{"id":6119,"date":"2019-12-09T11:51:32","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T11:51:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=6119"},"modified":"2019-12-06T11:55:27","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T11:55:27","slug":"out-of-puffer-on-magical-woodland-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/2019\/12\/09\/out-of-puffer-on-magical-woodland-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Out of Puffer on magical woodland run\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Quiet forest trails don\u2019t get much better than this \u2013 but it won\u2019t be long until these particular ones are taken over by two-wheeled trail riders.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because much of this route follows parts of the<\/span>\u00a0course used in<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Strathpuffer\u00a024-hour mountain bike\u00a0<\/span>endurance\u00a0<\/span>challenge that takes place\u00a0<\/span>here\u00a0<\/span>every January in the depths of winter.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, I\u2019d expected to see a number of them out practising and memorising every twist and turn of the route on this cold but clear Sunday morning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully, we only saw a handful – and even those were not on the narrow\u00a0<\/span>singletrack<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>sections\u00a0<\/span>where a coming together could have been hard to avoid!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had the vague outline of a route in my head as Rich and I set out from the\u00a0<\/span>Blackmuir<\/span>\u00a0Wood car park in\u00a0<\/span>Strathpeffer<\/span>, crossing the road to follow the\u00a0<\/span>track\u00a0<\/span>towards Loch\u00a0<\/span>Kinellan<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, I wanted to go a bit further than the basic route and reckoned I could find my way around\u00a0<\/span>some of the other unmarked<\/span>\u00a0trails, despite it having been nearly five years since I last took part in the Puffer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the houses at the end of the lane, we headed\u00a0<\/span>left<\/span>\u00a0along the peaceful\u00a0<\/span>l<\/span>ochside\u00a0before passing a gate and climbing into the woods.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
John crosses the slippery bridge on the nice singletrack section through the woods.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At a track junction we kept right then followed a wooden sign left to the\u00a0<\/span>Kinellan<\/span>\u00a0viewpoint. The way goes up a narrow path to join a wider track that then cuts up to the right, where it twists up to a bench \u2013 all pretty easy to follow now as the number of bikes using the route in the opposite direction has made it the most obvious way<\/span>\u00a0to go<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The viewpoint is a lovely spot, and during the Puffer it\u2019s a magical place to pause in the starlight with the ice and snow sparkling below your wheels \u2013 for those of us who don\u2019t care too much about how fast we\u2019re going at least!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We paused for a moment before running down the trail behind the bench, cutting left at the bottom to follow a track then turning right at a junction. A few hundred yards up here, we cut left onto a narrow\u00a0singletrack\u00a0section that winds its way through patches of rocky terrain in the forest.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was peculiar to be running this route, especially in reverse compared to the old Puffer route I know so well. Dropping down to the Bridge of Thighs, the orangey-brown bracken looked beautiful\u00a0<\/span>as a contrast to\u00a0<\/span>the bare silver bark of the birch trees.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The bridge surface was slippery \u2013 no change there \u2013 but it was slightly easier to\u00a0<\/span>get onto without the hindrance of handlebars. A steep climb follows before the trail bears right, running parallel to a wider track for a short distance.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For the uninitiated, turning the next corner can come as a bit of a shock. I remember coming here for the first time and feeling a bit startled when the bike-riding skeleton known as Bill came into view! Now, he\u2019s a familiar sight<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0so we said hello to him and continued along the trail, enjoying the view ahead to a snow and cloud-capped Ben\u00a0<\/span>Wyvis<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
At the viewpoint above Loch Kinellan, looking west over to the mountains.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A little more\u00a0<\/span>singletrack<\/span>\u00a0and we emerged\u00a0<\/span>at\u00a0<\/span>a hairpin bend on a vehicle track, turning left to drop down the hill and enjoy some easier running. Once we got to Loch\u00a0<\/span>na<\/span>\u00a0Crann, we decided to get off the main route and instead turned left over a little wooden bridge.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This trail led nicely between the trees and along the loch shore and it was a pleasure to watch its mirror-like surface until the way turned away from the water to meet a clearer path th<\/span>r<\/span>ough the woods.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We turned left here, following our noses, and then recognised the next junction, where a signposted right turn took us on the way to View Rock. This stretch winds nicely through the woods, eventually climbing to the viewpoint itself, looking out over Loch\u00a0Achilty\u00a0to the\u00a0Fannichs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We met a bunch of mountain bikers here, discussing their technical descent from the rock. We stuck to the main path which continues past the rock, then diverted on the old Puffer route, going left\u00a0<\/span>then right\u00a0<\/span>at the bottom to follow a nice rocky trail that all too soon becomes a mud bath over the race weekend!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The run down here was great fun in parts but as we got nearer the forestry car park at the bottom I decided to add on another loop, so we turned right just after a gap in a wall to reach the forestry track.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A long climb up here followed, and we continued on the main vehicle track until we saw a sign for the River Walk just before a burn. There are some steep drops off the side down here and, with the rocks and roots making for a potentially slippery surface, we were in full concentration mode, Rich making speedier progress than me.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
A nice meander leads through the trees near Loch na Crann.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a pleasure to run down this trail though and at the bottom it levels out to a clear path that leads to the Contin Wood car park. From here, we were back on my \u2018main\u2019 route, so we followed the lane out to the main road and ran along the pavement through the village of Contin.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just after the\u00a0Coul<\/span>\u00a0House Hotel and before the filling station, a small path sign points left to\u00a0Strathpeffer\u00a0up a quiet side road. We headed up here and continued onto the track it turns into beyond the last cottage, running past\u00a0Coul\u00a0Mains under delightfully coloured autumn leaves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A welcoming sign invites you to take a seat on a carved-out log, but we resisted the temptation and continued along the track, ignoring a couple of turns to keep basically straight ahead where other options sometimes look clearer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The track leads to the main road opposite Jamestown, where you need to cross over carefully and follow the little road down to a ruined church.\u00a0<\/span>Just before this<\/span>\u00a0former Free Church<\/span>, thought to have been built around 1861,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>a path goes through a little gate to enter the woods.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We ran along this beautiful little trail which leads right back into the car park at\u00a0Blackmuir\u00a0Wood, completing a fine circuit on some wonderful mixed surfaces.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
On the Coul Mains track that links Contin and Jamestown.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Route details<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Strathpeffer\u00a0and Contin woods circuit<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Distance<\/span><\/b>\u00a010 miles \/ 16km<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Terrain<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>Forest tracks and paths, some rough\u00a0singletrack\u00a0with rocks, roots and steep sections<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start\/finish<\/span><\/b>\u00a0Blackmuir\u00a0Wood car park,\u00a0Strathpeffer<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Maps<\/span><\/b>\u00a0OS\u00a0Landranger\u00a0<\/span>26<\/span>; OS Explorer\u00a0<\/span>437<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Exploring the\u00a0Strathpuffer\u00a0trails \u2013 and other<\/span><\/i>s<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u2013 on foot with a run around scenic wood<\/span><\/i>land<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Quiet forest trails don\u2019t get much better than this \u2013 but it won\u2019t be long until these particular ones are taken over by two-wheeled trail riders.\u00a0 That\u2019s because much of this route follows parts of the\u00a0course used in\u00a0the\u00a0Strathpuffer\u00a024-hour mountain bike\u00a0endurance\u00a0challenge that takes place\u00a0here\u00a0every January in the depths of winter.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019d expected […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[146],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Strathpeffer-Contin-run-35.jpg?fit=1000%2C667&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5M0xs-1AH","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6119"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6121,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6119\/revisions\/6121"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bl6.co.uk\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}