Hill Runners Endure Autumn Sunshine
October 9th, 2009Suntan lotion and enough fluid were required safety equipment as much as fleeces and waterproofs at the September hill run. A group of four set off from the forestry car park at Cardrona through the dappled sunshine of a glorious autumn morning. The climb was steady and the scene delightful as we chatted our way steadily upwards. The highlight for some was when we overtook a mountain biker as she pretended to stop – we all knew she was well beaten though. Not that we were at all competitive or anything.
After some forty five minutes or so we emerged from the trees to the open hillside. A short further climb then a brief descent however, and the nature of the running changed abruptly. Our path veered off to the right, and the way ahead was up what appeared as a near vertical wall of heather. Running was out of the question; just walking was quite tough enough as we struggled through the embraces of the undergrowth. We managed to find some recently burned areas and after eventually joined a familiar looking track coming in from our left. The angle eased gradually, and a few more minutes of jogging brought us to the summit of Birks Hill.
The views were stunning as we lay in the sunshine munching jelly babies and drinking fluid. Pictures were taken, and a debate had about whether to continue another mile or so to the true summit of Birks Cairn hill. Bodies were willing, but time was short, so we agreed to turn tail and head back to civilisation. Our descent confirmed that the climb through the heather could have been avoided by staying with the track which proved to be a “sporting” line of descent.
Astonishingly, my timing was perfect as just a few minutes further on we met the leading runners in the Two Breweries race. It was concerning to see some of the later runners already looking tired with still some 5,500ft of ascent and 15 miles to go! For us however, it was practically all downhill. We re-entered the forest and descended through dappled sunlight along tracks and paths to the car. After a quick dip in the stream for the dogs and myself we headed back to Gala; knowing that many of the runners still had two or three hours of hard graft ahead of them.
The next run will be on Oct 24th – so get your sun hats out, and join us at 9am at Gala pool!
Paul Morris
