Revisiting an Old Friend

Today was my last big run before the WHW which isn't far away now. I planned to run an old Duke of Edinburgh Silver Assessment route that my school used to do, basically Killin to Aberfeldy. I've walked it many, many times as a pupil and supervisor and I remember my assessor reckoning the route could be done in a day. As a 15 year old taking 3 days to do it, it seemed absolutely impossible. Last year I ran it and took about 10 hrs 15 mins to cover the 45.5 miles.

Here's the route :-

As last year I planned to get the bus from Aberfeldy to drop me off in Killin. The bus left Aberfeldy at 6:50am and I just made it. The driver was Dave the same driver as last year, who remembered me from last year. The bus comes back to Aberfeldy picking up school kids so dreadlocked Dave is kinda like Aberfeldy's version of Otto the Busman from The Simpsons, i.e. a pretty chilled out, cool dude. We had a good chat and the journey was nothing like a bus trip, more like being given a lift from a mate. He even went out his way to drop me off at the start of the run - Cheers.

It was raining lightly when I started, but the big climb up to Loch Breaclaich kept me warm. It's part of a hydro scheme and the pipe between Breaclaich and Loch Lednock emerges above the ground for about a km, when we used to do DoE hikes up here it was a test of manhood to walk the length of it, which was alright until the last 100m when the ground drops away leaving the pipe about 50ft above the ground, with no handrails it was a test of nerve to cross it. We never lost any pupils though ...

It don't look much but the pipe's 6ft in diameter !

I arrived at Invergeldie, usually the end of the first day in a little under 3 hours. Then it was the big climb up Ben Chonzie. With it being a Munro this was the only place I saw people all day. The summit, where I stopped for lunch was bitterly cold so I was soon moving again ,down for the long slog along Glen Almond.

The glen was heavily populated with sheep but it seems that I finally got Cody trained, he did not need to be put on the lead once and showed no interest in the sheep at all, even when they were "danger close". What a releif, 'cause it is a major pain to run any distance with him on the lead.

A quick skip through Glen Lochan to Croftmill and the end of the 2nd day, which had taken me 3hrs 30 mins, and I was 32 miles in to my run. If you look at the map the next bit seems a bit daft, going round Loch Freuchie then coming back over the hill, but that's the way the old route went so I stuck to it.

I was going pretty well and it was good to get the climbing out of the way but I knew that the most awkward bit was still to come. I got lost after Loch Hoil last year and, despite a path showing on the map, its not there. So I took a few detours down firebreaks and accross tussocky fields which really slowed me up, it was so frustrating being so close to the end and not being able to make good time, but once I was at the Birks it was a simple run back to the car.

I covered the 45.5 miles in 9hrs 52 mins, by no means fast, but I was quite happy given the ups and downs involved plus the difficult terrain which was freqently encountered. Also felt pretty good at the end, the new shoes were just like the old ones, and so much better than my other Salomons and even more encouraging I had no cramp !!

Cody definately enjoyed it, but you'd never know from the look on his face ! -