KYQ4: Lime Craig: a winter's trail

Saturday, 26 November 2016

Lime Craig: a winter's trail

Ben Lomond from the route up Lime Craig

Over recent years I have made only slow progress towards completing a long standing target of 200 runs up the nearest hill, Lime Craig. It is a mere 340 metres of ascent and 5.2 kilometres from home, a few hundred metres west of Aberfoyle centre. In my racing days a regular training run taking 26 or 27 minutes to the top, my pb to the summit from home was 23 minutes 42 seconds in August 1990 during a year when 21 ascents were made.

Many of these were with Matt Ogston, a hill runner from Hunter's Bogtrotters, who would come round on Sunday mornings, often with some club mates. I was new to hill running but the trails to the summit and comparatively steady inclines meant the speed I had from road running allowed me to beat all comers to the summit. Not so on the descent down the steep west face where the hill runners allowed gravity to speed them down whilst I had more trepidation, always conscious of the five titanium screws in my right leg.

It has become more of a challenge nowadays taking between 33 and 36 minutes. I only tackle it three or four times a year, usually in the winter months when the visibility is at its best. Today the early morning temperature of -7°C had prompted me to postpone my early morning run but the blue skies and hard frost persuaded me to tackle Lime Craig along the sublime forested trails above Braeval. It was almost 11am before I ventured out, the pavements still frosted but the sun bright and the visibility excellent.

I took my altimeter to check the height gain but decided after stopping for a couple of photos on the lower slopes to forget about times, it was going to be slow but so what. Suddenly the run became joyous, every stride a chance to garner new views. I arrived at the summit feeling fresh despite completing the final 200 metres of ascent at a reasonable pace. I stood at the top on the base of the old Police radio station, removed my gloves and began to box the compass for views and some photos.

A walker arrived as I was photographing my distressed gloves that have served me for ten years on winter runs and climbs. He was amused and we began an animated conversation for twenty minutes or so about wildlife on the Scottish mountains before another walker, armed with a Scottish Tourist Board leaflet of the walk up Lime Craig arrived. The discussion suddenly changed to where the best cakes could be obtained as a reward for their walks.

I left them deliberating and met another two pairs of walkers nearing the summit, pausing to take photos of a mother and daughter combo who were new to the hill and infatuated with the views. I freewheeled with a stretched rhythm down the long incline with 3 or 4 switchbacks, past the Go Ape site, over the footbridge by the lodge and then coasted down the cycle way to the village. I was back for lunch; no cakes just lentil soup and the satisfaction of another brick placed in the wall of 200 runs, just ten more to go.