Carbisdale weekend

It was my final weekend before tapering in preparation to the OMM and I decided to spend the weekend up in Caithness, an area where I haven't run much before. Saturday saw me parked at the phone box at Braemore Lodge. After a quick check with the stalker regarding any shooting I did a superb loop starting up Maiden Pap and Morven. Two sandstone hills that stand rampant above the large tracts of moorland, which comprises much of the surrounding area. After a quick steep pull up the Pap a long traverse along runnable grass led up to a bealach below Morven. I have just started Yoga but I must have pulled something as the steep climb was agony on my achilles.

Coming down was fine and having done the steepest and longest climb I decided to run through the discomfort. On the way I went over Smean with a 15m high conglomerate crag making up the highest point. I tried some scrambling but the lichen covered pudding stones were disconcerting and I left the inviting routes to a more intrepid climber to conquer.

To add in some height and distance after Smean, I climbed up and over Sal-vaich. In all of the bealachs the pungent musk from the stags was almost over-powering. Despite being circled a few times I avoided any confrontation, which was as well as they can run a lot faster through heather than I can.

To complete the loop I ran along the three tops of Scaraben. There was a distressing amount of descent and reascent involved and in contrast to the previous hills was covered in quartzite scree. Although I stuck to ridges as much as I could still hear bellowing challenges echoing in the corries. After Scaraben East I followed a wet track dotted with old telegraph poles past a number of abandoned steadings back to the start point.

Time: 5.5hs Distance 25km Height 1800m.


On Sunday the weather wasn't so good but I still headed out to do a round of Glen Loth, a glen just north of Brora. I parked at the viewpoint at the head of the glen and headed anticlockwise first up over Beinn Dhorain. My route then took me deep into rolling hillsides and valleysto the East. Classic OMM territory. I then spent the next couple of hours running through heather of various deepness before reaching Glen Sletdale. The climb back up from the road to the west side of Glen Loth and Beinn Mhealaich was tough and slow. Not much running at all. Coming off the top of the Beinn the heavens, which had been threatening all day, finally opened and the rain drummed on my hood. Obviously there must be some kind of cumulus above the stratus that had accompanied me for so long. After 20minutes the shower passed and allowed me at least to get changed in comfort when I reached the car. Although the route lacked the interest of the previous day I did get some satisfaction of getting into a pretty wild and lonely place.
Time: 4.5hs Distance: 21km Height 1200m,