The Dog Rambler

Wednesday

12 E-diary
May 2010

Walk Through the hills in The Pentlands Length 6 miles

Dogs on walk Finn, Lucas, Phoebe, Struan and Talaidh

A downpour heralded the morning of 12 May. Overnight the sprinkling of snow that had
fallen yesterday in the Pentlands had returned again during the night leaving them largely
white. After some consideration I decided that a walk in The Pentlands that avoided the
highest ground would be a good day out for the dogs.

So we parked at Bonaly car park and set off in brightening weather up toward the moor
and the face of the hills. Slight, delicate snow covered the ground in the shaded areas but
was increasingly vulnerable to the sun, breaking out of the fracturing clouds and rising
higher into the sky, infiltrating the remaining shadows where the last of the snow was
clinging on.

Lucas met Finn for the first time today but did not get an early chance to make his
acquaintance as Finn was away playing with Phoebe as soon we set out. When Finn did
bound over, still excited from the chase with Phoebe, making Luca a bit circumspect as
Finn bowled in child like. Even though he had met Phoebe before he was wary of her size
and her exuberance today, especially after she rolled him over as she flew over to see him.
He generally left Finn and Phoebe to their boisterous ways, deciding to spend more time
with Talaidh, Struan and me.

Leaving the trees below us, as we climbed our way upwards, we came out onto the thick
heather covered moor. Phoebe and Finn kept up their play with Lucas occasionally thinking
of joining in. But it was still a bit too boisterous for him. Up ahead the hills were still white
but with a gradation of darkness coming through as the snow yielded to the changing
weather. The pine trees were still dusted with snow like decorative Christmas trees on a
Christmas cake.

We passed the trees, with Finn and Lucas drawn into them for a treasure hunt; and
Bonaly Reservoir to our right, coming out onto the side of Capelaw Hill. From here our
path took us round the western side of the hill, to the pass between it and Harbour Hill.
The pass was being colonized by sheep and their too clean looking young lambs took on the
snow for whiteness. They were at a distance and I was able to keep the dogs’ attention
focused away from them; until Phoebe began to show too much interest and had to go on
her lead just in case she was about to set off to see them.

This gave Finn and Lucas a chance to get to know each other a bit better, without Phoebe’s
big nose and long legs thrusting in between them. Soon she was back off, with a renewed
vigour, this time rolling Finn over, who loving it so much went back in for more.

As we progressed down between the hills, heading toward Glencorse Reservoir, the cold
northerly wind fell away, choked by the pass behind and above us. The landscape looked
odd. Vivid green of the spring growth heading toward maturity looked incongruous against
and in amongst the veil of snow across the sides of the hills but not in the glens. Here the
trees were now in their full regalia of divergent green and diverse shaped leaves; again odd
against the unseasonal snow.

More sheep and their bleating lambs, but nearer the path this time, meant that the dogs
had to go on their leads until we got down to Glencorse Reservoir. Along the side of the
reservoir we met a number of people out walking, some with dogs, exchanging brief hellos
as we passed by. After a few hundred yards along the access road beside the reservoir we
headed off to the left upwards again and beside a line of Scots Pine trees.
Reaching the top of the trees we joined a path heading left around the western side of
Castlelaw Hill. After working our way past another group of sheep, the dogs were off
running riot through the heathery banks. Struan and Talaidh accidentally flushed two
grouse from the heather, leading to all the dogs getting very excited as the grouse flew low
across their path with rasping calls of alarm.

We meandered on the damp and boggy path toward Allermuir Hill, the biggest in this
section of The Pentlands. Whilst the snow had just about been beaten elsewhere, Allermuir
and Capelaw still wore thier silken white shawls. The path rolled round to the left heading
for the gap between Allermuir Hill and once again Capelaw Hill, but the eastern side this
time.

At a cattle grid we negotiated the dog gate beside it, a slot of wood in the fence beside the
stile. I climbed over to lift it and Phoebe and Lucas, perhaps worried about being left
behind made for the cattle grid! I managed to stop then, but as I was pulling the gate up
Lucas slipped back and managed to jump round the edge of the grid. The others scrambled
through, Finn first as always and Phoebe really having to crouch down.

The now broad path took us downward with Edinburgh shimmering in the sun, until
another of the many clouds shuffled slowly across it. One final rise took us onto the
relatively low White Hill, where we had another dog gate to navigate. With no Cattle grid
this time, Lucas jumped the fence and stile behind me as I was lifting the gate. Um
learning lesson there for me. The others queued, not quite waiting their turn, with Phoebe
pushing Talaidh out the way so as not to be last through.

A tumbling run down the hill led the dogs to a bubbling stream. A final water top up and
it was back to the Jeep.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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Nick Fletcher
The Dog Rambler
9 Links Street
Musselburgh www.thedogrambler.com
East Lothian nick@thedogrambler.com
EH21 6JL t. 0131 665 8843 or 0781 551 6765

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