Training Update - Falkirk to Wallacestone and back

6 miles in 55 mins.  Not too bad as the first 3 miles was up hill.  Gradual at first then quickly getting steep as we approached Reddingmuirhead.

After a small breather it was a gentle jog down the slope as we entered Wallacestone.  I grew up in Wallacestone so know all about tackling the dreaded Brae.  There's a reason the prison officers from Polmont Young Offenders Institute run the Brae to keep fit.  If you can manage the Brae you can take anything on.

It's a beast that get's steeper the nearer you get to the top.  It takes it's name from the first Battle of Falkirk.  As Wallace retreated from the English the hill apparently gave him the perfect vantage point to survey the damage. 


No one is really sure where that battle actually took place but it's a safe bet he'd have ben able to see wherever it was fought.

The views from the top are worth the hard slog uphill.  On a clear day you can see the Forth Bridges to the east, Stirling Castle and Wallace's Monument to the north and at night the sky is lit up by the petrochemical plant in Grangemouth.

I think I may have broken an arse cheek running back down the hill though.  You really need to put the brakes on or you'll end up in a field at the bottom. 

Well worth the effort on a nice day though. 

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