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!

Tinto Trot

This morning I heading off for a bit of a trot on Tinto Hill near Biggar. Tinto is a charmer, an outlier of the Southern Uplands standing alone at a height of 711m (2,333ft), on a clear day the views are magnificent. Today Tinto stands tall in the low clouds and snowfall.

I'm on the "tourist route", the most popular walking route, starting at the car park area behind the tea room on the A73. Tinto is somewhere high up there in the mist and cloud. There is a very large cairn on top of Tinto, and a local tradition is to carry a stone up Tinto and leave it on the cairn. I have my stone here, just a small one today.

Tinto Hill Tea Room

The beginning, the summit is somewhere high up there

I collect a small stone for the summit cairn

I meet a few groups of walkers descending in the earlier sections of ascent. The reports of visibility (poor) and drifting (deep) have me wondering whether or not to continue. I decide to continue. I've been here a few times now and it's a simple path to follow.

The path seems easy enough to follow here ...

... and here at least the walkers have left footprints ...

... but soon visibility is down to a few feet.

The snow is getting deep and visibility is poor, but hey ho, at least the walkers have made a path through the snow for me to follow.

Snow getting deeper ...

... but the walkers have left a path for me here.

I can follow this little channel through the snow, and I'm ascending, so this is good. However, with so little visibility I don't have a clear mental picture of how close I am to the summit. Then a fence appears in the mist to my right, and soon another to my left, and I know I'm on the last short steep haul to the summit. The large summit cairn comes into sight. The thing on top is a viewfinder. The cairn is surrounded by small shelters, excellent places for a picnic, except perhaps not today! The stiles and fences are covered in ice and snow. I come through some deeper drifting around the back of the cairn heading toward the trig point. I need to head back down now, but I have on thing left to do up here beforehand. It's that stone I've been carrying, I need to place it atop the cairn. I also take a quick look at the viewfinder, although it's not much use at the moment.

Summit cairn with viewfinder plinth

Stone shelters around the cairn

Ice and snow covered stile and fences

Stepping through deeper drifting around the cairn ...

... heading toward the trig point.

I must place my stone on top of the cairn.

The viewfinder on top of the cairn

Time to descend now, and perhaps a visit to the warmth of the tea room. I've counted the number of groups of walkers I've met on descent ... one greater than the number of cars in the car park as I started. It is very probable that I am up here alone at this time. There is a smaller cairn on the way down, if I remember correct this is about the half way mark, I can just find it in the snow now, I didn't see it at all on the way up. The visibility and conditions continue to "impress", but hey ho, I'm happy, it's a lot easier and faster now that I'm descending. In what feels like just a couple of minutes as I descend the clouds are becoming thinner and visibility is improving. I can make out the distinctive ring shapes of the iron age fort below. I meet a solo walker ascending, brief conversation of conditions higher up, and a photograph.

Small cairn about half way

Visibility and conditions underfoot continue to impress ...

... but before long as I descend the cloud is thinner

I can make out the ring shape of the iron age fort below

Descending toward the fort

I detour off the path at the fort to run around the rings and take some pictures of sheep. Returning to the car park I find a mountain biker getting ready to head off up the hill. He has a specialist bike!

Sheep at the fort ...

... more sheep at the fort

Specialist mountain bike at the car park.

That was an interesting excursion today. I've gone 7.7km and climbed just under 500m, in somewhat difficult conditions. I've been on the go for just under 1:25, it's been tough, and I feel great. I'll be here again some clear day to capture the panorama. Now, just time for a nice hot mug of tea.

Enjoy!

Snow-clad Capelaw Caper

Snowing in Edinburgh again this morning, I was let out for an hour of happy scampering over a few of the lesser Pentland Hills.

I set out from the small car park at Bonaly country park ascending around the north side of White Hill. There are fresh studmarks in the snow here - two runners must have descended on this path already today. The short steep climb soon gives way to boggy marshy ground before the ascent of Capelaw. I have a big smile on my happy old face as my eyes feast on the views of Allermuir Hill and Capelaw.

The beginning at Bonaly Country Park

Ascent around the north side White Hill

Allermuir Hill

Capelaw

The ascent of Capelaw is not difficult and a friendly walker takes a couple of photographs for me. The views from the summit take away what is left of my breath ... the Kips, Scald Law, Carnethy Turnhouse ... I'm heading for Harbour Hill. The descending run along Capelaw in this direction is often waterlogged but today is largely frozen. The conditions here are superb. Then at the short steep section ending the descent the weather turns and a brief heavy snow shower. I turn to look up at Turnhouse and Carnethy but for the moment these hills have dissapeared.

Ascent of Capelaw

Ascent of Capelaw

The beauty of snow, sun, clouds and hills

Looking toward Harbour Hill

The weather tuns and a brief heavy snow shower

For the moment the distant hills have dissapeared

The ascent of Harbour Hill is short and sharp and my feet are sliding away beneath me - even the PB's have no traction here today. I realize that underneath this thin layer of snow there must be a thicker layer of ice, and soon find patches where the wind has blown the snow away to drift elsewhere. Reaching the indistinct summit of Harbour Hill the shower is over and visibility is good again. I'm going to descend to the left of the reservoir. I'm delighted to find that for the first few minutes the snow here is soft and fresh, the only footprints here are mine. The path alongside the trees here is very often very boggy. Today there is a frozen crust, which is not always strong enough to bear the weight of my footfall ... I'm whooping and laughing every time my foot crashes through and squirts muddy water over my legs.

Beneath the snow ... ice ...

The shower soon ends and sumptuous views are restored

I'll descend to the left of Bonaly Reservoir

The only footprints here are mine in fresh soft snow

The frozen crust here often breaking as my foot strikes

I have a few minutes to spare before I need to be back at the car park so I've decided to take a short diversion over little Torduff Hill. There are some fun routes up this little rocky hill which involve easy scrambling, today I'm on a running route. It's just a short haul up to the top, and once more the views today have me smiling and laughing to myself with the simplest happiness. I turn to face White Hill, where I climbed just under an hour ago. Camera away now, time is running out, down from Torduff hill, and back to the car park.

Little Torduff Hill

On top of Torduff Hill ...

... overlooking Torduff Reservoir ...

... and toward White Hill.

That was a short run for me today, just 6.6km distance and 330m climbed, a couple of minutes under the hour ... but it was a wonderful happy smiley run. I think, perhaps, sometimes the snow does a little bit bring out the child in me.

Enjoy!