frostacular

Thursday 31st January was just superb! Mary had noticed the forecast was unusually good and that it coincided with her day off. I okayed my absence with a client and we headed to Hillend hoping the cold but sunny and windless day would hold, and that the snow wouldn't be too icy underfoot. It turned out to be perfect conditions and we spent the day running across the Pentlands, high on coffees and shouting about how lucky we were to be able to drop everything and catch this fabulous landscape in perfect conditions.

We stepped out the Berlingo at 11am from the lower Hillend car park and didn't return for over 5 hrs. That did include a coffee and cake stop at the Flotterstone Cafe but also about 16.5 hilly miles of fun and messing about. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and it was just ideal for running and taking photos. That said neither of us really captured the magically coloured sparkling that follows you around all day as the sun reflects and refracts off the ice crystals. (Trying to avoid the cliché Winter Wonderland!)

geese

photo Mary

We started out following the Skyline route, up the side of the ski slope then a straight line to Allemuir and over to Castlelaw and down to Flotterstone. The lack of wind made it more pleasant than we had anticipated and we felt warm and slightly overdressed. I was wearing 3 layers - thin Helly, thick woolly Helly and tech t-shirt on top. And 2 pairs shorts and 2 pairs of gloves. Just a buff on my head but I was carrying more hats, gloves and a jacket in my back pack. The frost and snow underfoot was never deep or wet and mostly the mud was frozen hard.

Looking back into town from Allermuir we could see a haar behind Arthur's Seat and along the Forth Basin which thinned out between Edinburgh and Port Seton but stayed in place all day between us and the Ochils across the water. You could only see the tops of the 3 bridges at Queensferry.

"waffle" fences for Mark J

On the way over to Castlelaw we stopped to take pics of the grasses and heather crowned with snow and frost crystals. I'm not sure these photos do it justice and it was cold lying down to get pics! We passed a woman who responded to my cheery "hello" and "it's a glorious day" with what sounded like an almost sarcastic and monotone "stunning." There is no accounting for some folk I thought, but maybe I got her tone wrong as she too knelt down where we had been taking photos and got out a camera. 

camera getting overexcited about the dazzle

very bright streetlamp on Castlelaw

Turnhouse looking Alp-like

Part of Mary's plan to start at Hillend was to get a few miles in then refuel at Flotterstone.
Please note cafe is closed for 2 weeks from now till mid Feb. (Refurb.)

blue tit tennis ball

superbly curated trees halfway up Turnhouse
(coffee must have been kicking in.)

photo Mary

photo Mary

This photo not only features the trig point of Scald Law, but between Mary and the

 trig point is the rising mound of Carnethy summit about a mile behind.

I was slightly disappointed we weren't going to do the kips as well today, (they make for good pics back along the ridge) but the boss said we had to descend towards the Howe and then do the hills on the other side - Black Hill back along to Allermuir etc.

There were loads of interesting things going on in the stream that travels along the valley. I stopped for a while to take pics. The waterfall was a grubby looking frozen murky colour but the stream was partly frozen over with dark water under blobs and shards of ice.

further up the path seeping water had frozen over the stones

As we climbed Black Hill we could see the furrows for what I imagine is new tree planting. There is a deer fence to stop deer eating the new trees when they appear. It will also inconvenience those doing the direct line for a 7 reservoirs swim route although it may be possible to follow the main contouring path round Black Hill further; round to the edge of the fence.

from Threipmuir over to the Ochils

Harperrig Res in the distance

from Black Hill to Bell's Hill

Bell's Hill summit markers

Mary bounds up Harbour Hill like a Spring lamb.

bridges in haar

I shouted across to Mary, who had stopped to take photos, to ask if she could remain motionless while I positioned Longannet power station chimney on top of her head. Nothing clever about that I hear you say, but it was across a fair distance. (taken from position of photo below)

And so we finished where we had started out. We had spent more than 5 glorious hours running about the snowy peaks and almost burned off the calorific content of that chocolate cake in the cafe. Nearly felt guilty about posting pics on social media, since most folk don't have the luxury of walking out their jobs midweek because the sun is shining. And others, (Mark), were stuck on trains travelling back from cancelled flights not due to get home till after 11pm. Sometimes you just get lucky. We certainly appreciated it. 

Caerketton, Allermuir, Castlelaw, cafe break, Turnhouse Carnethy, Scald Law,
Black Hill, Bell's Hill, Harbour Hill, Capelaw, Allermuir, Caerketton.

Skyline minus S Black Hill and Kips / Drove Rd, Hare Hill
Plus a bit extra at Flotterstone and up/down to lower car park at Hillend.
16.5 miles, about 6,000'