Westerlands is a small to medium-sized running club based in the west end of Glasgow. The club specialises in hill and off-road running, and enjoys regular curry nights which it takes as seriously as its running.
Training Information
All of our runs are on the calendar and we are always welcoming of new members: Training and club runs – Westerlands CCC. Non-members should contact the committee@westerlandsccc.co.uk before coming to a run.
The Monday evening training runs (or reps) take place in the west end and southside of Glasgow – meeting at 6:30pm most weeks all year round. Typically, road shoes are suitable for these sessions, but some weeks may be better suited to trail or off-road shoes.
The Wednesday evening club runs take place in various hillier and off road locations around Glasgow. If there is a local summer Wednesday night hill race this will usually replace our club run or there will be a local social run. When we can we try to split the meeting points between north and south of Glasgow and the ability to arrive by public transport.
The required kit for these runs is:
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Hat & Gloves
- Some food and water
- Charged mobile phone
- Off road shoes
- In winter you will also need a charged head torch and some extra warm layers
If you are missing or unsure on any kit then let us know and we can arrange some spare kit for you for your first runs.
Most runs will last about 90 minutes, 2 hours at most, be around 10km with a few hills to climb depending on the location. We will always try and have at least two groups. One group will have a more social pace which might be ideal if:-
It is your first hill run or first night run.
You are unsure how your pace will be compared to other runners as you are new to Westies.
You are on recovery, back from injury, pre/post-race.
You just fancy a more social run with good company.
The other group will be a bit faster and go a bit further, and if there are enough run leaders and supporters there may even be an intermediate group. Whichever group you join no one gets left behind.
Where possible on the club run description we will add information about the run elevation, distance and terrain so you can make a decision about which run to join and which group.
If you are completely new to hill running then we recommend the routes which have minimal elevation, the meeting locations for these are: Milngavie train station, Snuff Mill bridge, Brownside car park or Barrhead train station. If you are unsure do not hesitate to get in touch.
Racing Information
The club organises various hill races across central and southern Scotland. Click here to read about Westies Races. We encourage our members to marshal at least once a year.
We also encourage our members to participate in running races. Races are for runners of all speeds. If you are new to racing the Bog and Burn series or shorter hill races are a
good place to start.
We encourage attendance at popular races within the Scottish hill running and off road running communities. They can roughly be split into the following 4 categories:
- Scottish Hill Races (SHR): Long Classics, Bog & Burns, SHR Championship, Devils Burdens Relays, Comrie Relays
- British Hill Races: British Hill Running Championships, British Fell & Hill Relays, Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay (HBMR)
- Cross Country (XC): Many regional and national events to chose from!
- Local Road, Track & Trail Races such as Allan Scally Road Relays.
Club Handicaps are a series of 5 races we organise for only our members which are informal, fun and a good work out! These races have a staggered start depending on your speed and the
first to cross the line wins.
Summer & Winter Leagues are a fun way for you to gain points against your fellow team members at our most popular races: Club Leagues – Westerlands CCC
Club History
Westerlands Cross Country Club was founded by Bill Sheridan in 1977 for postgraduates of Glasgow University. The club therefore began life as an offshoot of Glasgow Uni Hares & Hounds, before branching out into hill and off-road running.
Westerlands takes its name from the old Glasgow University Sports Ground at Anniesland. This facility no longer exists since the playing fields were sold off to property developers in the mid 1990s.