Running up Caerketton Hill

In the interests of trying to get up the hills more for the Carnethy 5 Hill run in February and also the Windermere Marathon in May next year I decided to venture further than Carnethy, Turnhouse and Scaldlaw. So I decided I would run up Allermuir (on the other side of the Pentlands from Penicuik). Run started well.

All was going well and I was indeed running up Allermuir, then I got a bit confused and turned the wrong way. Before I knew where I was I was scrambling up slopes which I eventually realised was in fact, Caerketton. This became apparent when I spotted the top of the frame for the chair lift poking around the side of the hill. I looked over to where I had come and decided that to go back down the hill and all the way up Allermuir (which was in the opposite direction) would take ages and the rain clouds coming from that direction were much closer to the top of Allermuir than where I was standing so Caerketton was my new destination. What a brilliant run. The sun had been shining at the start however as I reached the top the wind got up, the black clouds rolled in and the rain began to come down. Still a good run though, felt like I was way up on top of Edinburgh.

Rain clouds over Carnethy, Scaldlaw and Turnhouse. 

Just a wee bit windy.

Only lingered about the top for a little while because it got quite breezy and the rain was coming on quite heavy. No time to stop to eat my Mars bar, will need to do that back down at the car.

The Pentlands feel really remote when you are up the tops but as you start to come back down again and you see Edinburgh laid out in all its glory you begin to realise just how lucky we are to have a city which has very different contrasting landscapes right next to each other. The views get me every time. Such a beautiful city. And the Pentlands are just amazing too.

Edinburgh Castle way in the distance.

Rhona and I are running in the Helvellyn 10K on the 1 November so we will be up here a lot more in the next few weeks. Going to drag Rhona up here for a run soon!

don't worry, be happy :)