On the Tuesday after the Seven Hills, I went for a slightly longer run. If you just read the race report: I'll be a bit more brief this time and mostly share pictures.
The Route
My plan was to start in Strathyre, go to Stùc a' Chroin via Creag a Mhadaidh and Beinn Each, then make a small loop over the summit of Ben Vorlich back to Stùc a' Chroin. After that mostly downhill to Callander, where I was staying.
For the first part of the run I consulted the route of the Stùc a' Chroin Hill Race, though I opted for a more gradual ascent over forest roads to start with. Hill races have a tendency to take a direct line to the top and I prefer to start with less steep climbing to warm the legs up first.
The navigation went quite well. I did lose sight of some of the paths I was on, but looking back I never deviated far from my intended route (which I had loaded into my watch).
Creag a' Mhadaidh
Not sure if this peak is well known or not. Spotted the name on the map and I would pass it regardless. Most of the rain had passed when I started at noon, just some drizzle here and there. Mostly though the paths were wet and surrounding vegetation made it impossible to keep my legs dry. Also: fog.
Nice gradual ascent to start with
Might be where I'm heading, hard to tell in the fog
After a while I had to leave the easy wide road, and took a narrow path towards a fence. From then on I could follow the fence and do a little off road to the top of Craeg a' Madhaidh. Still fresh it went quite well and just under one hour I reached my first summit of the day.
Creag a' Madhaidh
Not sure if this burn above was supposed to be the path, perhaps I lost the way altogether. The downhill quickly became off road for me. I knew there was a wider path at the bottom, so it wasn't worrying. Just meant it took me a bit longer to descend as the wet grassy slopes were quite slippery.
First sheep of the day
Looking back during one of the less cloudy moments
Beinn Each
Not sure why this one is named "Beinn" rather than "Ben", but to each their own I guess. Very steep uphill with an easy to miss path. So I found myself a bit lower than I should be and did a wee scramble to make up altitude.
Off path here
But it did offer a nice view
Not able to run the steep bits I noticed a butterfly
(inspired Peter Buchanan)
Higher up the path was a lot more visible and I made my way to Beinn Each. Noting that the summit of Stùc a' Chroin was covered in fog, I enjoyed the views I had as much as possible.
Clear and visible path, no problems here
Stùc a' Chroin
Spectacular views are hard to capture with a (phone) camera
Stùc a' Chroin (1)
No major navigational errors on the way to Stùc a' Chroin. Even though at some point it was hard to see more than a few feet in front of me.
Technical path, yet easy to follow
Frog didn't dare to move. Thought himself invisible.
Looking back to Bein Each
Summit!
Over three hours in, this dog walker was the first person I encountered
For some reason Stùc a' Chroin gets two cairns
Ben Vorlich
Next stop was to be Ben Vorlich. The whole run (if I could still call it that, as I'd been moving rather slowly) was taking longer than expected, but I didn't want to miss out. Legs felt fresh enough, I mostly lost time by missing paths or taking extra care on slippy parts. So when it turned out I had good reception on the top, I texted my friends that I'd be late. Glad I didn't shorten my route, as I wouldn't have wanted to miss these sheep in the fog.
After a steep downhill scramble got me out of the fog, I went back in climbing Ben Vorlich. My second munro of the day and the highest point I would reach.
White stripe running through various part of rock
Rather chilly up there so I donned my new hat.
Almost lost it due to the wind.
Almost lost it due to the wind.
"I searched up on the mountaintops, it wasn't there"
Stùc a' Chroin (2)
On the way back to Stùc a' Chroin I passed another walker. Only the second person I saw after roaming the hills for almost five hours. It wouldn't be until I reached a farm road that I'd encounter more people.
Why hello there
Still foggy on the Stùc a Chroin summit(s)
It was mostly downhill from here. In a good way. Finally I could run at a somewhat decent speed again, and I was keen to make up some time. Dinner was calling. I had plenty of food with me, but craved a warm meal.
The last bit was rather uneventful, over tarmac. Roads I was already familiar with, as we walked there the day before.
In the end it took me 7 hours and 10 minutes to cover a little under 34 kilometres. Might have been more of a walk than a run. Doesn't matter, I have seen a lot of the hills and enjoyed pretty much every moment of it. The fog may have blocked some views, but also added some mystique to it. Hardly any rain, a great day out.
---
Link to Strava (moving time under 5 hours, without really long stops, meaning I was too slow for it to count as moving at various points).
well done!
ReplyDelete