Pune Pootle

I've just got into Pune, India after 20+ sleepless hours of airplanes and airports ... I'm tired, I'm really tired, and I've  been having those sleep deprived surreal sensations. It's about 1PM, it's hot 30C+, and it's humid, 50%+ ... and it's time for a slow run in the sun a little along city streets but more along urban hill trails.

From the hotel I have about one mile of road work to bring me to the first short section of trails. It's a Sunday afternoon so the road here is actually pretty quiet at the moment.

Senapati Bapat Road

The trails lead up a small hill marked on maps as Hanuman Tekdi. There are a few features of note on this dusty little hill. I pass some kind of pagoda structure on the ascent. Reaching the summit I pause to take a look behind over Vetal Tekdi which is my next target today. Looking around the summit there is a shrine, and we can see lots of evidence of the excellent Green Hills Group work to improve the flora on the hills around Pune. The trails descend passing a memorial. I have disturbed some birds of prey in the trees and these are wheeling overhead at the moment. I start to wonder if they are waiting for me to drop in the heat ... perhaps I need some sleep ...

The trails leading up Hanuman Tekdi ...

... dusty rocky trails ...

... passing some kind of pagoda like structure ...

... and just a little more of a rocky dusty pull up to the summit.

Looking over to Vetal Tekdi.

There's a local project improve the flora here, these trees and bushes are carefully hand irrigated.

Summit shrine

Rocky dusty descent ...

... passing a memorial.

There are birds of prey wheeling overhead.

I complete the descent landing on BMCC Road, and after about another mile of road work I reach the trails which will take me up Vetal Tekdi. Just before the trails I meet a familiar dog - this hound chased me along this street twice last December. Today the poor thing seems too hot to bother. The trails upwards are steep, and dusty, and rocky, the leafless trees are shadeless, the ascent is hot and hard for me here. Soon another shrine is reached. The polite young men here tell me this is a shrine to the god Hanuman.

Hot dog!

The trails leading up Vetal Tekdi begin ...

... and climb steeply, dustily, rockily, shadelessly upwards ...

... to another shrine.

There is some relief as the trail levels off for a while after the shrine, alas no shade. These soon lead to a flat area where a group of lads are enjoying some Sunday afternoon cricket. They are a bit bemused and amused at the sight of me running, but they seem friendly enough, we have a bit of a laugh together. By the way, I think you can just about see, I am wearing a vest.

Level trails after the shrine to Hanuman

I come across some Sunday afternoon cricket ...

... the lads seem friendly enough.

The trails continue along gentle undulations and reach another shrine. The dusty, rocky, steep, shadeless returns for the final climb up to the top of Vetal Tekdi. There is a decaying metal watch-tower near the summit, it looks quite rickety and dangerous to me. Right on the summit is a temple of Vetala.

Another shrine, and then ...

... the dusty, rocky, shadeless steep returns ...

... and continues to the summit of Vetal Tekdi.

Decaying watch-tower near summit of Vetal Tekdi

Small temple at summit of Vetal Tekdi

This dog has the right idea!

The path descending Vetal toward the north is one of the main walking trails here so it's quite a bit wider. I see no walkers today, nor runners, just two small motorcycles. Early morning is the running time around here ... makes a lot of sense with these weather conditions. I run along the ridge past, around, and into a large disused quarry. It was lovely there inside the old quarry. The pools of water feed the flora which attract the fauna ... I was tempted to spend an hour sunning myself and enjoying the wildlife. Instead I went for a little scramble back out again.

Wider trails descending from atop Vetal.

Down into a disused quarry ...

... and a little bit of a scramble back out again.

I'm following faint trods across rough ground for a while now and come to a fence crossing, Indian style. This leads me onto paths along westerly spur of the ridge. There seems to be an enticing descent here as I look over the small Pashan and Baner hills, but I have a different route in mind today. Hopeful I'll explore this little track some morning over the next week. Looking a little more to the south bigger hills in the distance but too far away, and impossible for me in this heat anyway. Turning around to see the north-east end of the ridge and Chatturshringi Hill, my next and final target this afternoon. The vest comes off here, I need the perspiration to better cool my body, I am really over-heating now.

Indian Stile!

Looking over small Pashan and Baner hills ...

... and to bigger hills in the distance.

Looking north east toward Chatturshringi hill

Running along the ridge I pause to admire colourful blooming bushes, seem to be a bit of a rare sight in this dry dusty place at the moment. I'm seeing a couple more of those birds wheeling above, and I'm starting to feel a bit menaced ... time to wrap up this excursion. I have a steep descent of Chatturshringi hill toward the very fine Chatturshringi temple. The vest goes back on before reaching the crowds at the temple complex.

Colourful blooming bushes ...

... in a dry dusty place.

Steep descent on rough paths ...

... interesting place to park your motorbike!

Another small temple ...

... and the colourful dome of the larger Chatturshringi Temple from above and behind.

Steps at Chatturshringi Temple

Entrance to Chatturshringi Temple, off Senapati Bapat Road

There's just under a mile of road work left back to the hotel now. This was a difficult run for me today, with lack of sleep during travel, and the heat. I've done about twelve kilometers, most of that on rough paths, and climbed about three hundred meters, and that's taken me almost exactly one and three quarter hours. I suppose I did take quite a lot of photos as well! So, a difficult but rewarding outing, would have been a bit better done later in the afternoon after a couple of hours kip!

Enjoy!

Black Mount, White Hill

Brilliant sunshine on an early February Saturday afternoon. The Six Nations has started, Wales will play Ireland, but I am distracted from rugby by thoughts of running in the hills. I've spent a morning of family grocery shopping dithering about where to go today ... Tinto and the Paps of Fife are on my mind at the moment ... but I'm in no mood for the drive to these places today. I settle on Black Mount and White Hill near Dolphinton, just west of the A702.

I suppose Black Mount is a southern outlier of the Pentland Hills range. It's covered in dense dark heather, so perhaps that's the origin of the name. White Hill is a little sister of Black Mount. It's covered in tussocky grass, and next to Black Mount it does look white.

Black Mount and White Hill, from the road to Garvald

These hills are very much less visited than the main Pentland summits to the north. Folk are missing out. Black Mount is isolated and on a clear day the 360 views are fantastic. I remember a family walking trip here in September 2011, it was great. We parked in Dolphinton, climbed White Hill where we stopped for a mid-morning snack, then up Black Mount and picnic time. The route involved more road work than I'd like today ...

I start from the north west on the road to Walston, there is just about enough room for a couple of cars to pull in opposite the entrance to a track near Westfield Farm. There are no other cars here today. I'll be surprised if I see a single person on these hills today. The track leads up into the heart of Black Mount.

The beginning ...

... along a farm track ...

... which leads into the heart of this hill.

Little do I know at the time, but I will return along this track later today. For now, I have turned off the track, crossed a pleasant little burn, and ascend on rough ground, steep after crossing the burn.

Pretty little burn ...

... followed by steep ascent on rough ground.

I pause to take a look back along the farm track and Dunsyre Hill. I am thinking to myself, that's a really pretty looking little hill, I'm going to run there one day soon. After some puffing and heaving ascent, and bit of a traverse, I look out over the flat top of Borland Hill. I had planned to go over there today, but, well, runs don't always go to plan.

Looking back along the farm track and pretty Dunsyre Hill

The flat top of Boland Hill

I'm in search of a feature marked on the OS Explorer map "Walston Well (Chalybeate)". I don't think I'd ever come across this word 'chalybeate'. I had to look it up in a dictionary - apparently an adjective meaning "of or denoting natural mineral springs containing iron salts". I'm following the course of another pretty little burn in search of this well. I do not find a well, but never mind, it's been lovely dancing and scrambling along these stream beds.

I realise I've come too far to the west, I've descended too much. The well hunt abandoned, I turn for the ascent of Black Mount. I remain far from the few footpaths, sometimes I can pick up a small stretch of old ATV track, but most of the time I am on rough ground or sheep track. There are patches of frozen snow lingering on the hillside. The place is mostly frozen, the ground is mostly frozen, a mixed blessing. I am not up to my ankles in wet marsh here, good, but the rough frozen ground is twisting and testing my ankles, not so good.

Thank you, you wonderful sheep!

Small patches of frozen snow linger on the hill side.

The summit comes into sight ...

... and for a brief while good ground underfoot.

The summit is soon reached. The trig point here has seen better days! Visibility is excellent and Black Mount does not dissappoint today  :-)

The trig has seen better days!

Pentland Hills

In the distance, snow capped monroes

Tinto!

Culter Fells

Broughton Marilyns

There is a chill wind here blowing from the west and my left cheek is a little bit frozen. No time to linger, I descend Black Mount toward White Hill. The water here is frozen, just like the earth. Just before the descent steepens there is a spur to the right. I find the name amusing - Windlestraw Top.

Descending summit of Black Mount on frozen ground ....

... the water is frozen as well.

Windlestraw Top

White Hill appears below and soon a steep descent to Charlie's Bower. I'm loving this descent, leaping bounding dancing whooping sliding ... ah I'm in my crazy little heaven here.

View of little White Hill below

Fun descent to Charlie's Bower

There is a small stone cairn summit marker on top of White Hill where I pause a moment to look back at Black Mount. I descend on rough grass tussocks to the north west onto a farm track which leads me back to Charlie's Bower.

Summit marker on White Hill

View back toward Black Mount

Views descending White Hill on rough grass tussocks, to the south west ...

.... and to the north west

The farm track leads back to Charlie's Bower

Here I cross fences again and start the last section of today's excursion. I am traversing around Windlestraw Top, over the saddle with Newholm Hill, and down into the valley back onto the track where I started a almost a couple of hours ago this afternoon.

Looking back at White Hill after Charlie's Bower

The path traversing around Windlestraw Top

Down into the valley ...

... and onto the track where I started earlier this afternoon.

It was great to get out somewhere a bit less familiar on this splendid sunny afternoon. Maybe a bit of a shame I didn't have much success on the chalybeate well hunt, but the hunt meant I had unexpected fun along the side of an exquisite little burn. Then the unwanted re-ascent got tough, rough, sections of narrow sheep track here and there offered some relief ... but there was not enough running and too much walking here for my taste ... I guess the lesson is that's what to expect if you will travel the path less trod.

There were times today which were wonderful, and times which were horrible. Hard going, and slow going, and today hard to control breath on the ascent ... maybe something to do with horrible chesty cough and head cold I've suffered this week. I just about managed a distance of 10.3km, with a climb of 550m, in 1:56:04 ... oh well, chances are, it'll be better the next time.

Now I've mentioned the next time ... this time next Saturday I'll be en route to Pune, India. Last time I was over there I had great fun running hill trails in the city. This time I plan to take the camera, so I hope I'll have at least one chance at a photo-plod to share :)

Enjoy!