Sunrise Song

Birds flying high, You know how I feel
Sun in the sky, You know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by, You know how I feel
It's a new dawn, It's a new day, It's a new life
For me… And I'm feeling good

We had seen a sunrise. We had spent a night on the hills.
Will Grant – Pentland Days and Country Ways

The wind had been angling across the hill for about an hour now and as the orange canvas flapped around me I lay back once more and renewed the strange feeling of floating on air. Voices shook me from my reverie and I looked out to see two walkers coming across the top of the hill and they seemed discomfited to see me. It was 3:45 am on the top of Allermuir and perhaps I was spoiling their adventure or perhaps it was because I was blocking the path.

I lay back again out of the wind and soon heard more voices. The Midlands’ tones of Bob J and Phil and then the heavier tones of “the great panjandrum himself”, Willie. “There’s someone up here in a hammock”, I heard Bob say in disbelief and then three tired faces were grinning down at me. It was 4:00 am and they’d been running from Mendick Hill across the hills since 10:00 pm last night, having set off with Gordon and Richard White for the sunset and the early stages.

Drake lay in his hammock until the Armada had come, as Henry Newbolt would have it. I lay in mine until Carnethy had come. A quick exchange and they were off to get to Caerketton for the sunrise. I bundled up my hammock and gear and followed in pursuit …

Ribbons of red streamed across the sky as the new day approached as I entered the hollow atop Caerketton carrying a tray of glasses and a bottle of champagne! The cork was popped; the bubbly poured and homemade ginger cake was scoffed as we watched the daily marvel of sunrise unfold.

In typical fashion, that is badly and loudly, Willie began to sing and we knew it was time to go. Three glowing, rejuvenated and revitalized faces were propelled aloft by bodies and legs that appeared to have aged 20 years as we set off to run across the hill and down to Woodhouselee. It felt strange to be so fresh compared to those who had been running all night. At Woodhouselee, Bob and Cali did us proud with lashings of hot tea and bacon and eggs, whilst the heavens opened and the forecast rain arrived. Replete, some heads began to nod around the table, signalling the time for some well deserved sleep for the lads. Willie gave me a lift back to Boghall where I’d left my bike and I set off into the wind-blown rain.

We had seen the sunrise. We had spent a night on the hills.

Nick Macdonald