Fife - Fastpacking the Lomond Hills

If you've been reading recent blogs, you might think that I haven't been very far afield, since here is another blog from Fife! To be honest, I haven't been far over summer but I can assure you that blogs will be coming soon from other locations!  However, the Lomond Hills were a good choice for my first ever fastpacking trip as they have good, run-able trails and are not too remote given that I was carrying very lightweight kit. Fastpacking is like backpacking but faster and lighter. It's about moving fast through the hills with minimal camping kit. It can be walking fast or running and on my trip I was aiming to run as much of the route as possible.

My trip started at Markinch and used some of the Fife Pilgrim Way to pick up a trail into the hills at Pitcairn. The trail was a long, climbing path up to and over East Lomond so I had to walk much of this, especially the steep flanks of the hill itself. But it was a pretty approach through woods, fields and heather moors. 

The descent down the other side was an enjoyable run and took me to the old lime kilns. This is a beautiful spot for a breather with wildflowers, a pond and the old kilns. The Lomond Hills are volcanic and were formed 380 million years ago. However, the limestone in the area was formed from shells on the sea floor and protected over time by the harder volcanic rock on top. The limestone was quarried in more recent history for use in construction and agriculture but had to be burned in the kilns to create lime. 

After my short break here, I set out running again, using a lovely track that heads west. It was actually built by the limestone quarriers to transport the lime out of the hills. It's very pleasing on the eye as it cuts a line through this high place and is dominated by the cone-shaped top of West Lomond up ahead. 

I wasn't running up West Lomond but instead picked up the farm track to Little Ballo and then onto Harperleas Reservoir. I love the path from here that climbs up through the trees to West Feal. Although it's a plantation wood, there is a mix of trees in places and some nice open rides where the sun filters through. It was another long climb so I was again mostly walking and that continued beyond West Feal also as I climbed up onto the ridge of Bishop Hill.

It was a beautiful run along the ridge in evening sunshine with steep slopes sweeping down to Loch Leven below and some surprising rock features to inspect. However more often than not on this ridge, there is a fierce wind fueled by the thermals that rise up the slopes. So I dropped down a little and found a calmer spot for the bivvy in a larch wood. I'd packed the bivvy rather than the tent to save on weight and bulk. With this being the tail end of summer, I was also able to use my tiniest sleeping bag as well and a minuscule alcohol stove that heated water in my mug for a simple meal. 

A beautiful sunrise kicked off the next day as I set out running down through Glen Vale. It's a magical spot with limestone rock features and a lush, wooded gorge. The path was soft and sandy and perfect for running. A thin drizzle of rain soon came on and cooled the morning. It provided an excuse, as if needed, to pull into Loch Leven's Larder for coffee and cake. A connecting trail from here took me to the main path along the shore of the loch.

Being mid week and wet, it was quiet and I enjoyed the peace and solitude as I finished my trip by running into Kinross for a bus home. It had been harder than I imagined to run with camping equipment, even along the flat, and I wished I had done more training runs carrying weight. However, I was happy with what I had managed to run overall and I'd really enjoyed the trip. It was nice to experience a place well known to me in a completely different way through running it.

Fact File
Start: Markinch (Edinburgh - Dundee trains stop here)
Finish: Kinross (buses to Edinburgh from the Park & Ride)
Route: From Markinch to Pitcairn Centre on the Fife Pilgrim Way and then picked my way through a few streets to the centre. Path from the centre up East Lomond then down the other side and along the track to Craigmead. A short distance south on the hill road then track signed for Little Ballo. To end of this track then crossed the retaining wall for Harperleas Reservoir and turned right on the track at the far end. Path to West Feal is signed from this track a little further west. From West Feal up the track to Monduff Hill and along the ridge north to Bishop Hill. A vague path drops northeast from Bishop Hill eventually running beside a wall at a larch wood. This path eventually joins the main path that heads down through Glen Vale. Turned left where Glen Vale path met the road to Glenalmond and then right when it meets the A road. Just after here is Loch Leven's Larder and a path from here joins the Loch Leven Heritage Trail into Kinross.
Kit: Ultimate Direction Fastpackher 20 running pack; Outdoor Research Alpine bivvy; Sea to Summit spark sleeping bag; Thermarest Neoair sleeping pad; Speedster mini alcohol stove with titanium mug.

Fife - Last of the summer rides

The nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping but before the season began its change into autumn, I fitted in a last summer cycle trip in Fife. The hot, sunny days through golden fields ready for the harvest, captured the essence of this time of year.

The ride headed northeast out of Markinch using the route of the Fife Pilgrim Way along field margins, farm tracks and ancient paths. The first section was especially enjoyable by bike, pedaling along between fields and hedgerows on single track baked hard by the summer sun. 

We soon left the fields behind to climb gently into the woods and forests of Clatto Hill. This section had a remote and empty feel to it that was hard to explain given its proximity to reasonable sized towns. Perhaps it was because we stuck to gravel tracks and forest rides so never crossed any roads. 

A lovely descent through Clatto Den took us to Clatto Reservoir. It was an idyllic spot in the sun with waterfowl on the loch and dazzling blue damselflies flitting around the bright pink of the rosebay willowherb that lined the margins.

Our next path cut a meandering line across the fields before bringing us out in Ceres at the Bishop's Bridge. It was built in the 17th century and the gradient of its arch plus the cobbled surface defeated our modern day bicycles and we had to push over. 

Our ride continued northeast out of Ceres on countryside paths and then up a steep farm track onto Kinninmonth Hill. The stiff climb was worth the effort for the view back over our route and to the Lomond Hills beyond. The climb had also taken us to our wee campsite for the night at Drumcarrow Farm. It was basic, just a field beside the farmhouse with one toilet and a shower in a portakabin, but it was a lovely spot. The view was open and extended over rolling fields and woods. House martins twittered overhead and the craggy hill of Drumcarrow Craig behind the farm provided a pleasant walk to fill the evening.

The campsite was also our turnaround point and next day we made our way back to Markinch on quiet, meandering back roads.

Fact File

Start/finish: Markinch
Public Transport: Edinburgh to Perth and Edinburgh to Dundee trains stop at Markinch.
Route: Fife Pilgrim Way from Markinch is all rideable with a loaded bike except for a couple of very steep but very short sections. It goes right by the campsite. Returned to Markinch via the National Cycle Network route through Craigrothie, Coaltown of Burnturk and Star.