Iain – Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland

Rugged Run – East Lothian Beach Marathon (Iain)

John Muir was one of America’s most famous and influential ‘Outdoor Enthusiasts’ – although he described himself (in a ltter to a friend) as a “poetico-trampo-geologist-botanist and ornithologist-naturalist etc. etc.” Which must be annoying to write when he was filling in the job title section of application forms.

The John Muir Way is a 130 mile walking/biking route that stretches from his birthplace of Dunbar to where he left Scotland to head to America – Helensburgh. That is too far to run in one day but whilst looking at the route I noticed the section from Edinburgh to East Lothian is almost marathon distance if I went via as many beaches as possible.

I planned to start in in North Berwick and then get the train to Edinburgh but due to heavy traffic on the Edinburgh bypass it looked like I was going to miss the train. I drove to Longniddry instead and caught the train I should have got from North Berwick.

This complicated my run slightly as there is only one train an hour from North Berwick to Longniddry. I’d have to keep an eye on the time so that at the end of my run I didn’t miss a train and then have a long wait.

The first section of the route was from Waverly Station to Portobello beach.I used to live near the route so it was interesting to see places I used to visit – look there’s the Safeway I got my shopping in, look there’s that weird that always had scary people outside it, and look there’s that gym owned by a personal trainer to Hollywood celebrities’.

I was at the opening night of that Gym. I remember the personal trainer thanking everyone for coming. He asked his girlfriend to stand with him. He then he burst into tears as he blubbed about how much he loved her, how she had changed his life and how he’d do anything for her. She was really embarrassed at his speech and so was most of the audience. A couple of year later, I saw him on the front page of a tabloid paper. It turned out he wasn’t a nice man!

The first beach was Portobello beach or Puerto Bello Beach. Which I saw written in Graffiti on a wall next to the beach. I like the Spanish vibe of the name. It seems fitting when the weather is nice and the beach is full of happy people but maybe it is not so appropriate in the depths of winter.

The route from here to Gullane is very easy. Follow the John Muir way signs. I enjoyed this sections as I wasn’t very familiar with the towns of Musselburgh, Port Seaton and Cockenzie. They all had nice seas fronts to run along.

In Gullane I decided to ignore the John Muir Way. The official route goes south of the town but I wanted to go to the beach. It was definitely the correct decision. The coastal section here was my favorite part of the run. There was big sandy beaches and nice trail running.

Gullane was a good spot to pick up refreshments. I got chocolate and water from the local CO-OP.

I rejoined the John Muir Way as I left Gullane. I wanted to head to Yellowcraigs beach but I was conscious of time. The detour to the beach would mean I’d miss the next train from North Berwick to Longniddry and then I’d have a long wait.

I decided to head straight for the train. I’d see enough beaches for one day!

Check out the video below to see what the rote is like. I was running by myself so it’s mostly shots I could film quick and easily as I didn’t want to add too much time onto the run.

VIDEO

MAPS

Review

An interesting route but the road section might put people off doing it. If so you could start at the forest entrance instead

Parking

North Berwick can be very busy so get there early to find a spot.

Facilities

Plenty of cafes and shops on the route.

Nearest cafe

Plenty of cafes and shops on the route.

Run Surface

20% road, 50% path. 30% off road.

Dog Friendly

Yes it is possible but I wouldn’t recommend the distance for a dog. I would only take my dogs on a shorter stretch of the route.

Elevation

344M of elevation.

Iain, Rugged Run

Rugged Run – Lews Castle Grounds (Iain)

Sir James Matheson bought the Isle of Lewis for £190,000 in 1844. Yes – the whole island.

This was a lot of money back then. I wish I could say he earnt it legitimately but he earned his money through the sale of opium. He was a drug baron like Pablo Escobar but without all the murder and cocaine. Maybe not all drug barons are bad but I’ve seen a lot of Narco’s episodes on Netflix. It doesn’t paint drug barons in a good light.

Matheson did not immediately endear himself to locals. According to Stornoway Historical Society, the creation of the castle grounds involved the clearance of tenants and the re-routing of public roads. But over the next three decades, he spent a further £200,000 on island improvements such as roads, schools and harbours in an attempt to kickstart the island economy. So, maybe he wasn’t all bad.

The castle took six years to complete but the surrounding land took even longer. He imported trees to turn the area into extensive woodland. The area is now a great place for walking and running. The grounds are accessible to anyone courtesy of Lord Leverhulme. He bought the Isle of Lewis from Matheson. He had many ambitious plans, some of which were followed through, but most collapsed. He only owned the island for a few years before he gifted the Castle and grounds to the people of Stornoway.

The castle was closed for many years due to disrepair but in recent years it has been renovated and is now a popular hotel https://www.lews-castle.co.uk/

VIDEO

MAPS

https://www.strava.com/routes/2818817373164312010

Review

I have to rate it highly. Its my home running/biking/walking place and full of wonderful memories and experiences.

Parking

There are a few entrances and car parks and I’ve never had any issues using them

Facilities

There is a Cafe in the castle and in the castle grounds. https://www.facebook.com/TheWoodlandsCafe/

Run Surface

100% fire track gravel roads

Dog Friendly

Yes

Elevation

100M of elevation.

Film Friday, Iain

Film Friday – The Yeti Trail Runners Movie (Iain)

Film Friday is a weekly (when I remember to do it) recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.

The Yeti Trail Runners are the self styled punks of trail and ultrarunning. They are irreverent, slow and have a devotion to community above competition.

This is a great advert for enjoying running and not taking events seriously. It shows how with the right attitude an event can treat the runner who comes last just as well as the one who comes first.

I do have one complaint about the video – it is a bit too long. Which is ironic as punk music is normally very short.

Film Friday, Iain

Film Friday – 4×4 Van Conversion (Iain)

Film Friday is a weekly (when I remember to do it) recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.

I have no interest in camper vans. My idea of holiday hell would be two weeks in a camper van BUT I really enjoyed this video explaining how to build one.

Thoma Heaton normally does landscape photography videos (which are also great) but in this series he explains how he converted a van into a camper. He is really good at explaining the issues involved and how he resolved them.

Lennox Castle (Iain)

Iain, Rugged Run

Rugged Run – Meikle Bin from Clachan of Campsie

Should I run when injured? A doctor will say “definitely not” but I say “how injured am I?”

Like all runners I tend to ignore aches and pains by telling myself, “I’ll run it off.”

The day before this run I slipped and injured my back. I didn’t feel sore at the time. I was actually quite impressed by the quality of my fall to the ground. I managed to hold onto my phone all the way down. Even Tom Dailly the Olympic diver wouldn’t have fallen as gracefully.

I felt fine to start the run but during it I got sore twinges in my lower back so I did what any runner would do. I ignored them and hoped it would get better. It didn’t. By that evening I could barely walk as every movement sent a sharp paint through my back.

The next morning it took me 20 minutes to get up out of bed as I couldn’t twist without pain. I’d move a little bit of myself and then wait until the pain went away before trying again.

I had to get my wife to put my socks on me because I couldn’t bend over. Trouble getting up, scared to fall over and requiring a career – it was a good lesson in what old age will fell like to me.

Thankfully I feel better today but whilst watching the video below remember that I suffered for my art.

I previously wrote about Meikle Bin here. This is similar but it adds on some extra climbing by starting at the base of the Campsie Hills in Clachan of Campsie.

Check out the video to see the route.

VIDEO

MAPS

https://www.strava.com/routes/2809051900916445692

Review

An interesting route but the road section might put people off doing it. If so you could start at the forest entrance instead

Parking

Clachan of Campsie can be very busy

Facilities

None on the route

Nearest cafe

There is a cafe and in Clachan Of Campsie

Run Surface

20% road, 50% path. 30% off road.

Dog Friendly

Yes as long as you go back the same way you came.

Elevation

635M of elevation.

Iain, Swim Review

Outdoor Swim Review – Pinkston Water Sports 2021 update (Iain)

“Pinkston is home to Scotland’s only artificial whitewater course, a flat water basin with bathing quality water, meeting rooms and storage facilities for clubs and groups, Pinkston Watersports is an official Glasgow 2014 Legacy project and is operated by Glasgow Watersports Ltd, a registered Scottish charity run by a volunteer board of trustees.”
https://pinkston.co.uk/facilities/what-is-pinkston-watersports

Threre is much debate about where the name Pinkston originates from. Supposedly the Scottish version of the name originated in the old barony of Pinkerton near Dunbar. The barony had the motto “Post nubila sol” which translates to “After clouds sunshine,” which is a fittingly apt motto for an outdoor pool because anyone who uses an outdoor pool needs a positive attitude – it might be cloudy today but the next time I swim it will be sunny!

I’ve used the facility for the last few years. It’s a great place to get an outdoor swim in a safe environment.

Last year (2020) during lockdown, Pinkston offered a pay and swim session. Pinkston was the only swimming pool open as it could operate in a COVID safe manner due to it being outdoors.

This has resumed as of April 2021.

They offer a number of different times (https://pinkston.co.uk/activities/swimming/) I like the 1700 Monday slot as I can get a swim in after work but before I have my dinner.

I was back this week for my firs swim of the year there. It wasn’t very busy – there was 4/5 others swimming. The full length of the basin was open which meant I could get a nice 400m loop in. The water temperature was surprisingly in double figures (10C) I’d worn my full winter swimming kit but I could have word less and still been ok.

I appreciate everyone’s view of temperature is different but double figures is ok for me. I can swim until 5C but below that is too cold for me.

The only downside to the swim is that Pinkston can’t open the changing rooms to users. Everyone has to get changed outside. Which could be considered a positive thing – getting changed outdoors is a skill all outdoor swimmers have to learn. You might as well start at Pinkston.

REVIEW

Ease of Access:

The area around Pinkston is getting regenerated. Local roads and access points are sometime closed so always check google maps first to find the best way there.

Water quality:

The water is murky. Don’t expect to see the bottom of the basin. The pool is not that deep. I can stand up at any point in it (I’m 6ft tall)

Swim Quality:

Their is a 400m-ish loop when the basin is fully open. The site is open to the east and west which means it can be tricky swimming at sunrise/sunset as the Sun shines directly into your face.

Other People:

Due to Covid regulations only a small number of people can swim at a time. It never feels busy and there is plenty of room to swim in.

Would I go back:

Yes – it is convenient to have somewhere in the city. It is good for beginners and it is a great starting point for people who want to move from the pool to outdoor swimming.

Film Friday, Iain

Film Friday – Lennox Castle – A Guided Tour (Iain)

Film Friday is a weekly (when I remember to do it) recommendation of one video to watch this weekend.

I recently wrote about Lennox Castle https://twinbikerun.com/2021/04/06/lennox-castle-iain/ Have a read of that and then come back here. Have you read it ? Good.

After filming there I discovered a piece on YouTube showing what the site originally looked like. It has changed allot since its heyday.

Lennox Castle (Iain)

Iain

Lennox Castle (Iain)

Lennox castle was built in the 1830s.

In 1936 it became Lennox Castle Hospital.The largest and best equipped hospital of its kind in Britain. The hospital cost over £1 million to build,

At its peak in the 1970s over 1700 people were crammed into the sparse accommodation.

Conditions were so bad that in even the hospital’s medical director said he had never worked in “a worse pit”.

There is a good history of the site here https://historic-hospitals.com/2015/05/01/lennox-castle/#:~:text=LENNOX%20CASTLE%20HOSPITAL%2C%20LENNOXTOWN%20Lennox,to%20designs%20by%20David%20Hamilton.

You can find the details of a rugged run that passes by the castle here https://twinbikerun.com/2020/02/10/rugged-run-lennox-forrest/

Iain

Campsie Sunset (Iain)

One of the features of Apple Airpod headphones is that they don’t require any wires to connect to an iPhone. I can be anywhere from 30ft to 100ft away from my phone and still listen to my favorite Cliff Richard albums. Only kidding, I would never listen to anyone as uncool as Cliff. I prefer Des O’Connor.

There’s a reference only people of a certain age will get!

I know the range because I had to google “what is the range of AirPods” when my iPhone fell out of my pocket whilst jogging. My music stopped playing 30ft to 100ft later.

It happened at Holehead Radar station. A place I have previously written about https://twinbikerun.com/2021/02/16/rugged-run-holehead-radar-station/ I was there because it was a nice evening and I wanted a video of the sunset.

I searched for my iPhone but I couldn’t find it. I went home to borrow my wifes phone and I then drove back to look for mine. It was pitch dark and foggy by this point. I walked all the way to the top of the hill but just as I started looking for my iPhone, my wife’s phone died. The battery had gone flat.

So the next day I got up early and this time, with a fully charged phone, I was able to find it.

I’m pleased with the footage I shot but whenever I watch it I don’t feel the beauty of the sunset. I just feel the pain of nearly losing my iPhone and how sore my legs were after 3 trips in rapid succession.