Jim's Report

About a month ago, I received a message from Mary Lye:
Isn't it time for another Carnethy social run?

Damn, she’s right, I’d been assigned the loose task of “social stuff” when appointed to the Carnethy committee and, quite frankly, I’d been hiding behind the Burns Supper since the start of the year. Ok, but what? Some messages back and forth, and we come up with a rough route and a date - the weekend of the equinox. A name? Easy! The Pubinox! No. The Harfast Beerfastival (“Harvest Beer festival”, with the word “fast” forced into awkward places)! No. Some even-more ridiculous ideas, then just settle on the simplest “The Autumnal Equinox run”. Such simple beginnings, yet it spawned a bit of a monster.
Fast forward to Saturday, a recce completed, the drinks menu sorted, drinks decanted, food cooked, drop bags placed, bus company phoned. Lunch eaten. It’s 2pm. People start arriving. It’s on. There’s no stopping it. I’m scared.

We all meet at the Steading, it was both the start and end of the run. A quick drink to get started while I check off names, Mary takes a menu for later. Everybody dumps their stuff in the back of my car, and we wander over to the bus stop for the first task – get to the start of the run. Jane Jackson kindly ribs me about my heightened state of nerves, as the bus is the lynchpin of the whole operation and it really needed to be there. “Ooooh, where’s the bus Jim? Ooooooh, what’ll ye do if it doesn’t turn up? Ooooooh, I can’t see it. Oooooh”, all with a mischievous grin. Neil Burnett joins in. The swines! If it didn’t arrive it’d be a different day (I had a backup route planned but it wasn’t ideal), but thankfully the Stagecoach bus 101 has done us proud and arrives neatly on time. £2.10 each, a bargain, certainly better than I was quoted for bus hire. Joel gets aboard at Penicuik – the platoon was complete. The heat in the bus gets unbearable, static electricity from all the man-made clothing rubbing together crackles and sparks with every speed bump.

Start: Allan Ramsay Pub. A pint of Stewart’s Brewing Celtman. I collect some money for the goodies ahead and distribute some glasses for the run – I managed to get some plastic glasses with alcohol unit measurements on them. They’re intended to highlight how much you actually drink and, although they’re cheekily being used here, I do hope that everyone has taken them home with them. There I spread some stuff across a few rucksacks, with Graham Nash getting the brunt of it, I’m sorry to say.

A shimmy through gates and ferns and we’re onto an apparently unnamed lump before the climb to Paties Hill and to partake in the first of our goodies. Glenkinchie Whisky. I raise a wee glass towards Andy Millard’s old place in Nine Mile Burn, as it was he that got me caught up with Carnethy a few years ago now. I sometimes wonder if he ruined my life.

Tasting Notes: Glenkinchie 12yr old – made 19 miles from Patie’s Hill.
The nose is quite light, yet fragrant. Notes of fresh cereal and grist, some barley sweetness and a nutty note. Acacia honey creeps in with gentle warmth. The palate is very fruity with notes of Madeira and sweet stewed fruits. A hint of calvados and tannic oak lining the mouth. There is a freshness and roundness to this dram. The finish is of medium length with notes of cereal and a fresh greenness. (from website)

Then over Spittal Hill to Green Law. Everyone is moving pretty speedily, and the weather is fair, a tailwind certainly helps. We catch the tail-end of the Pentland Push walkers that are doing a similar section of the route we’re taking, but in the opposite direction. Cheery hellos are exchanged, it’s nice weather and the hills look great. Graham recovers the next goodie from under some rocks, Edinburgh Gin with tonic. Mary also doles out her home made toffee apples. The combination of bitter gin and tonic with sweet toffee apples is an unexpected treat. Some mountain rescue guys wander over to say hello, as they’re following the pentland pushers. They take a toffee apple, and kindly take a few snaps with our cameras. Nice guys, tickled with our idea of a day on the hills.

Tasting Notes: Edinburgh Gin – made 9 miles from Green Law.
Distilled in a Scottish copper pot still with 8 classic botanicals we then infuse a distinctively Scottish character in the form of Scottish juniper, pine , heather and milk thistle. Results in a perfectly balanced premium gin, crisp with a spicy fruit edge. (from website)

Tasting Notes: Mary’s Toffee Apples – made 10miles from Green Law
Tastes like toffee, then like apple. In between, toffee and apple. The crisp exterior giving way to a fluffy apple centre. Refreshing and light. Lovely!

Towards the kips now. At the drove road we meet a pentland push support fella with a marquee and 4x4. The walkers are long gone now and he offers round some leftover bananas, crisps and juice. He explains the walk and what they do. They certainly had a good day for it. Up onto the kips, Mark Hartree does a headstand, I get concerned about the measures I’m handing out, but then I notice the headstand does not sway at all and so I figure he’s fine. We shelter from the wind on the eastern side of West Kip, where we sample some of my mum’s homemade berry liqueur.

Tasting Notes: Ma Hardie’s Berry Liqueur – made 30miles from West Kip
Sweet and fruity. Not obviously alcoholic, until a warm glow spreads across your chest, feeling like a wee warm hug from your mum. Then your legs work differently.

Now onto Scald Law, missing-out South Black Hill, a regroup, and I phone-in our reservation the very exclusive Carnethy Café. A table for 20, please! Up onto Carnethy to see the maître de waiting for us, our very own Bob Johnson, suited and booted. Looking very sharp in a suit and bow tie. Everyone is very impressed with this sight and applaud this outfit….but there’s a catch. I can see him holding back the chuckles. I know that he’s cut-out the back of the suit for a laugh, and it’s just a matter of seconds before people wander round and notice. Mark Hartree is first round, and nearly falls over with laughter. Bob, what a hero!! Not only that, but he’s carried 5litres of Thistly Cross cider to the summit, and a box full of Jane’s homemade vegetable pasties. This surely deserves and entry on Carnethy’s hall of fame!

Tasting Notes: Thistly Cross Original Cider – made 30miles from Carnethy Hill
Our Farmhouse Cider is smooth, refreshing and Thistly Cross’ first born. It’s a classic, farmhouse cider made with a blend of Scottish apples.
The 6 month maturation makes it refreshing, smooth & fruity. (from website)

Tasting Notes: Jane’s Vegetable Pasties – made 10miles from Carnethy Hill
Potato, chick peas, leek, black pepper and a bit of cumin in a shortcrust parcel. Homely, delicious and filling.

Tasting Notes: Bob’s bum – usually housed 17miles away from Carnethy Hill.
The 50 year maturation in pants makes it refreshing, smooth & fruity. Light bodied, hairy texture. (from dating website)

We leave Bob shivering on the summit, after passing round some cider and pasties to bewildered hill walkers. To Turnhouse, and down to Flotterstone. Matt Jones leads the charge with an order of “start them pouring pints, we’ll sort out money when we get there”. Looking over our shoulder, rain threatens, and the night is coming. The idea was to have sunset between Flotty and the steading, but there is a nice (unintentional) symmetry by having a day section and then a night section divided by the only mid-run pub. It also fits neatly with the equinox theme. However, the Steading won’t keep its kitchen open all night so we need to keep trucking. The “day” leg is coming to an end, and the “night” run will start soon. Time is becoming the enemy, things are going to get very dark indeed.

I deposited the stuff for the next leg at the Inn before we started, they were nice enough to hold a bag of our “juice” until we got there. Stewart’s Brewing IPA, Copper Cascade and 80 shilling all on tap, everybody grabs a pint. Sean Walker pulls a massive bag of homemade chocolate chip cookies from his bag and shares them around. Fantastic! Bags emptied of rubbish, bags refilled with goodies. We have less than 2 hours to get to the steading before the kitchen closes, it’s going to be tight. Outside, the sunset has passed, and now just a lingering glow to light our way.

Up to the Castlelaw fort, a quick look round by the advance party, then a rogue faction takes-in the summit of Castle Law. Some folk are still full of beans, some starting to feel weary (like me!), so there’s an option of a lower route. This works out perfectly, as we all meet regroup at the foot of Allermuir for some raspberry wine, and Fiona’s homemade beetroot muffins (red and white beetroot). She also said something about “muffnuts”, but I think that was the alcohol talking, her chat has got a bit saucy, so I give her less wine.

Tasting Notes: Cairn o’ Mhor raspberry wine – made 37 miles from Allermuir
Full, fresh picked raspberry flavour. A towering inferno of a fruit wine. A giant! Stomping people and other things, like trees and that, underfoot. An 18foot alligator unseen lurking in the swamp. A malevolent shrieking eagle blocking out the sun. (from website, seriously, I couldn’t make this up)

Tasting Notes: Fiona’s red and white beetroot muffins – made 10miles from Allermuir
Lovely! Simple yet delicious, and the perfect antidote to the “shrieking eagle” wine.

At this point we have less than an hour to get back for food, so I resign myself to missing our tea. Ah well, sorry chaps. Graham and Willie see it differently, so the menu is produced by Mary, an order is taken, and Willie phones it in. 13 fish suppers, and a few other odds and sods. Call made by Willie, I repack my bag, and look up – there’s a glittering line of headtorches stretching out between allermuir and caerketton, the sodium glow of Edinburgh to our left, streetlights outline the firth of forth, and an orange rising moon hanging over north Berwick. It’s a beautiful sight, and a beautiful night.

The wind pushes us around on Caerketton, so we dip down to hide from the wind for the last on-hill drink of the day, another Berry Liqueur! Toasts made, some more muffins eaten, thanks to all for coming! Well, my job here is over, the weight of responsibility falls from my shoulders, and I join Matt Jones for a fast descent down the Skyline route. We regroup at the ski tows. Matt has a small frog on his shoe, it’s surreal, and I remember that I’ve not taken any photos, so I take one – the frog. I know this doesn’t sit well with the report, but I only took one photo so I feel it must be added.

A stop at the gate, and then a final sprint to Steading. 8:59, one minute before the kitchen closes. A sit down meal, a few drinks too. Perfect.

A big thanks to the food makers (Mary, Jane, Fiona, and an unplanned Sean)! Thanks to the carriers (Graham, Willie, Michael, Mary)! Thanks to the stashers (Graham). The shepherds (Graham, Willie, Mark, Ronnie)! The beer orderers (Matt Jones)! Food orderers (Willie, Ronnie)! Inspiration (Mary, Willie, Oz, Jane, Graham)! Thanks to Bob for his commitment to the cause! And a massive thanks to everyone that came along!

A day on the hills, good drink, great food, great company, a touch of nudity, and we all got round in one piece. I call that success!

Cheers!

Jim Hardie