this track is military or farm, and there's a caterpillar tracked vehicle here at the moment ... military or agricultural, what do you think? The red brick road is a mixture of good running and sloshy slush and water, leading to a short sharp ascent of Capelaw. At the summit I find sheep grazing, with another two pretty little lambs. It's April 6, and we're only just getting the early lambs here, it's been a harsh March. The summit plateau is very wet, but descending to the south-west I'm into more crisp deep drift. The snow is just a little tinged with the rose colours of sunset, my plan is to be atop the next and last summit of the day, wee Harbour Hill, at 7:50pm, eleven minutes before sunset, I'm doing alright, but I must dash and splish-splash through the sodden ground below.

The 'red brick road'' 

Caterpillar tracks, farming or military?

Ascending Capelaw

Sheep on the summit, with lambs!

Descending I hit another drift ...

... sunset will soon be upon me.

I squelch up the short sharp ascent of Harbour Hill, the ground really is very wet here, but at least its not a sheet of ice like the last time I was here. I'm on the top now and on time. The sun slides down behind a bank of dense dark cloud in the distance. The skyscape is good but I do not have the drama and rapture and rose snow scenes of my mid-week meander. From here I scamper down Harbour Hill through more crisp snow drift and then dash through the twilight along the track back to Harlaw.

The sun slithers behind a bank of dense dark cloud.

Looking over Black Hill

The sun is now own the day.

I ran today to see the last of the snow and for the sunset. So, the last of the snow was great, the sunset not so much. I'm looking forward soon to running here without snow, although the ground is going to be very wet, soggy and boggy for weeks to come. I've had a good long hill run to finish off a two week streak. I've gone almost 20km, climbed about 770m, and I've been on the go for about two hours and fifty minutes. Lots of stops for photos, a bathroom break, and a couple of stops to adjust clothing - there was quite a temperature difference between the summits (cold, wind) and the valleys (warm, calm) today. Spring has sprung at last ...

Enjoy!