Pentland parasailing

[superstar_tradesman]

This was a fine, if wild and sometimes wet run over the northern Pentlands from Castlelaw Fort car park, and a long-overdue blue pin for Allermuir Hill. I must have got close to the top during various orienteering races, but this was definitely my first visit to the summit.

Another lonely trip back from the airport, so I needed a run to occupy myself. Even though there were plenty of showers and the wind was forecast to hit 40mph+ from the southwest, I still wanted to get up high rather than skulk about in a valley trail. I figured a start from the Castlelaw Fort car park and a clockwise route would give me a relatively easy ascent mostly out of the wind, and then I'd be blown along the ridge to Caerketton, before ducking down to the sheltered eastern slopes, hoping I could find some paths parallel to the A702 that would return me to the car.

It worked out pretty much as planned—there was construction work going on up Castlelaw Hill, and the MOD red flags were flying, so this gave me an excuse to avoid the steep path to Castlelaw's summit and stick to the vehicle track north towards Allermuir.

Red flag, Black Hill

The track north over the flank of Castlelaw Hill

Branching off onto the path up the final slopes, I'm not sure I've ever run so fast up a hill, thanks to the gales pushing me up and over and nearly into orbit on the other side as my running jacket billowed. I hunkered down in front of Allermuir's stone viewfinder for a couple of photos before continuing east, leaning into the wind as it tried to send me to Fife.

Rainbow over Edinburgh

The way to Caerketton was alternately being blown up slopes with giant strides, and being reduced to a breathless plod everytime the path turned into the wind. Occasionally I hung onto the boundary fence for protection, but I was soon over the top of Caerketton and down the other side. I hadn't planned a descent route, but at the bottom of the steep N slope, there's a signpost to Boghall, which I knew was on my route back, so I followed that path E down to some trees, and another rough, stony and slippy path that contoured round and eventually dropped down to a track just above Boghall farm.

The way back to the car, through the lower line of trees below Woodhouselee Hill

At this point I knew I needed to cross the burn but wasn't sure exactly where, so I decided to go direct, and picked a way between bog and bush across the burn, climbing back up to the fence at the edge of a field. At this point, I spotted a Pentland Path waymark post, which pointed the way round the edge of the field, through a lovely band of mature trees. From here back to Castlelaw was a case of following the frequent waymark posts, along a very pleasant, undulating faint path alongside fields and through stands of trees, several gates each of which seemed to have its own unique opening system. (or maybe by this point my brain and hands were no longer talking to each other).

Monument in the trees

Having sat in the car for 20 minutes psyching myself up to get out, I'm glad I did. It was stormy, but pretty mild, and it was lovely to have these hills to myself today