Stayed the weekend at edinburgh with my sister ,ian and nephews and niece...
saturday ian took me out a cycle over the eastern pentlands...
myself riding while ian a competent and experianced hill runner went on foot...
the route he took us gave some interesting stats and comparisons between hill running and mountainbiking...
parked at castlelaw hillfort...
beside the MOD ranges...
the hillfort is of historic importance...
with imformative signs...
the original time team?...
a 1200 year old earth house...
which would have once looked like this...
setting off we headed for castle law hill up a very steep landrover track...
we were about the same pace up here,i was down to 2nd lowest gear and it was hard going on the steep bits...and it was hot that didnt help...
least the views east were good,bit of a haze out to the coast but clear and hot here...
then ian cut direct up a fence line for the summit and sent me on to take a landrover track around and up the northern side of the hill...
as the picture shows this was really steep,dry and loose underfoot and i had to hike-a-bike up...even my feet were slipping with the steepness...then i spied a singletrack trail in the heather and things got easier to push until near the top and i rode up to meet ian who was there just before me...12 minutes according to his stop watch...
cracking view over glencourse and loganlea resovoir`s...
next we set off again for the towering Allermuir hill...i set off ahead enjoying a seriously steep descent and while in the heather singletrack grip was ok it was sliding about further down on the loose rubble track until i could let off the brakes and really fly down to the main track...
Allermuir Hill ahead...
i was way ahead of ian now as i tore down the landy track and over the cattlegrid followed his instructions and climbed up the singletrack along a fence line up to the summit,down the gears until none left and again a hike-a-bike up to the top...
i pushed up having to stop for a breather and pictures...as ian started to catch up again...
and we reached the summit at the same time...again it took 12 minutes!...
some walkers had just left and we had the views to ourselves...
and what views...
north across Edinburgh to arthurs seat...
to the west...
and to the east over Caerketton Hill...
and south back to Castle Law and the track we descended...
i took advantage of the trig point and ian there to get a pic i have wanted for a while...wasnt easy to do in the strong wind!...
we then descended a steep grassy trail down to climb over Capelaw Hill to near Bonaly resovoir you can see the quad track of the trail ...
again a short very steep climb and a bit hike-a-bike then over the top on the grassy way i caught back up with ian who had easily passed me on the climb...
we rode/ran together for a bit before he sent me ahead to enjoy the descent down to a track junction...nice view over Bonaly resovoir before the descent...
ian arrived and guess what?...yep 12 minutes again to get here!...
we followed a trail along the east side of the woods at Bonaly resovoir until another juncton of trails...
and had a few minutes breather as i held the gate for two horse riders...
then again following ians directions i kept right and had a cracking descent down a dried out rutted track to an old water pump house...
i got a few minutes breather before ian arrived...
which i needed for the track ahead back to Castlelaw fort and car park...what a stinker climb!...i had to bike-a-hike it for a few minutes after spinning out beside some 2 feet wash out ruts on the track then once near the bend i could ride again...
by the time the cattlegrid came into view we passed earlier ian was half way up the hill,it was back down to low gears up the climb then after that all down hill on the landy track..i soon caught up with ian and we chatted abit before he encouraged me to go ahead and enjoy the descent...which i did!...
that was a harder route for myself to cycle than ian to run...usually he dosnt stop!,
i have always had alot of respect for hill runners (fell runners in england and wales) as it is so basic...just a decent pair of running shoes and away you go...
we go mountainbiking or walking with enough stuff packed into a back pack for any weather etc... and these guys just have a T shirt,shorts and socks/shoes..no water nothing and run for miles into the hills...2 hours for ian with out water...
and when it comes to steep ascents like today they make it look easy...hats off to all of them...
i think it also is the most basic instinct of sports that goes back to early man running down animals for food...
we went to morrisons though for food and beer and a fish supper to eat out in the garden in the roasting evening heat...
that was a short but hard workout so was nice after dinner to take the gang out cycling and stretch off...its great there old enough to go out on there own now...
the boys friends all turned up and i followed a gang of mini mountainbikes through some really nice wooded trails behind buckstone below the braids...will need to go explore more up here...the kids went to get more friends who were at a street BBQ and i was offered a beer...well be rude not to!,back again up the hill then i headed back to get a shower and sit out in the garden and later the fire was lit and we sat untill dark after midnight...
Henneys Cider...one of the nicest off the shelf cider,no additives etc...
things got a bit blurry after 4 bottles of this and a bottle of black sheep ale...
a great weekend and start to the holidays...
