Even the name sounds ominous – THE MERRICK!

In the Merrick range of hills are other tags that make you wonder just what went on here. Scab Craigs; Black Gully; Murder Hole and the Fang of the Merrick to name but a few. The race itself isn’t a simple case of up and down. It starts with a lung bursting, strength sapping ascent of the very steep Fell of Eschoncan only to be followed by the ascent of Bennan Hill. A short downhill respite leads onto the slopes of Benyellary before the main event of the day, THE MERRICK!

Clothed in a blanket of mist as it was today, the plateau of the Merrick is a cold forbidding place but on a clear day the Solway, Ailsa Craig and Ben Lomond can be seen from one side whilst from the other rises the Rhinns of Kells along with the rest of the Galloway hills.

This year’s race which was part of the Scottish Hill Running Championships attracted 84 entrants and included some of the top names in the sport. Local runners were thin on the ground and I think there was only one runner from each of the Ayrshire clubs. Conditions were fairly good in so much that only the top of the mountain was hidden by the mist. However, underfoot was soft in the extreme and it was clear that today, the climb of over 1,000 metres would be difficult at best.

From the start I trailed towards the back of the field and tried, as usual, to keep my feet dry for as long as possible. Two seconds later, with sodden feet the first ascent began. It could never be described as pretty! Slips, falls, cuts and bruises seemed to be the order of the day as we slogged our way to the eventual top. It was a bit disconcerting for me to think that when I arrived in visibility that was down to only a few yards, the likes of Brian Marshall would be near finishing. Ah well, better get on with it.

Coming out of the mist opened up some fantastic views and the only time I nearly got lost. As I started my descent of the Rig of the Gloon I took a wrong turn. Luckily I had been spotted by a runner about 50 yards behind who shouted a warning. For anyone who doesn’t know the Merrick, it has a nice convenient tourist path all the way up. However, straying from the tourist path can be fraught with danger as there are many cliffs and steep gullies, just like the one I had been heading for!

Once back on the correct route my usual quick descent took on a new dimension as I slipped and slid a full 100 feet down the side of the hill. As I plummeted out of control I realised that the slope petered out and I’d probably come to no harm – amazingly it became quite exhilarating!

Following the Rig of the Gloon the next obstacle was the crossing of the Buchan Burn at one of the fords. Sod the ford, I’m already soaked through and I’m bloody thirsty! Out of the burn and into the next big climb, the aptly named Wall of the Rig of Loch Enoch then a bit of ridge running to the top of Buchan Hill. The descent down Black Gairy was tough, very tough. It was also very steep, very soft and very wet.

At the bottom of the Black Gairy sits the fence I leapt prior to the taking of the world’s worst photo (thanks Kenny!). Unfortunately, the final sting in the tail is a steep uphill on tarmac to the finish at Bruce’s Stone. A quick sprint and I’m there – oh bugger it – I’ll just walk!

All in all, it was a good day that I thoroughly enjoyed. Coming in towards the tail of the field was disappointing but in the words of Colin Brash of Girvan, “This makes Ben Nevis seem easy!”