New Year's Eve fell running jaunt up an old favourite to shake off the cobwebs of Christmas! Semi-frozen bogs, icy winds and very little views means a classic Cheviots day out!
Starting at Rowhope Burn following the bridleway up and over Trows Law, the summit comes quickly, then down the steep west flank following the Pennine Way over deep rutted peaty bogs: some frozen, some not! After the fun of descending you hit the flagstoned paths of the Pennine Way over Mozie Law, Beefstand Hill and Lamb Hill before they disapear altogether and you're bag in the bog. Thankfully there is the Yearning Saddle Mountain Refuge Hut to sit in and have a snack and a drink out of the wind before heading onto what for me was the hardest part.
Deeply unfit and by this point a little stiff and cold - and admittedly running out of time as Ian had to be back in time for NYE family duties, we had to push hard through ankle deep puddles beneath the thin ice we'd break above them up and onto Yearning Law, finally giving way to a lovely winding descent into Blindburn to finish off with a 3 or so Km road run, which was more of a walk at this point, to the car.
Sadly the cold had sapped batteries and SD cards were full on the GoPro so sadly we didnt get any footage of the last parts but, my achilles the next day was testement that the final third of the route was a killer for someone as unfit as myself!
Music Credit: Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio