Petestack Blog

8 November 2009

Fraochaidh

Filed under: Running — admin @ 9:49 pm

Standing between Glen Creran and Glen Duror and being the final hill after Beinn Maol Chaluim on my truly local ‘why have I never done that?’ hit-list, the fine Corbett of Fraochaidh was a much coveted summit. So what better way to spend a clear, cold November Sunday afternoon than running into it from Ballachulish and out again?

It’s a good route through good hill running country, enlivened by great views of the surrounding hills (especially fine today on the return leg as the Glen Coe peaks started to glow in the late sunshine) and really feeling like it’s taking you somewhere as you look down into Glen Creran, although quite an effort for a solitary Corbett at 12.4 miles and 4,400 ft round trip over an undulating ridge. Completed in 3hrs 29mins, which seems typical at the moment for a hill run of this stature in non-racing, camera-carrying mode. And the dusting of snow on the summit was nice! :-)

2009-11-08map

2009-11-08fraochaidh 2009-11-08summit

The panorama below (not perfectly stitched!) was taken on the way home, covers about 180° and shows (from left to right) Beinn a’ Bheithir, Ben Nevis and the Mamores, the Glen Coe peaks (with the Pap, Aonach Eagach and Bidean group all visible), Sgor na h-Ulaidh (looking very fine from the west) and Beinn Fhionnlaidh.

2009-11-08panorama

3 November 2009

Wet, wet, wet!

Filed under: Running — admin @ 10:43 pm

While I wouldn’t normally bother to report a ‘routine’ training run round a course so short that I rarely run it on its own, tonight’s little outing up past the Grey Mare’s was just a little bit different. Being so wet I might as well have gone running through rocky stream beds in the dark (so those were paths, were they?) and I’m surprised I didn’t meet any fish!

So perhaps we’re talking about a mere 2.5 miles over the ground (albeit with 1,000 ft of ascent) taking a good five minutes longer than normal. But the time’s not important when I nearly didn’t go (8:05pm start) then realised that I was genuinely enjoying myself up there! :-)

2009-11-03greymares

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