There was nothing doing today so Linda dropped me off in Old Kilpatrick and I headed up the track to Loch Humphrey in an array of test kit to get some reminders.
The weather forecast was spot on, although just seeing the speed of the clouds not too far above me was all I needed to tell me that today was as high as I would have gone anyway.
Even floating around the 300m contour the wind was fierce, not blowing me over strong, but nudging me along for sure. It was cold too and I was wrapped up the whole time, hood up for a lot of the day too. It felt like sleety rain, it was stinging my cheeks and nose anyway. it was fine though, Paramo has become my winter number #1 choice and did the job with good layering underneath.
I need to write this stuff up.
I took a route I don’t pick much, up through the trees to the Slacks trig point. It gives different views and misses out that steep gravel road to the old quarry which I’ve managed to cycle up once in my whole life. And so it shall remain – checks watch: 57.
There’s signs of dirt bike use up here. The bastards come up from the Cochno side and are now wearing a watercourse into the easiest descent to Loch Humphrey. We need GPS installed on every dirt bike so they can be traced, crushed and the scrap made into something better. Prison bars or something.
The wind was nipping my eyes too and I was glad of the shelter from the trees by a very choppy Loch Humphrey. My feet were soaking too with just mesh between them and the world but good socks were making the chill less with every step and by the time I stopped for lunch they were warmed up and I was pretty comfy all over.
Not a soul up here either. Most days, even off the beaten track where, I go you’ll find someone. But with a bit of weather today folk are sitting in front of giant TV’s instead of having fun squinting through the sleet.
I came down through the crags and here there were some folk, all runners, mostly pissy faced though. I run, I bike and I smile doing both. Why do so many folk not find joy in these activities?
I realised that what’s left of the hair on the top of my head was being sucked out by the wind. There’s so few there I count them every morning to see how many are left, It’ll be a quicker count in the morning, I should have worn a beanie.
Back on the tarmac I saw the worst case of cultural appropriation I’ve seen in a while, a horse was wearing a coat with cows printed on it. It didn’t look happy so it could be as much a victim as the members of the Bovine Alliance.
I had good testing miles, I found the limit of grip on my trail shoes, my muddy arse bore witness to that and the pack continues to impress.
Very soon the oven was on with chili and lemon marinaded haddock fillets ready to go and I took my peat infused feet into a bath and get the rest of me warmed up.
