Mini Pentland Skyline 4/11/06
The Pentland Skyline is a Carnethy organised hill race of 16 miles and about 6,200 ft. That's a lot of up and down, and the distance feels much longer than 16 miles; it will take about the same time to run as a road marathon and is held in October. If you're lucky it won't be snowing. On the up side it only costs £3 to enter and as some wag remarked at the end you can drink as much water as you like. It starts and finishes at the ski slope Hillend, following all the high tops on the south ridge past West Kip then round the Drove Road to the North Ridge which follows more rounded hills back to Hillend.
Its not necessary to do the whole route to have a good day out in the hills and a couple of weeks ago Mary and I planned this mini skyline route which covers a lot of the ground but can be completed in well under 3 hrs at a moderate pace. We started at Bonaly (drive up Bonaly Road to its conclusion at the car-park) following the track as it goes through several gates and leads past Bonaly Reservoir on the right to a gate and a right turn towards Harbour Hill.
Don't go up Harbour Hill but follow the track round to the left as it dips down between the hills. Soon you will see the South Ridge ahead as the well worn track leads down to a right turn and the tarmac road round Glencorse Reservoir.
Follow the road up alongside the Logan Burn. About Logan House we crossed the burn over an old wooden bridge and began the long haul up to the top of Carnethy Hill, the second highest of the South Ridge high tops.
This is not recommended as it is a long slog up over heathery turfy ground and not well marked paths. A better route would have been to stick to the road until the Howe - the white house at the top of Loganlea Reservoir then follow the obvious route to the top of Scald Law.
Coming off Carnethy, Scald Law ahead
Looking back; Carnethy from Scald Law
onwards and upwards
While it can be a harsh chore climbing to the top of these hills the views almost always make it worthwhile and once up, you get the benefit of the rolling track along the subsequent tops. Scald Law is next - the highest top in the Pentlands, from which you can see South Black Hill; a checkpoint in both the Skyline and the Carnethy Five, and the 2 Kips - distinctly pointy and marking the western most end of the Skyline.
East and West Kip, being smaller in scale are fun to hike over but as the sun was going down we took a right turn just in front of E Kip on a well marked path that leads back down to the Howe. The low sun made a patchwork of red and purple on Black Hill - our next climb.
The Howe
As the path led round to the start of the long climb up Black Hill we were feeling less than thrilled about the prospect, but the sun on our backs helped, as did the shorter heather at this time of the year. There are a number of paths crisscrossing the heather but no easy well marked route from bottom to top. We got lucky on one visit here and saw a large hare in its winter white bounding over the heather.
At the top of Black Hill a path marks the way. In the background pointy West Kip
The long flat top of Black Hill is like a spongy swamp and even sticking to the path you're going to get your feet wet. The plateau becomes a downhill and the eponymous soft soil lets you run flat out if you dare.
A long descent sweeps over to the left - you can see the groove on Bell's Hill you must aim for in the Skyline - it takes you to a man at the checkpoint on the summit. But if you are here for fun you can follow the path parallel to the wall for the quickest way home.
Over Bell's Hill and down the other side and Harbour Hill is the last climb of the day. A mountain bike in a low gear can get up this one without stopping. If you give it some welly.
Last quite steep descent; legs are tired and all thoughts turn to getting home for dinner and maybe a soak in a bath. On the left Bonaly Reservoir.
11.3 miles, 2hrs 40m. A great run but we got lucky with the weather. Remember to anticipate bad weather and carry food and drink on long runs. Go with someone who has been before and can keep you right. Don't take risks in the hills.
Report and photos pb
A fortnight later and Ben K and I ran a similar route but instead of the slog up Carnethy took the path up to Scald Law from the Howe. This was easier going. We then crossed the Kips and ran down the drove road and over Hare Hill before joining the route above, over Black Hill etc. The pace was much faster - no stopping for photos this time - and Ben's gps told us we had covered nearly 13 miles in 2hrs 15m
