HUNTER’S BOG TROT
By Michael Bissett
Another weekend and another race for Tom and myself. This time a hill race slap bang in the middle of Edinburgh – Holyrood Park. The Hunter’s Bog Trot is just over 6km with rather a lot of climbing in it. I have run this race a couple of times before and have always been blessed with good weather and luckily for us the weather gods were kind to us in 2025 with near perfect running conditions.
After a briefing it was time for the race to start. A chance to spot the WERC members!
You start by heading in the same direction as Holyrood parkrun and head up the road towards the top but very early on you are diverted onto Whinny hill. Any running you are doing soon stops as you start to climb.
The views that you get as you climb are terrific but at the same time you are hoping you reach a flat bit soon. Reaching the top of the first hill.
The good thing about a hill race is that what comes up must come down. The first downhill is a bit steep to start with but is long enough to try and get the pace back up. Once you are back down to the road you enter a short trail section before returning to where the race started.
Once you reach midway it is time to enter the area the race is named after – Hunter’s Bog.
Tom heading towards Hunter’s Bog. The first part of the bog is not too bad. A bit rocky in places but perfectly runnable. Then you see the next climb which is rather spectacular up towards the Crags. This is a time to walk again. Everyone else in the race was walking as we snaked up the hill to the top. Again, at the top there are spectacular views and time to make the descent. This is where you see the hill runners come into their own. I had managed to sneak a few places up the leaderboard from halfway and promptly lost them all on the downhill as runner after runner flew down the hill while I was a little more cautious.
Overall, a very successful day. Both Tom and I ran significant PB’s. Tom (who is a very good hill runner in his own right) finished inside the top 30 beating several seasoned hill runners while I managed to sneak into the top 60 making it my highest finish in three years.
Would I run this again. Simply put – yes, I would. It is very accessible for people who are starting their hill running journey. The hills are hilly but not impossible. It is a good test of
