UKH

I'm thinking of marking my 60th birthday with a 60K run and I'd like a few suggestions to fire my imagination. The criteria are roughly as follows:

1. The journey has to be of some interest and in Scotland or the North of England.

2. Mainly off road and not a canal tow path.

3. I don't mind the odd hill but the equivalent of a Ramsay round would probably put paid to me reaching my 61st birthday.

4. It should be a route in its own right. I don't want to do 1/3 of the West Highland Way or suchlike.

Circuit of the Lairig Ghru and Lairig an Laoigh. Ours was just the thick side of 32 miles (so >= 51.5 km) from Loch Morlich, but you could find another 8.5 km by adjusting the start/finish point.

The obvious one of about that length in the North of England would be the Old County Tops, I think the race route is 57km, but you could easily find a few km extra. Not as hilly as a big round, but still very hilly.

Thanks Pete, just checked it on Memory Map. Looks good. Presumably you go as far as the Fords of Avon and then round the East side of Bynack More?

Thanks Nick. 10000 ft of ascent is too much I think. I don't want to end up on a 20+ hour slog.

Another vote for the Lairig Ghru and Lairig an Laoigh circuit - it's a great day out.

Map and description at http://www.petestack.com/blog/lairig-quartet.html. If there's a more satisfying route of its length and type (mid/high-level trail through hills) in the country, I've yet to find it. A hefty day out, but still much easier than the likes of Ramsay's or Tranter's Rounds.

Starting/finishing in Coylumbridge and taking the trail over the Cairngorm Club Footbridge both ways (not road between Coylumbridge and Loch Morlich) to join our loop should give you 60 km.

Hi Pete - been planning doing that route this summer but was planning to go clockwise.  Was there any reason you decided to go that way round that I should really be thinking of?  Thanks

No pressing reason, no... think I probably just fancied getting straight to grips with the Lairig Ghru and keeping the less obviously 'Lairig' stuff (Bynacks to Ryvoan) for the run home. Thought Glen Derry glorious on the anticlockwise circuit, but can't see either way disappointing!

Looking at the elevation profile it looks to me like the uphill bits are steeper but shorter if you do the Lairig Ghru first.

For my 60th I chose to do Leventons Line. http://www.highsports.co.uk/blog/leventons-line/

Which is in Wales, longer and has hills - so not remotely what you asked for - but if you have a change of heart I can recommend it. Batman

I did the route last year starting from Linn of Dee. I think it ended up 37.5miles.

Fantastic day out but my legs died at 28 miles. It was a slow plod back after that. 

Yep, that should add a similar distance to a Coylumbridge start, but I never thought to suggest it because Aviemore's so much more accessible than Braemar from here. For others it might be the other way round and the obvious way to go.

I did the Ultimate Trails 55k in the Lake District last year to mark my 55th birthday, a bit like your reason...I hope that 60k at 60yrs then doesn't mean 70k @ 70yrs etc!

Also, just fyi, the 55k was actually just over 58k, so could easily be adjusted to get you up to 60k. It's a circular route from Ambleside.

Thanks.  I think my choice might have been more about covering what I saw as the relatively dull bit at the start rather than thinking of the route as a whole.  You've prompted me to think about it properly.

I've only done it as a cycle but the Mary Townley loop was enjoyable and I would quite happily run it

It works better if you try doing things in a set time - say, a 10K in fewer minutes than your age!

To the OP: Nice idea. Hope I can do that when I'm 60

Lakeland Trails - experts in very good courses but poorly measured / described !! Note to self - Cartmell 2018 - Make very sure you don't start speeding up in the last mile as there's another ¾ mile after that!

Yes, agreed. I did it as well. 18k race was actually 18.83k according to my Garmin. And I was a lot slower than 2017.. (

Lyke Wake Walk on the North York Moors maybe?  Just a touch over your distance at 64km. 

Great idea. How about the McWilliams Round Long? I've not done it but I've done the ~35 mile short version an it's fantastic. Both start in Wooler and the originator is a fantastic guy. Details on Facebook. 

Cheers, Ross. 

The Gerry Charnley round, or round the carneddau, as on LDWA website.