Snow = Seriously Nifty Outdoor Wanderings

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it’s a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different. If this is not enchantment, then where is it to be found?

– J.B. Priestley

When my friend and I met up this morning for a long hill run in the beautiful Ochil mountain range in the Scottish Lowlands, little did we know that the world that awaited us on the high plateau would be so very different from the one we were about to leave behind.

As we climbed higher up into the mountain range, we were amazed to catch the first glimpse of a snow-dusted peak ahead of us – the temperatures have been mild lately and we were genuinely surprised and excited in equal measures by the prospects of running in the white stuff.

But it wasn’t just a little snow that lay in wait – the higher we climbed, the more apparent it became that the snow was plentiful, new and untouched. High up in the mountains we found an unscathed winter-wonderland, inviting us to leave our footprints.

Above the fast moving and moody clouds the sun was shining brightly, giving rise to an ever-changing spectacle of light as we made our way from summit to summit across the white wilderness. I have lost count of the number of times that I turned and was greeted by views that literally took my breath away.

We spent the better part of four hours running, skipping, slipping, bouncing and ploughing through the snow-covered mountains. I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday!