A few months ago I was thinking about what a shame it was that there weren’t any Carnethy weekends away any more. So I figured that rather than grumbling & expecting someone else to sort it I could organise one myself. Oh, the power! I could choose an area that I liked (and there’s nothing I like more than running through bogs), set routes to my liking and make everyone run at my pace. Ha!
So it all came about – a November weekend of squelching – sorry I mean running – in the Cheviot hills. We were staying at Mounthooly bunkhouse which gave us a cheap & cheerful base from which to explore. I treated those who arrived early enough to a night run via a short stretch of the Pennine Way (squelchy) up to the Schill. This hill top is atmospheric enough in daylight but at night in a bit of mist it was downright spooky. After that I carefully navigated us off the Pennine way onto a path back to the bunkhouse. Things nearly went tits up when I foolishly let Heidi take charge of following the path. Vislas are quite bright but even so, best not to let dogs do the navigation at night. After a bit of blundering we found the path again.
Saturday was mainly sunny and even warm at points. We enjoyed a circular run from Hethpool out along St Cuthbert’s way then back via Humbleton, Harehope and Akeld hills then Yeavering Bell hillfort. A few hardy souls then set off over Newton Tors back to the bunkhouse. Cake awaited us on our return. A lot of cake. It was a tough job trying to eat it all but 23 hungry runners were up to the challenge.
On Sunday morning I outlined the planned run. After the torrential rain overnight we would hack our way up the Hen Hole, climbing up beside waterfalls, and negotiating scree slopes before blundering about the slopes of the Cheviot in thick clag looking for the wreck of an aeroplane. This brilliant plan was greeted with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. “Ok then” I suggested. “Let’s run up the Pennine way until we get fed up then turn and run back”
This idea went down a lot better so that’s what we did. Folk got fed up at Auchope Cairns as it was raining hard and rather chilly so that was our turn around point.
It was a great weekend full of laughter & chat, good food and plenty of cake. We didn’t lose anyone and I don’t think anybody went more than knee deep in a bog. If the showers had worked it would have been perfect!
Nicola Dunn
Jeff’s pics –