I love running up hills and mountains and it doesn’t need to be a race for me to do it. I want to run up the highest mountains in England, Scotland and Wales, namely Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowdon.
Back in the summer of 2002 when Yuk-Lam was about 7 months pregnant with our first child Abbey we had a week’s holiday in Scotland, spending the first half in Fort William and the second half in Edinburgh. We had glorious weather and a lovely time. While we were at Fort William, Yuk-Lam knew I wanted to run up Ben Nevis and as she was heavily pregnant, she suggested she would have a wonder around the shops and a café for a drink and I could have a crack at running up Ben Nevis.
I was very eager, I must admit I was a bit concerned about running up it as I had read a leaflet from the visitors centre that explained the weather up there can change very quickly, it listed the gear it recommended you should take and that on average it takes 8 hours to walk. Let alone the fact I hadn’t prepared for the run. This all made me think the run could be much harder than I was expecting. I was planning on taking a tiny rucksack with a Mars bar, a bottle of water, a camera and a little cagoule, was I asking for trouble?
Anyhow I decided to go for it with my minimal kit bag. Yuk-Lam dropped me off at the Visitors Centre at the foot of the mountain. It was a lovely hot sunny day, I made steady progress up the mountain passing a range of walkers some wearing proper hiking gear to others who were families in trainers. They all seemed to find my running up the mountain as something fascinating and a bit bazaar.
I stopped at several points on the way up, a bit to get my breath back but also to admire the outstanding panoramic views across the town of Fort William, the Lochs and other mountains. I always find it amazing that 1000’s of feet up mountains you find lakes and Ben Nevis was no different. It is quite special running on your own up a mountain rather than in a fell race because you can stop when you want to take in the spectacular scenery and this is the real reward for running up mountains.
As I got nearer to the summit the trees and grass were replaced by rocks and even though it was a sunny hot day down below the temperature started to drop and I found myself entering cloud. There was even some snow in the north facing crevices. At the summit I was quite disappointed to find a very barren, bleak and grey rocky landscape like being on the moon. There was a stone hut on the top which I was told hikers used if they get caught out in bad weather. I had my Mars bar, chatted up a walker to take my photo at the summit and then started on my descent.
I kept passing walkers coming up that recognised me, most of them finding it amusing that I had passed them going up and now again coming down!
It took me roughly 1 hour 38 minutes to ascend the mountain and 1 hour coming down. A very pleasing accomplishment and a day I’ll never forget.
The second half of the holiday in Edinburgh was another experience for me. Walking up the Royal Mile to Edinburgh Castle my legs were that stiff my pregnant wife was quicker than me and I don’t even want to mention what it was like going down the stairs at the B & B for breakfast!
This was the most sore my legs have ever been.
