Summer of Love 18/06/13

Loving the Summer! Went for an run about the Seat last night. It was great running in the warm evening air and stopping to take photos. Lots of folk about nodding hello and smiling, everyone in a good mood.

Very pleased with the exposure on this flower a few feet away with me lying on the top of the crags. Love the little insect and the fractal like spirals of the centre.

I checked out an alternative route to the summit that I had been thinking about since the 7 Hills. After climbing most of the (relatively new and ugly) steps of the Gutted Haddie you take a left over the top of the very slippy scree slope then its an easy scramble up the steep rock to the top. Its a more direct route than the one I took on Sunday though I really don't like the sharp stone steps on the zig zag climb to begin. There were a couple of tourists hiking up here as well. The young lady seemed to be more adventurous than her reluctant male company. There is a groove running up from the top of the Gutted Haddie travelling slightly left before you get onto more level ground. Maybe next year for the 7 Hills.

Beak under the duvet but still on the look out.

After visiting the summit I did a circuit of the top part of the hill but a bit lower down. I stopped to take some pics of a Kestrel hunting on the updrafts, and of the crags before running down to the Dry Dam then down to St Margaret's Loch. The sun was almost too low to be of use for photos but stopped to talk to the Greylags there. I was out for 90 minutes but probably less than an hour's running. Long may the Summer continue.