Hermitage and Blackford Hill 10k Trail recce

The same team who put on Scurry to the Sea have organised a Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill 10k Trail Run (plus 5k, plus kids fun run) on the 9th Dec. I ran a recce of the course on the 28th Oct taking pics on the way round. It is one of my favourite places to run in town and the race route covers all of the best trails in that area. There are quite a lot of ups and downs but that makes it more fun, doesn't it? So, not a pb course but very pretty and lots of fun. Here's how it looks. I'm told there will be plenty of marshals at all of the turns, and there are a lot, so you probably don't have to memorise this, but if you want to try it out before race day, these photos might help... 

It starts at the large house a few hundred yards in from the Braidvalley side of things. It then heads back towards that entrance, crosses the wee stream that runs through the middle of the Hermitage and you run back down the other side of the stream on lovely paths until the doocot where you hit the first (thankfully short) steep climb.

first proper up-hill

If you have run the 7 Hills you may recognise this bit.
However the course turns left and heads downhill towards the duckpond.

rather than follow the main path we go left up this path...

then a right turn at the top and down to the pond

keep heading in the same direction past the pond and
up the long drag towards the observatory

Long steep hill

take a sharp right when you see the observatory buildings

rather than climb up the main hill head right into the bushes on this single track trail

At least you get some respite from the climb

but not for long

more up before going back round to the main path upwards

this is around the 2 mile mark

all the way to highest point of the route

turn around at the trig point and head back downhill veering right

large descent

still descending

until the turn around and a more gentle ascent 

before descending this superb trail through the trees

slight climb again - watch out for small gap in wall 

and tiny trail doubling back through trees

sharp left through wall here

more great descent and rolling trail down towards the stream

I think the 5k route heads back towards the finish while the 10k route 

heads downstream to cross at the Howe Dean Path

The Howe Dean Path - cross the bridge and head back up right

last long gradual ascent

I think there may be some extra yards inserted here to make the (currently 6 mile) course up to 10k, before turning back towards the Lang Linn Path (the one you go down in the 7 Hills.)

Afer Lang Linn turn left and follow the high trail along through 

the trees until it descends towards the Braidvalley entrance.

Nice fast descending before a flat sprint to the line!

turn right and dash a short distance overtaking folk all the way to the line!

finish back here

Course profile (worst stuff in first couple of miles)
3 main climbs with pleasant descents

map

I thought the course was testing but in delightful surroundings. Fingers crossed for weather like we had for the recce.

Entries here