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 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.
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.
“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.”
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:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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:
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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.
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.
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.
There is more than one way up to Earls Seat. It is commonly tackled from Dumgoyne but I wanted to challenge myself and see if it was possible to get to Earls Seat by following the Finglen River from Clachan of Campsie. It was easier than I thought but I only recommend it if you are comfortable navigating with no paths around.
Early last year, I come home to discover a herd of cows had rampaged through my garden. A local farm had left a gate open and their cows had escaped. The cows came down the road from the farm, passing lots of other houses, and took a fancy to my place. They all ran in and caused a big mess!
My wife was working at home that day and she didn’t notice the cows were in the garden. Although, she did wonder why their was a lot of noise coming from the garden.
If she had noticed then she wouldn’t have gone out to investigate. She has a fear of cows. Which I think is stange. How can you be scared of something as laid back as a cow? But the very next day there was a headline in a newpaper that read “MAN DIES IN COW ATTACK!” and ever since then I’ve seen lots of similar headlines.
A recent story on the BBC
Maybe, I should be wary after all!
Dunglass is a volcanic plug. Which is a rocky formation formed by a volcano. The most famous examples of them in Scotland are both in Edinburgh – the land Edinburgh Castle sits on and Arthur’s Seat. There are a few more which you can read about here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Volcanic_plugs_of_Scotland
Dunglass is an excellent viewpoint which is next to the John Muir Way. Just a short scramble provides a good vantage point overlooking the route as it heads towards Kirkintilloch.
You can get to it from either Lennoxtown or Strathblane. Just walk along the John Muir way. You won’t miss it!
Any why was I talking about cows? Dunglass is in a field which normally has cows in it so be careful and give them plenty of space.
Twin brothers swimming, cycling and running in Scotland 