Ord Hill and beyond

Sunday was just one of those days when it is hard enough getting out of bed, let alone thinking about going out to train. The cloud was down to 100m, it was raining and about 2C. However, after cooking Kath a suitably large 'Scottish Breakfast' and a rather less traditional version for Emily, that horrid nagging feeling of guilt made itself known. I 'needed' to get out for a couple of hours so I decided to head out to Ord Hill (a great place itself for off-roading running and biking), just North of Kessock Bridge, and run along the coast for a bit. A true sign of bad weather is when you get fully kitted up in the car, and although I hate running with full body cover it was too wet and windy to contemplate anything else. To add to the fun, despite the rain, some of the tracks were still covered in sheet ice and even snow.
My route was initially through Ord Hill (counter-clockwise on the landrover track) before dropping down on the signposted route down to Kilmuir following the shore line path (tidal in parts). From Kilmuir I climbed a bit on the road until another track branched off just by the farm buildings down to the shore again. After a couple of minutes on a indistinct track along the frozen salt marsh I headed up a vague path through a gate slanting up left to the hill side. After a short while this turned into a track (not marked on the map) which I followed steeply to the top. At the well made driveway I turned left through some manicured grounds to Taindore. From here I picked up some great single-track through the woods heading back SW towards Kilmuir. There seemed to be quite a few distinct trails weaving around in these woods above Pitlundie. It would be definetly well worth exploring the area on a mountain bike or on foot.

Somehow, I ended up back at Kilmuir and followed the route back to the car, adding in some hills in Ord Hill on the way back. The OS 1:50 000 map really isn't that useful and the area really does have a lot more trails (and also feels a lot more extensive) than it suggests. The car park at Ord Hill does seem to attract 'doggers', but as long as you don't flash your lights or using your wipers at inappropriate times you should be pretty safe.

Time: 2hs Max HR: 165 Av HR: 141