Running Scotland

Cape Wrath

I have just returned from Cape Wrath, where Gregor ended his mammoth marathon-a-day run from Kirk Yetholm on the border with England to Cape Wrath. 430 miles in 17 days was a big ask, and, according to the lady in the cafe at Cape Wrath, it was the first time she was aware that anyone had run the entire Great Scottish Trail. The Cape Wrath Trail is the more usual long-distance run, but it starts at Fort William, which was Day 9 of Gregor's run. Runnin Scotland was in memory of Aileen and to raise funds for the Starthcarron Hospice. They had provided carers for Aileen for 12 weeks after she was discharged from hospital with terminal cancer, and where she spent her final days.

Gregor had spent several months planning the event, which was to be solo and working on a plan of roughly a marathon a day. Until Crianlarich (Falls of Falloch), it would be possible to get overnight accommodation with friends, relatives at home or with me. I would drop him off or collect him at the end of most days. Hostel accommodation was booked in Glencoe, Fort William, and the Great Glen. Beyond that, it was difficult to find accommodation, so we hired a camper van for the final week. I returned to Glasgow to collect the van and headed up to the Cluanie Inn where he had ended Day 10. 

Most of the run was solo, but he did have a couple of ultra runners with him on Day 3 over the Pentlands. A fellow member of the International Cross Country team joined him along the Forth Clyde Canal on Day 4, and a schoolmate ran with him from there to Denny. Another running friend accompanied him from Carron Valley Reservoir to Balfron on Day 5. His sister cycled with him on Days 9 and 10 as far as Kingie, and a running friend accompanied him on Day 10 over the mountains to the Cluanie Inn. On Day 11, he was joined by another ultra runner for the second part of the Day from Morvich to Killilan, and on Day 12, he was joined by a running acquaintance for the Killilan to Strathcarron section. Thereafter, he was solo for the final 5 days

Kirk Yetholm to Cape Wrath in 17 Days

Date        Route                                                    Distance      Ascent  Time 

14 May    Kirk Yetholm - Bowden                          39.9km        759m    3hr 19min 

15 May    Bowden - Peebles                                    39.5km        923m    3hr 32min

16 May    Peebles - Almondell, East Calder            38.2km        688m    3hr 32min 

17 May    Almondell - Denny                                   42.2km       169m    3hr 33min

18 May    Denny - Milton of Buchanan                     42.4km        531m   3hr 22min 

19 May    Milton of Buchanan - Falls of Falloch       42.9km      1075m   4hr 22min 

20 May    Falls of Falloch - Kingshouse                    42.6km       987m   3hr 51min 

21 May    Kingshouse - Fort William                         34.8km      998m    3hr 22min

22 May    Fort William - Glen Garry                          36.1km      312m    3hr 10min

23 May    Glen Garry - Cluanie Inn                            41.6km       994m   4hr   7min

24 May    Cluanie Inn - Killilan                                  37.6km      938m    4hr 14min   

25 May    Killilan - Kinlochewe                                  42.4km      917m    4hr  5min

26 May    Kinlochewe- Inverlael                                 38.7km      775m    3hr 57min

27 May    Inverlael - Glen Okyel                                  42.1km    1032m    4hr 4min  

28 May    Glen Oykel - Duartmore Bridge                   42.2km     1030m   4hr 51min

29 May    Duartmore Bridge - Oldshoremore               35.7km      970m     3hr 10min

30 May    Oldshoremore - Cape Wrath                         22.8km      589m     2hr 21min             

Totals                                                                           661.7km    14721m   62hrs 52mins             

 The weather was not kind, although the first three days were dry with sunny periods. The day to Denny was a succession of heavy rainstorms; the Loch Lomond section was perpetual rain, as was the day from Kinghouse to Fort William.  And the next four days had rain showers with low cloud on the hills. Days 13 to 15 were blessed with sun, great visibility, and the temperature climbing to 23*C by Day 15. They coincided with trails across the very best of Scottish Mountain scenery.  Finally, to dullish days in the wild, remote coastal areas of Sutherland with a glint of sunshine from Sandwood Bay to Cape Wrath.

We had caught the tiny ferry across the Kyle of Durness and taken the 13-mile minibus ride to Cape Wrath to meet Gregor. He got there before us, and after photos and a coffee in the cafe, we returned to civvy street. Miles had been run, and funds had been raised. Gregor had also shown immense determination and perseverance to capture memories that will last a lifetime. 

Day 2 - Overnight stop outside Peebles

Day 4 - Almondell, West Calder

Day 6 - Falls of Falloch, West Highland Way underpass 

Day 7 - Bridge of Orchy

Day 7 - Rannoch Moor

Day10 - Wading towards Glen Shiel

Day 11 - leaving Killilan

Day 11 - Beinn Fhada from Morvich

Day 11 - still a long way to Kinlochewe

Day 12 - Beinn Eighe from Kinlochewe

Day 12 - Corrieshalloch Gorge, near Ullapool

Day 13 - Track to Okyel Bridge

Day 14 - Okyel Bridge - a great tea in the Hotel

Day 14 - Glen Okyel overnight camp,  Suilven and Ben Stack

Day15 - Unapool

Day 15 - Kylesku Bridge

Day 16 Final overnight in camper van at Oldshoremore

Day 17 - Cape Wrath, Relax

Is the English Premier League in Freefall?

Pep about to go?

Klopp in full voice

The news that Pep Guardiola is to retire as Manchester City Manager, and the Premier League likely to be won by an Arsenal team that never fails to depress you with time wasting, professional fouls and a multitude of 1-0 victories, suggests that the halcyon days of the Premier League are in freefall. Liverpool have abandoned Klopp's heavy-metal football, with Arne Slot and his team of coaches now having them play ambient house football. Manchester United and Chelsea continue to spend millions and sack managers in quick time. The most enjoyable team to watch this season has been Bournemouth, and their manager, Andoni Iraola, is also leaving. 

What a contrast to watching teams like Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who play offensively with speed, passion and without the negative defensive traits of the Premier League. It is reminiscent of the 1990s, when Serie A was the go-to league for exciting football. Think Zola, Maradona, Van Basten, Batistuta, Zidane, Weah and superb defenders like Maldini, Baresi, and Nesta. 

It is time to forgo Sky, Football Focus, and Amazon with their ever-increasing platitudes served by their dirge of commentators. They have relegated coverage of the Championship, a real fan's league, which is withering as the Premier League accumulates almost all the TV and sponsorship money, creating a huge inequality in salaries for managers, players and agents who exist in the bubble of avarice that dominates the beautiful game. Paris Saint-Germain are showing us that football is best served in a spirit of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité. Let's hope that they put Arsenal to the sword.

Gianfranco Zola, Napoli Days

Keir is no Seer

As we begin to consume the journalistic flotsam from the elections, our journalists have given us a short menu of ready explanations for the seismic shift in voting patterns. There is little analysis of the policies of the parties or the burning issues at Scottish, Welsh or English local levels. It is all about the personalities and the roulette table of who has run out of chips. None more so than Sir Keir Starmer.

Even respected journalists like Pippa Crerar of the Guardian seem more fixated on bringing down Prime Ministers; she has already claimed the scalp of Boris Johnson, by exposing the profligacy of dodgy whisperers like Dominic Cummings and has now outed Peter Mandelson. Keir Starmer is in her sights, as he is for most other Parliamentary journalists, who are scouring the corridors of power and adjacent bars to gather details of plots from their secret cast of contacts. They are behaving like diary correspondents, but their celebrities are politicians. Unlike film and TV stars or game show contestants who are lionised, politicians are demonised. No wonder we have had five prime ministers in the last seven years. Mature functional democracies like Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland have had one, two, three and three respectively in the same period.

Meanwhile, the jackboots of populism are on the march. Keir Starmer accepted a suit, declared it and was hammered for corruption. Nigel Farage accepts £5million of cryptocurrency for his own personal use, which he doesn't declare, but it is already factored in as part of his cheeky chappie appeal. The fourth estate has lost its moral compass and is becoming guilty of hubris that is damaging our fragile democracy, which has no protection from a written constitution. 

Keir Starmer's government has shown fortitude in introducing an impressive array of policies to address priorities such as young children, health reform, housing, rent control, the minimum wage, and financial stability. After years of Austerity, Brexit, and Covid, the country needed measures to eradicate income inequality and improve public services that have been hollowed out since 2010. However, these policy changes have not been explained or reported well, nor have they progressed at any pace, as government processes become clogged by interdepartmental disputes and parliamentary inertia. They had also failed to set a positive agenda of change before the 2024 election, and by promising no changes to taxation, they thwarted their ability to make radical changes to the taxation regime that were necessary to create the headroom for radical policies.

The government has made mistakes like national insurance increases, removing winter fuel payments and making several U-turns, some of which show a lack of courage. It has created the sense of a government in office but not in power. There is a lack of a strategy, and Starmer's attempts to explain his decisions fall flat, devoid of any charisma, crispness or consistency as he wades through the attacks from the opposition parties, the media and his increasingly vocal MPs. 

Keir Starmer is basically honest and hard-working; he has had some success in his foreign policy, and the changes he promised to make have become bogged down in the Westminster inertia. He has lost or dismissed too many advisers and civil servants, which suggests that he is struggling in a job that has become almost impossible in the glare of the media and political inertia. The role of PM requires someone with a clear vision and the ability to communicate about the things that matter to the electorate, and with a veneer of pragmatic optimism. Unfortunately, Keir is no seer, which is why he is on the back foot defending the lack of progress and offering no alternative to incremental change.

Tiree

 

Tiree Flags

Saturday 2 May - Monday 4 May 2026

We departed Coll for Tiree on Saturday morning. The CalMac ferry was full of cyclists and runners for the May Bank Holiday Half Marathon and 10k Races. As always, it was a rueful experience to be leaving Coll, which was Aileen's special place. I spoke to the people running Tigh na Mara before leaving, and they confirmed their dismay at their view having been ruined by the construction of Controversial Cottage. Robert Sturgeon Jnr. still owned Tigh na Mara, and he had let it to them to run the B&B. It was only a kilometre to the ferry terminal; I could freewheel most of the way there with my rucksack, holdall and bag of provisions. As we waited for the ferry, we chatted to Uschi, a German woman and her daughter, whom we had spoken to on the ferry going to Coll and on a couple of other occasions as we cycled round the island. She had lived in southern Bavaria until moving to Halifax, Yorkshire, 15 years ago. She summed up her move by saying it was by serendipity that she had moved from the location of The Sound of Music to Happy Valley.

The sail across to Tiree takes less than an hour. We disembarked with a peloton of cyclists. Our rented house was at Vaul, near the start of the previous route of the half-marathon, but it had been switched to the old route starting at Traigh Shorobaidh, the beach near An Talla, the community centre at Crossapol. We had a 5-mile cycle to get to our house, so we booked a minibus to take our luggage. Gregor and Emily rode straight to the house, whilst I went to the coop in Scarinish to buy provisions and then cycled to the house. On the way to Vaul, I passed the flat we had rented in 1981 with our eldest daughter, who had her first birthday there. She learnt to walk on the deck of the CalMac ferry the next day as we returned to Oban. Oh, Happy Day.

I arrived at the house as the minibus delivered our luggage, and it then took G&E to Crossapol for the start of the race. I unpacked, had some lunch, and then cycled to Crossapol to watch the race. The start and finish of both the 10k and half marathon were along a long sandy beach, not the easiest surface for running. Emily came 5th  in the women's race; 20 minutes later, Gregor charged across the beach to win the half-marathon in a course record. We retreated to An Talla, G&E had booked a lift back in the minibus. I had an 11-kilometre cycle, but the roads are flat, and there was only a gentle breeze. We loaded up with some carbs before being picked up by the minibus for a night out at the Ceilidh.

With the world in a mess, wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, a rogue President in the United States, and the UK going through a mid-century crisis, we needed some solace. It happened. The atmosphere at An Talla for the Ceilidh was hugely convivial, almost electric and sustained by the bar. We found new friends around crowded tables, the dancing got wilder, and the laughter louder. Tiree was evaporating troubled thoughts, and nurturing fecund friendships and fun. I even attempted to teach Amanda from Shropshire the Eightsome Reel and Uschi the Gay Gordons. They survived.

On Sunday, we had a lie-in, and I then explored the nearby beaches at Vaul and cycled to the north of the island at Caolas, where I bumped into Carolyn, a Glasgow GP, whom I had met on the ferry. She was a Tiree devotee and off for a cold water bathe. In the evening, the clouds had dispersed, and Gregor and I went for a walk to the nearby headland. We were inspired by the light, the frolicking lambs, the distant views to the Sma' isles and the inventive conversions to the original cottages. The ferry back to Oban on Monday was running late and full of tired Tiree weekenders. Retrieving the car from a distant car park and fixing the bikes onto the car for the journey home was the only blight on a perfect long weekend on Coll and Tiree. 

Our rented house in 1981 on our first visit to Tiree

Lots of these

On the beach at the end of the races

Ceilidh

Prize Giving for Half Marathon

Caolas Beach Parking

Lots of these as well

Refurbished cottages

House for One near Vaul Bay

High Point (23m) at An Cap

CalMac ferry for return to Oban - pier by SRC

Isle of Coll

Thursday, 30 April 2026

We had stayed in an Airbnb in Oban and were up at 5:45am to catch the ferry. It was my 7th trip to the Isle of Coll, and the day was as perfect as perfect can be. We had rented Controversial Cottage near the ferry terminal, but we had more luggage than could be carried on the bikes, so it was two trips. The brand-new cottage was opposite the long-established B&B, Tigh na Mara, where we had stayed on two occasions. It had been run by Robert and Ruth Sturgeon. Aileen knew them from her visits as a child, and they made our 10-day stay with three youngish children a holiday to remember. We took bikes and cycled to almost every one of the 21 beaches. Ruth sent us out to forage for wild mushrooms, and Robert took us out in his boat in the evenings to collect lobsters from his creels.

At noon, we set off on the bikes to ride to the north east tip of the island at Sorisdale. On our last visit, just 4 years ago, Aileen and I had sat on the nearby headland and watched an otter, just metres away, as it ran past on its way to the sea. We continued to the nearby beach, Traigh Tuath, two bays of glorious white sand below the dunes with spectacular views to Canna, Rum and Eigg. We had some lunch and dozed on the warm sand for an hour. Gregor played with the drone that he had bought to record sections of his Big Run. 

We returned to the bikes for the return ride and stopped at a beach by the Fishing Gate beach, which has rapid tidal flows, rock pools and some large dunes that can be climbed. It has always been one of our favourite beaches. Gregor had lost his camera lens back at Cornaig, and the local farmer said he would look out for it on his quad bike. Lo and behold, he had found it and brought it to us. He was as friendly as friendly can be, and we spent over half an hour enjoying his tales of life on Tiree. We learnt how Controversial Cottage got its name, Kate Winslett had bought a house on the island and that Lewis Capaldi was a visitor who would give impromptu casual sessions in the bar. He seemed impressed that we had a long association with the island and knew many of the characters.

A meal in the hotel was our reward for a day on the bikes and a fine way to close the day. The next day was dry but overcast, so we whiled away the morning and had lunch in the Urchin Cafe. Gregor had a run, and we had a walk in the evening. It was the day before the Tiree races, so no cycling was attempted. Coll had been a success; it had not been on the original plan, but because we couldn't get the bikes on the boat from Oban on Saturday, we had decided to go to Coll, as there would be room for the bikes from Coll after the Coll traffic disembarked. It seemed a bit bizarre, and this was confirmed by the CalMac staff on board, who told us there would always be room for bikes. Thursday on Coll had been one of those very special 'given' days that reprised many previous happy days on Coll. 

Isle of Mull

Ardnamurchan Peninsular

Sorisdale Beach

Canna, Rum and Eigg from north of Coll

Traigh Tuath Beach

Fishing Gate- Bhuigistile

Torriston

 

Rob Roy Way: Aberfeldy to Kenmore

Perthshire Hills

Sunday, 19 April 2026

Ascent:     462 metres
Distance:  14 kilometres
Time:        3 hours 40 minutes

My final leg of the Rob Roy Way had to be truncated due to a lack of time. Gregor was running the Rob Roy Way as preparation for his big run from Kirk Yetholm on the Northumberland Border to Cape Wrath. A 420-mile run that he hopes to do in 17 days, basically a marathon a day over gruelling trails and mountain passes. He was running the Rob Roy Way at the weekend as a training run. I dropped him at Killin for a 40-kilometre section to Aberfeldy. I continued to Aberfeldy from where I intended to head back to Acharn. In typical contrary fashion, I had decided to walk the Rob Roy Way from North to South. We had left home at 7:30am, and Gregor began running at 8:20am. I drove on to Aberfeldy and parked the car at the far side of the town near the Co-op at 9:00am. Gregor had wanted to be home by 2pm to watch the football. It would take an hour and 15 minutes to drive back home from Aberfeldy, where he would collect my car and collect me on the way home. I figured that I would not be able to walk the 18 kilometres to Acharn in less than three and a half hours, if at all, so we agreed he would pick me up in Kenmore. 

I began my walk through the town, where I was pleased to see the Birks Community Cinema, the proud community-owned and run cinema that had been the first such venture in the UK. I then entered the magnificent Birks of Aberfeldy, made famous by Robert Burns.

The braes ascend like lofty wa's,

The foaming stream, deep-roaring, fa's,

O'er-hung wi' fragrant spreading shaws,

The birks of Aberfeldie.

Bonnie lassie, will ye go

He was not wrong. The impressive, crystal clear rippling burn adds sound and movement to the spectacular native woodland. The paths that straddle the burn and its waterfalls were a tough climb and are one of the most beautiful locations to begin any day. Today, spring had burst forth after the recent rainy April; the hosts of daffodils provided colour that enhanced the bright but muted woodland colour palette. I had covered two and a half kilometres by the time I reached the top of the escarpment. 

I had climbed to 300 metres at the top of the Birks, and sauntered through the birch woodland that led to the trails and paths of the Rob Roy Way.  Farm tracks began to descend through grazing lands where lambs were frolicking in the spring sunshine.  There was a splendid view to the north where Meall Tairneachan and Farragon Hill, enjoyable Corbetts both, were scalloped against the skyline. The River Tay flowed menacingly through the Appin of Dull as the Rob Roy Way went up and down like a stretched-out Big Dipper. Through woodland, past new expensive houses and older, solid farmhouses. On gravel trails, muddy grass paths and the occasional section of asphalt, all strafed by marching pylons. The warmth of the Birks had been replaced by a cool breeze that made for good walking. I walked through a few forested sections before some splendid views of Schiehallion opened up, its summit kissing the clouds. In the distance, the Ben Lawers Range became visible with a top coating of snow.

Taymouth Castle was the next landmark set below the amply wooded Drummond Hill. It has been renovated, and significant developments are under construction to create a gated residential development with private access to the famous James Braid Golf Course, restaurants, spas and an equestrian centre on the 1000-acre estate. Despite creating many jobs, it is a controversial development that seems contrary to the freedom to roam. The cheapest houses are expected to start at £4m and are clearly aimed at the world's rich list and will no doubt bring expectations of a heliport and other requirements that will not help Scotland's quest to reach net zero. There is strong local opposition to the American-owned Discovery Land Company taking over many commercial facilities in Kenmore and Aberfeldy. I met a couple from Aberfeldy who had lost access to the golf club and worried about the impact on more localised tourism businesses. 

I had figured that if all was going to plan, I would pass Gregor between the 8 or 9 kilometre point and began to worry when it was almost 10 kilometres before he appeared, running easily but with a lot of up and downs to go, and it was 11:40am. I continued at a steady pace through a final woodland section and then climbed uphill to Tombuie cottage at 350 metres, where a narrow, heavily eroded asphalt road descends steeply towards Kenmore. The Way turns off towards Acharn, tempting me as I walked past and was hailed by a Geordie who was looking for company on the path to Acharn and its waterfall.  

The steepness of the road on the final two kilometres was more difficult than most of the trails, and it was some relief that I arrived at Kenmore and found a bench where I could admire the splendour of Loch Tay and check on Gregor. I thought I might have to wait half an hour but he had moved at speed and was only 5 minutes away. It was 12:45am and we made it home with 5 minutes to spare before the Merseyside Derby began at the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Liverpool won 2-1. Gregor had run 104 kilometres in 8 hours 21 minutes since finishing work on Friday evening; good training for his big run.

Entrance to the Birks

Glorious Birks Woodland Path

Birks Waterfall

Top of the Birks

Lambing season

Schiehallion

Taymouth Castle Estate

Loch Tay and Ben Lawers Range

Mini Castle

Loch Tay at Kenmore