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!

Park Life: March 2, 2013

Yesterday, a sumptuous Saturday afternoon of splendiferous sunshine, and a couple of hours free in the afternoon.

I want to head down to Tinto Hill near Biggar for a long scree run, or up to the Paps of Fife, but I don't have time for the drive, so I've decided to have a bit of a romp around Holyrood Park. This place really is one of the jewels of Edinburgh.

The most prominent feature, of course, is the little hill Arthur's Seat which stands at a height of 251 metres. It's a very popular walk with locals and tourists alike, the footpaths and summit can be crowded. There are a few smaller tops as well ... Nether Hill, Crow Hill, Dunsapie Crag, Whinny Hill and the charmingly named Haggis Knowe. Throw in a bit of running above and below Salisbury Crags, and you can get a decent wee bit of a hill run here - right in the city centre and just a few minutes from the afternoon shopping crowds!

Salisbury Crags and Arthur's Seat, seen from Regent Road

I'm starting at the eastern end of the park, from the car park near the Meadowbank entrance. The route immediately takes me around St. Margaret's Loch a pretty pond and very popular with families feeding the birds.

The beginning, through trees near the Meadowbank entrance.

St Margaret's Loch ...

... a nice place to feed the birds.

Leaving the pond behind I'm running underneath Salisbury Crags on some nice soft earth and soon I start to climb. There's a grassy area ahead of me which might not look much in the photograph, but it's a good place for hill sprint interval training. Toward the top of this stretch I have a great view of Arthur's Seat ahead, and the crags behind.

Running below Salisbury Crags ...

... on some nice soft earth.

Good grassy stretch for hill sprints!

Lovely views of Arthur's Seat in front ...

... and sun on Salisbury Crags behind.

In a moment I reach the bottom of the Gutted Haddie between Arthur's Seat and the southern end of Salisbury Crags. I'm making a left here for a rocky run around over the top of the crags, then I'll return to this place on soft paths through Hunter's Bog.

Rocky running around the tops of Salisbury Crags ...

... softer going on the paths through Hunter's Bog.

The views from the tops of the crags are as wonderful of course. To the south Pentland Hills, Caerketton, Allermuir, ... aah! To the north the Port of Leith, the Firth of Forth, and beyond the Paps of Fife. To the west, the castle, and Corstorphine Hill behind.

Pentland Hills

Port of Leith, Firth of Forth, Paps of Fife

Edinburgh Castle, Corstorphine Hill

To the northern end of the crags I descend at speed and make a right into Hunter's Bog. Soon the climb back up toward the Gutted Haddie appears, it's a bit steeper going on this side of the Crags. The most popular route up to Arthur's Seat is on a stone staircase which zig-zags steeply toward the summit. I prefer a smaller path through the gorse to the left, it's a nice traverse for a couple of minutes, leading to another stone staircase (very slippery when wet). First I must stop for some footwear and clothing adjustments.The insole of my right shoe is creeping up my heel. I am too hot, my shirt is stuffed into the bug bag. I am now running bare chested in early March, in Scotland, and I'm still sweating ... unbelievable.

Hunter's Bog

Climb back toward Gutted Haddie

Stone staircase zig-zag path up the hill ...

... but I prefer a traverse through the gorse ...

... leading to another stone staircase

The summit is soon reached and is very crowded as expected, there is a trig point hidden in this bunch. The folk here seem a bit surprised to see a bloke wearing only a tiny pair of shorts ... someone takes a photograph. The views from here are excellent of course, but I can't get clear sight of anything much with these crowds. I take a look to Nether Hill and Crow Hill, and into the gulley down which I will scramble to escape.

Summit of Arthur's Seat with trig point obscured by crowds

Lightly clad old bloke surprises locals and tourists.

Nether Hill

Crow Hill

Escape route

It's just a moment from here to the grassy top of Nether Hill with a pause to look back over the summit of Arthur's Seat, and then after another moment the rocky top of Crow Hill. From here a descent toward Dunsapie Loch and Crag. The descent is steep here, great fun today ... in the dark of the night when it rains, not so much. Dunsapie Loch is a pretty little place and there's another car park area here. The small platform on the loch is for nesting swans. I often scramble up Dunsapie Crag but today I'm going to run up a short steep path to the grassy flat top. In front of me now my next ascent up to Whinny Hill.

Crowds on Arthur's Seat summit area, viewed from Nether Hill

Dunsapie Loch and Crag, viewed from Crow Hill

Steep fast descent of Crow Hill ...

... leading to pretty little Dunsapie Loch.

Short steep ascent to ...

... the grassy flat top of Dunsapie Crag.

Whinny Hill, viewed from Dunsapie Crag

The sides and top of Whinny Hill are a network of paths through gorse and half an hour spent running around these little paths is always half an hour well spent. Today I can only spare a few minutes of fun exploring here, and stopping to capture a few lovely views ... over the north-east of the city, the Firth of Forth, and North Berwick Law in the distance ... looking down to little Dunsapie Crag with Lammermuirs and Moorfoots on the horizon.

Footpaths through the gorse on Whinny Hill

North-east Edinburgh, Firth of Forth, and North Berwick Law in the distance

Looking down to Dunsapie Crag, Lammermuirs and Moorfoots on the horizon

I make a fast descent along the Long Row and Dry Dam to the remains of St Anthony's Chapel. This ruin stands above St Margaret's Loch and the car park I left about an hour and a quarter ago. I am not done yet, I have one more top to climb on this journey, it's little Haggis Knowe below. I've never been up this little lump of rock before, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the view toward Holyrood Palace, the Parliament, with Calton Hill behind.

Long Row and Dry Dam

St Anthony's Chapel

Dunsapie Loch, viewed from the ruin

Haggis Knowe

Holyrood Palace, Parliament, Calton Hill behind

I'm heading over the fields on the other side of the road for a moment now for a brief trip down memory Lane. Less than ten years ago I used to live in the second floor of one of these gorgeous old stone tenement buildings on the edge of the park. The view from my living room window was wonderful ... I', thinking to myself, I wish I'd been running back then.

Royal Park Terrace ... was a good place to live ...

... with great views from the front windows.

It's time to head over the fields back to the car park. Mine is the red one :-) Loving the sight of the the chapel with the sun behind!

Mine is the red one :-)

What a wonderful happy time I've had this afternoon. I've run up and down and around and over the tops of Holyrood Park for an hour and a half. I've covered a distance of just over 10km, and climbed an ascent of just under 450m. For me, a decent wee bit of a hill run. I've spent about ten minutes savouring the sights and shooting lots of lovely photographs - about half of them shared with you here. Now I must dash home and barbecue some steak before sunset (yum!).

Enjoy!