Club Training Weekend
We’re switching things up a bit with 2025 kicking in. Rather than simply focussing on racing we’re aiming to start occasional weekend training/social weekends to allow all club members to experience a bit of variety in running and also to get to know some less-frequently visited parts of the country.
The Plan
For any runner who wants to boost their training load as they look forward to the late spring or early summer season, or who just wants to run in a new part of the country, we’re going to base our first Club training weekend in Kilmartin Glen, Argyll. We’ll have first-come, first served group accommodation at The Bothy in Kilmartin - The Bothy : Overview . Others could take advantage of local hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation to suit. (See foot of document for details).
Timetable – Friday 11th
Arrive at Kilmartin any time after 4pm. Night to yourselves, although plenty of local runs available (Andy or Bill with local knowledge will be on hand), or available on WhatsApp to help out. Others can either turn up on the Friday night, or meet up sometime on the Saturday.
Timetable - Saturday 12th
- Arrive at Crinan around 09:00 to warm up for the Parkrun. Less than half an hour from Kilmartin. home | Crinan Canal parkrun | Crinan Canal parkrun
- 10:15 (ish) – everyone head back to Kilmartin.
- 11:00 - Coffee/Cake at Museum Café.
- (Optional) from 11:30 Museum Visit – Guided Tour. About an hour.
- 13:00/13:30 – Between two and three hours of a local guided run around various Kilmartin Glen monuments and sites of interest. You’ll learn a bit, enjoy some great scenery and might even get a song. The wetter the faster. If it’s dry, we’ll have more chat at the monuments. Probably somewhere around 10 miles, but options to return under your own steam after either 2 miles or 6 miles.
- 15:30 - 16:30 – Back to accommodation and relax for a bit.
Socialising – Saturday night
The opportunity to have a bit of socialising on Saturday night with a meal, some chat, a wee bit of storytelling and a short quiz. The meal and evening event will be in the Kilmartin Hotel, which, for early bookers, may also have accommodation available. Approx £30 excluding drinks.
Timetable – Sunday 23th
- 10:00 - After breakfast off to Dunardry Car Park, Crinan Canal. Put on trail shoes (these can be exchanged later on the route for road shoes)
- Gentle warm up for about a mile on towpath back to Cairnbaan.
- Hill Trail on forest road to Kilduskland Loch. Stop at the top of the main rise to allow all to gather – as fast as you like – it’s just about all uphill, but all runnable. About two and a half miles.
- Option one to head back down to Dunardry – coffee should be available by then.
- Option two to continue on to the Still Loch, about another two miles. Quite high up by now and your trail shows will have been tested. Option to head to take a detour up to Cruach Breacain (weather dependent). It has great views of Mid Argyll, down to Tayvallich over to the Inner Hebrides and back round to Cruachan and the Arrochar Alps. It can be boggy mind you, so you’ll get dirty.
- Down, down, down past the Water Loch (Kilduskland Loch on the map) a wee bit up again and then down to Ardrishaig - approximately 8 miles in by this stage and the shoe stop for those who want to change footwear to road shoes for the last of the run back along the Canal to Dunardry. These who want to be sociable can dawdle along together and those who are still in the mood for lung-bursting have about 5 flat miles to the finish.
- 13:00 – 13:30 (guesstimate) Coffee and home.
Numbers and Costs
Numbers in The Bothy will be limited to 16 (8 male, 8 female), and overall a maximum of up to 30 for the meal on Saturday night – it’s what the hotel can cater for comfortably.
First come, first served for The Bothy.
The accommodation cost at The Bothy for two nights, Friday and Saturday, will be £30 each, breakfast and other meals by self-catering, or at The Kilmartin Hotel – pre-booked - local (Lochgilphead mainly) cafes or takeaways.
Partners welcome, provided they can help out with the quiz! Plenty to do by way of walking, Kilmartin Hotel Museum, Oban Distillery Tour – a very good one of its type.
Other Accommodation
Kilmartin Hotel - Kilmartin Hotel Argyll - Scotland Phone 01546 510250 – ask for Richard and mention SVHC training weekend. 4 rooms, 2 of which are family rooms (sleeping 5 and 4 respectively) and two double rooms. Prices vary from £160 - £90 a night per room and include breakfast.
Grey Gull Hotel, Ardrishaig - The Greyr Gull Hotel – Phone 01546 606017. Varying rooms and prices – about 12 miles form Kilmartin and 9 from Crinan.