We sort of managed a short run this morning! The “sort-of” has nothing to do with feeling the after effects of Hogmanay, but instead, had everything to do with icy paths.
Our intention was to complete a circuit of Loch Morlich beside our campsite at Glenmore. [Loch Morlich is fresh water and was completely frozen over.] Depending on the route (and any detours taken) this usually works out at anything from 3 to 4 miles. So quite a short run really, albeit incredibly scenic through the mature Caledonian Scots pines.
However, it really was a disaster from the start. The tracks round the area are very popular with families of walkers and with so much foot traffic the paths had turned to solid ice.
Our run started out like a gentle jog of “tick-tack-toe” and progress was painfully slow. After about 15 minutes of “running” (hmm) our Darwinian instincts told us that we were probably on a collision course for a broken neck if we didn’t turn back. So that was exactly what we did, but via the beach on Loch Morlich, which was thankfully snow and ice-free.
This got us wondering about whether the anti-slip rubber soles (with small spikes) that we have see many people wearing over their shoes around the site could also be used for the soles of our running shoes. Further investigation will be required the next time we are in Aviemore village centre.
Windana's travel chronicles