Rain And No Running

Ben Nevis Inn

 We've had a  quiet weekend with little running as both of us have had colds and the weather has been  wet. This has given me more time to sketch out and about and  to paint  indoors.
 We had a coffee and a snack at one of our favourite haunts; the Ben Nevis Inn . This is decked out like an alpine style hut and  has a single large window facing  out on to the Ben path through which the light streams even on a dull wet day. The little sketch below is from the West End car park in Fort William looking  out on to Loch Linnhe.

Below are two pictures I've been working  on this weekend . They are too large for our scanner so I've photographed them which is why the images are poor quality. I hope to sell them in our local gallery.

Arisaig Bay

Commando Memorial At Sunset

Ring O Fire Post Script

Quick sketch of Glen Nevis  painted today

In my race report for The Ring of Fire I neglected to mention the  winners.
First was William Lloyd in a time of  24.56
Second was Oliver Lutte in 25.58
Third was Andrew Williams in 26.55
All of these are outstanding  times, I was able to perform on the first day but couldn't keep it up for the rest of the race. To be able to run consistently for three days is an amazing feat.
The first lady I'm proud to say was my wife Helen , she finished in 32.16. It is all the more remarkable since  she has been injured for most of the year.
In all 36 runners finished the race out of 98 starters.

Ring of Fire Race

Scene from the road to Mallaig

Last week we ran the Ring  of Fire ultramarathon. The race is a 3 day, 135 mile stage race around the coast of Anglesey in Wales.
We spent the first part of the week in the small seaside town of Beaumaris with my parents , sister  her husband and two of her children.It was nice to spend  time  with my family, enjoy relaxing meals and explore the picturesque town .However that part of the holiday flew by and before we knew it we were on the start line listening to Johnny Cash singing 'Ring of Fire' which unsurprisingly is the race's adopted theme tune.
It seemed cool waiting  for the 1pm start but once we started running it became hot and sunny. The first section  through Holyhead is relatively boring until the main island and  the first beach is reached.I ran most of the first section on my own which I liked as I was able to go my own pace.
 By the second check point at Church Bay I was feeling good and  was surprised to overtake a few people. A runner ahead ran straight up a hill and  assuming  that nobody would run up a hill unless they were sure it as the right way, I followed. Sadly it wasn't ! However I only lost a few minutes and by now I was having  a ball.The north coast of Anglesey is exquisite , with cliffs and small rocky  bays and lots of wild flowers.The sun was shining  and both the sea and sky were blue. It was glorious!

The beautiful coast near Church Bay

The power station at Wylfa is not so pretty but beyond the village of  Cemaes it was lovely undulating running - cliff tops and small bays- that  I really enjoy.
At Bull Bay two runners ahead missed a turning and I shouted to them but only one heard. The next section is crucial because there a so called 'honesty book '- to prove that one has followed the route correctly and not cut corners one has to tear out a page from a book left at an unmanned checkpoint.
By the time I reached Amlwch( the end of day 1) I was tired but elated. I was shocked to find that I was in 6th position . A wiser runner would have slowed down to save some energy for the following stages but I had a great day and ran well because I was loving it.
At the leisure centre I tucked in to a huge portion of lasagne and  drank four mugs of tea. Helen came in about half an hour after me having also had a good day. She has only recently recovered from an achilles injury that as been plaguing her all year.
Next on the agenda was a shower and and a relaxing swim before settling down in the main hall with the other competitors for a fitful night's sleep.
My sister being a slower runner was out in the dark and only made the midnight cut off by 3 seconds. However the important thing was that she made it.
Day 2 started dry though rain and wind was forecasted. We set off before dawn heading around the coast. Despite lots of food , hydration and rest my legs were tired from Friday's 35  mile jaunt . I kept up with the same group of guys I had been with the previous day for about 3 miles then they got ahead. There was no point in pushing it because it was due to be a very long day ( nearly 66 miles). At Traeth Lligwy beach, the first checkpoint I bought a coffee, I was 30 pence short but a kind man gave me 10 pence and the even kinder cafe owner knocked 20 pence of the price!
At the next beach I made a silly navigational error that cost me a few minutes but resulted in me hooking up with another group of runners. At first I thought that they were going quite slowly but beyond Red Wharf Bay they too started to get ahead. By now the promised rain  had started but initially it was quite light.
Penmon Point was a long time coming but it always is - on the map it isn't far but the path twists and turns.I switched from a pertex to a waterproof as the rain started in earnest.
It is only 4 miles from the Penmon to the half way point at Beaumaris but the tide was high so rather than swim we had to take a road diversion . At Beaumaris I had a boost from seeing my parents and  nieces at a cafe. There was a tent at the check point with the half way bags, I ate and drank and put on another layer of clothing ,then headed up the hill. It is a long climb on the road and  even longer if you miss the footpath to the left as some runners did. Half way to Menai there was as always a .kind family handing out jelly babies. By now it was raining very heavily and  the wind was getting stronger. I ran with a runner called Gareth who was fitter than me but who was not familiar with the way. I should have known the route but my memory of it was a bit hazy.
At the Sea Zoo it was really wild .The checkpoint gazebo had been destroyed by the wind. I decided it was pointless wasting energy trying to run into the gale so I walked and took my time to munch on a pork pie . I was struggling to run much anyway, the weather and distance were starting to take its toll.

Newborough Beach (two days before the race- no wind  or rain)

Once the route turned northwest I was able to get jogging again. Gareth was now far ahead and I ran for the rest of the day on my own. Newborough beach seemed very long . Despite the extreme weather conditions there were kite surfers in the sea, I admired their strength and toughness.
At the Newborough checkpoint I was delighted to find they had soup , I drank some tea as well.  Not long after I left the checkpoint it got dark but I was on the home straight. I had a slightly sticky moment in a field when a group of cows and calves got a bit menacing, one cow in particular looked as if it was about to charge.Fortunately it calmed down after I stood still.
I was with great relief that I finally reached the village hall at Aberffraw just after 10pm. There was as always a fantastic welcome , hot tea and delicious pasta. Helen came in about half an hour later.
Throughout the night as we tried to sleep other runners arrived in dribs and drabs, the last  at about 4am  we all got about half an hour later!
At 6 am we off again for the final leg . Helen seemed very strong and I couldn't keep up with her. The weather was good - dry with a gentle breeze but mainly dull.
At Rhosneigr we were treated to bacon butties  which were quite a boost .
 The route finding is tricky in some places and a few times I had to search for footpath signs . Four Mile Bridge came and went- putting us back on Holy Island . The next objective was the honesty book at Silver Bay. Beyond this the landscape shifts up a gear and becomes more picturesque and  dramatic. I encountered a group of runners who had missed the honesty book and were forced to retrace their steps to get the vital pages.
 By Trearddur Bay I was really struggling. The same thing happened last year, but I had a solution ;I bought a mug of tea and a juice at a kiosk on the front -just what I needed. I knew I was tired because I struggled to add 70 pence to £1.20 having to ask if that made £1.90, also I had to get the lady in the kiosk to help me to get the straw in to the juice container. However as expected the caffeine and the excitement of nearing the end perked me up and I was soon going better than I had all day.The coast hereabouts is gorgeous and the sun was now shining at times . I passed another runner and told her to try to savour the last hour or so of the adventure. . The final hurdle was climbing the flanks of Holyhead mountain and then finding the  honesty book at North Stack . This done it was just a short romp to the end. It was a glorious feeling to sprint the last hundred yards to the  sound of Johnny Cash singing' Ring of Fire.'

This is the third time we have run The Ring of Fire and it just gets better and better( though not easier). The marshalls are fantastic and the route is varied and very scenic. This year we had quite a lot of weather too.

After a good nights sleep we went home the long way paying  a visit to Porthmadog to visit Rob Piercy's superlative gallery . Rob Piercy is one  of the best watercolour landscape artsts in the country. He specialises in extremely fine atmostpheric pictures of Snowdonia. His website is Rob Piercy,it is well worth a look. After drooling over the pictures and buying  a print we drove north through Snowdonia seeing the scenery he paints.

Glen Etive

Looking back up Glen Etive

The road to Glen Etive

We have had some  very variable weather recently . Days of rain and  low cloud until everyone is really fed up with the scottish 'summer'. Then a day of glorious pristine weather comes along  and the mountains look incredible and I for one can't believe that I live in such an amazing place.

The above pictures are small postcard size paintings rom photos I took this week on a trip to Glen Etive. Below is a sketch of the Mamores from Glen Nevis done on Wednesday.

The Mamores from Glen Nevis

Bridge of Orchy Runs

Glen Etive

 We've had a couple of good runs from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William recently.
 It is one of my favourite runs and a really good test of fitness without being too exhausting. We can get a cheap train ticket to Bridge of Orchy from home and start running just ater 9 am. Once over the hill behind the hotel there is a short section of tarmac then on to Telford's road. Built in 1803 it was the main road until 1933 but is now a remote track over Rhannoch Moor. The cobbles are still there and are hard on the feet ! Once you get to Kingshouse you feel you've done something, but it is wonderful; the mountains of Glencoe and Glen Etive are all around and only the busy A82 detracts from the wild beauty of the place.
The next hurdle is the Devil's Staircase apparently named by hard pressed soldiers on road building duties in the time  of General Wade. Later workers on the Blackwater dam would use the route to get to the Kingshouse Hotel to spend their wages on a Friday night. Returning was sometimes more difficult than anticipated! I like the staircase but dislike the track into Kinlochleven which is steep and gravelly and although downhill seems to go for ever.
Kinlochleven is a good place to get drinks or food before the steep climb onto  the Lairig Mor( big pass)  and consists of 15miles of   undulating rocky track through the mountains. Just now the heather is in bloom giving  the hillsides a beautiful purple tinge but even more striking is the wonderful smell of honey that fills the air.
 On the 2nd February 1645 The forces of Montrose chased the Campbells of Argyll through here after defeating them at the battle of Inverlochy. They must have been tough in those days to fight a battle then run through the Lairig Mor in the depths of winter!
The final stage of the run is the descent into Glen Nevis with the majestic Ben as backdrop.

Sunset  on the west coast

West Highland Way Training Run

I'm just back from a three day West Highland Way run.
 I took the train to Milngavie on Monday and started at about 12.30. It was a lovely sunny day- as it was when I last ran the West Highland Way in June. Then bluebells were out and the cuckoo was calling . This time  there was meadowsweet, rosebay willowherb,foxgloves and himalayan balsam  in flower. The cuckoos have sadly departed for Africa.
 I love the variety of the West Highland Way. It starts in thge suburbs of Glasgow goes through a wooded park then into farmland, then forestry, moorland and heatherclad hill. Then comes the gorgeous but lengthy Loch Lomond section before the dramatic mountains and high passes.
I used to find the first section of the WHW a bit boring; I was always champing at the bit to get into the real Highlands, but the last couple of times the weather has been fine and the countryside has looked so beautifully green and the wild flowers so profuse that I really enjoyed it.
At Balmaha I bought food and water at the shop then carried beside Loch Lomond.There was a lovely holiday atmostphere with children in swimming and families having barbecues on the shore.
As the evening progressed I began to wonder where to spend the night . Previously I have slept under a rock or just bedded down in my bivvy bag on the path . However the two hazards of sleeping  out in this area are the rain and the midges- there was no rain but the midges were fierce.
  I followed a new sign pointing out the lower route of the West Highland Way( which I have never done before as I normally keep to the upper track) and chanced upon the Rowchoish bothy. I normally try to get beyond Inversnaid on the first day but the bothy was a chance of a midge free night so I decided to stay. There were three guys from East London there and later an unexpected but enchanting  visitor: Hearing a rustling  noise in the eaves I put my headtorch on and there sat  a pine marten chewing  a piece of plastic. For a while he hid behind a beam but his tail was hanging down in clear view.
The Londoners asked whether I minded that they had set an alarm for 8am, I said that I too was planning an early start, but I didn't have the heart to tell them that I had set my alarm for 3.30am. I was back on the trail by 4.00 am.

Loch Lomond on Tuesday-it was a beautiful sunny afternoon.

I found running  on the second day quite tough partly because I didn't get any coffee in the morning! I had hoped to get some at Beinglas but they were not yet open when I passed. It was a beautiful day although it became cloudy later on. The lack of caffeine and tiredness started to tell on me by the time I reached the switchback path through the forest above Crianlarich and I fell and grazed my arm.
At Strathfillan campsite I finally got some coffee and it was very welcome.Refreshed I picked up speed and arrived at Bridge of Orchy at midday nearly three hours before my train: I could have spent longer in bed! I treated myself to a pint of guiness in the hotel.
At home I had a bath, a nice meal, and a good sleep before getting the morning train back to Bridge of Orchy for the final leg. The  forecast for Wednesday was dire - The weather map showed a band of rain sweeping across Scotland . In the event it wasn't too bad , the rain was persistent but only heavy at times, and it was surprisingly warm. The sixty miles over the previous two days were telling  on my legs but I was able to keep up a reasonable pace.
At Kingshouse I spoke to a man in a high viz vest who told me that they are going  to knock most of the hotel down and build a bigger version! The Kings House is a historic 17th century hotel(one of the oldest licensed premises in the country) with a lot of character, and is in an iconic position at the gateway to Glencoe. I do hope they don't lose that character in the modernization, and  that some of the older parts will be retained ( apparently the climber's bar is staying).
 I reached Kinlochleven by 2pm but struggled on the climb on to the Lairig Mor, however even in the rain the  pass is a beautiful place and I was able to savour this last section.
I cheated on the  final mile  because Helen had  come  to the Braveheart car park and was waiting  too pick me up.
As always doing the WHW is a very satisfying  way of training , it is a route I know and  love but it doesn't get any easier. It is a good test of fitness which at the moment is a bit lacking.

Sketch of two ladies on the train from Bridge of Orchy

Like Father, Like Son -or not !

Here's a view of my Dad's pride and joy - his garden. An unusual amount of rain has kept the lawn greener than is usual for July. However his garden is always immaculate and is a beautiful and secluded place with lots of mature trees . Having a tour of the garden with my Dad is one of the rituals of visiting my parents.

....And here's a picture of my garden- more weeds than flowers! This was painted from my back step for James Gurney's weed painting challenge.

Lastly here's a sketch of a cafe in Glasgow on the way home . It took me almost 24 hours to get back