Dumgoyne

Driving out I couldn't figure why the hills behind the distillery were silver. After last nights rain, got up to a clear blue sky, almost sorry to have a short run this week in prep for next weeks Stuc. First time I've tried this run since last October, running from the distillery over Dumgoyne hill and along to the trig point at the Earls Seat. Crossed the style and started running, how far up could I run? Crossed the next pair of styles through the mud, getting steeper now, kept picking away but had to start walking short of the grassy ramp up to the boulders. Second check, 26 mins 40 secs to the top. I had passed a few a few flecks of snow on the way up and as I reached the top I could see the hills behind had taken a dump of snow.

Good fun running off Dumgoyne, a bit slippy at first, then the short scree chute lets you fly down to the bottom. Running up Gairloch hill into the snow following some footprints along the trail, these soon turn off leaving only sheep tracks. Working hard in the snow eventually reaching the small cairn marking the summit and the cold wind blowing across the moor soon cools me down. The sheep tracks veer off and leave the trail, now running over pristine snow in the sun, things could be worse. I can see the trig point in the distance, it seems to take an age to get there as the trail sweeps round past the cairn in an undulating arc. One last uphill stretch and I'm there, pause to take in the views before the run back.

Easier run back along, good fun, the snow smooths the worst of the tussocks and even the swampy bits are more or less frozen. Soon I'm running down towards Dumgoyne and the ground turns back to muddy brown. Finish in just over two hours, some more pictures here.