Thursday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

To 26
July 2012
Walk Dogs on walk A Steep Ascent of Allermuir Hill Length 6 miles

Cyrano, Finlay, Jerry, Jolie, Lucas, Ozzy, Solo, Tim

Against the odds the sun remained or at least the gathering clouds did not rain on us. Discarding the weather forecast I set out in shorts but did have my waterproof slung over my arm just in case. Not needed. The dogs laboured under the heat of the day. None of us are used to it this year. It was not that it was particularly hot it was just so much hotter than it has been for most of the summer. Our steep climb did not help. Sweat beaded on my brow and the dogs strung out into a lengthening rope of elastic. Tongues hanging almost to the ground no one was chasing at this time. Even along the flatter section leading to this climb all the dogs did was to take advantage of the still burbling streams. Although one of their favourite ditches had silted up from too much mud rich water. Our climb weaved upward on a half hidden path in the grass disappearing into the forest of bracken. Cyrano, Finlay and Solo taking the wrong path down into a gully. Solo, not bothering to retrace his steps, thrashed upward through the bracken to rejoin us. Cyrano sprinted back along the path. But where was Finlay? He did not want to have to go all the way back to rejoin the right path but he did not want to clamber through the bracken.

Weighing it up he finally he trotted parallel to us much lower down, his expression getting a little more worried looking with each passing metre, until the bracken fell away enough for him to push himself through to our path. As we ground our way up the hill it got steeper but the views became grander and the dogs tongues longer. Finally cresting a rise to reveal the top of Allermuir Hill. We did not linger. Partly because a woman walker was having a bite to eat on the other side of the kissing gate at the top. No barrier to the dogs. Enough space for them to squeeze underneath, even though I told them not to! As I spoke to the woman, like elite, stealth soldiers they sneaked under it. I could see every move and soon surprised them and they rushed back through but not until Tim had put his muddy paws on the womans trousers. My next task to prevent Finlay wallowing in a puddle. Without water it was nothing more than mud. I succeed for now but failed later. There was something up with the dogs today as though the heat had made them giddy. No so much disobedient, they walked well to heel passed a large number of excitable sheep, but somehow they were always under my feet. Except for Lucas who was back in shadow mode behind me, only running ahead once for one chase. To be fair it was one of the only chases of the day. Instead they ran about me cutting across my stride or stopping dead in front of me. It was a like a conspiracy to get me. Was the heat making me paranoid? I was not so sure when me and Ozzy vied for the same stepping stone over a muddy section. My foot just getting there first and deflecting him into the mud. Tim who is normally the one attracting my attention was rather quiet and even Jolie was barely making a fuss giving Lucas a day of respite. Jerry too not bounding about quite as much although hid did manage one or two spectacular leaps. We dipped around the back of Capelaw Hill which is where we met the sheep. And Finlay took his mud bath. Then walked all the way around it to meet the track taking us back down to Dreghorn. The dogs still rather bunched up, perhaps the reason why they were under my feet all the time. With Edinburghs outstretched panorama coming up to meet us we disappeared into the trees at the bottom of the slopes. Emerging onto the access road beside the abandoned farm and back along beside the city by-pass to the car.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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