Monday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 09
April 2012
Walk

A duo of hills just in The Scottish Borders

Length

6 miles

Dogs on walk

Brooklyn, Cyrano, Dylan, Jolie, Lucas, Tim

It is a while since we have ventured to The Scottish Borders. Even if our journey was only a couple of miles over the boundary line. Two tempting hills climb away just off the road, forming one side of a deepening pass between hills toward the main road into the real depths of the Borders. Itself surrounded by hills. We parked by the gate leading onto the access track to the forest of Hartside Hill and up to the communication masts atop it and Clints Hill. A fairly boisterous bunch of post Easter dogs. I would have put it down to too many chocolate eggs if they had been kids. As it was it was my job to help them burn off their excess energy. Easily done. In fact I had to do very little. Brooklyn, Jolie, Lucas and Tim did it for themselves. It was almost a day of constant running and chasing. Lucas running out of energy on the way back down. But still given little in the way of a reprieve by Jolie. Brooklyn taking some time out to sneak off and explore deep in the heather beside the track before the darkness of the dense trees closed against it almost blocking further progress. Once on the moor of Clints Hill he ran more widely. He had caught a scent on the wind, ignoring my calls. Then he was throwing himself on the ground legs in the air.

Rolling in something very unpleasant. As my voice got louder everyone else had stopped and he eventually decided he better come back. But not too close to me, he circled around. I eventually made him come over and sit down. Then the smell hit me. Urgh. But before all this we still had Hartside Hill and its coat of fir trees to climb. Its gently winding path easing us up. Not too steep to stop the dogs racing. Even Cyrano finding the turmoil too much of an attraction not to join in at times. Dylan kept out of it for now. But would run about with Cyrano and with Tim later on. The rain pretty much held off and it got quite warm on the climb. Some distant wind turbines turned leisurely like athletes warming up, spinning their arms. Up ahead and still higher than us one of the communication masts stretched its slender frame skyward. We continued to climb and chase and roam in the heather eventually pulling level with the mast around its far side. As the track snaked off around the back of the hill. We climbed the short distance to the mast and the trig point nestling in the trees beyond it. Then it was off toward the top of Clints Hill across its open moorland ridge. This was more Dylans territory. Wide open spaces of bristling heather. While Brooklyn was heading off to roll, the others were chasing at some pace across it. They kept this up after we had rounded its much smaller mast and headed back toward the green dome of Hartside Hill, bristling with the tops of the trees. We rejoined the track and at a bit more of a leisurely pace wandered around the far side of the hill until the track ended in a turning point. It was our turning point too. A brighter sky greeted us as we headed down. Lucas joining me to get a rest. Cyrano and Dylan now the main chasers. But not for long Brooklyn and Tim will not miss an opportunity for more fun. Jolie giving up on Lucas soon joined them. The track meandered downhill. More wind turbines on slender white stalks opened their petal like blades to the emerging sun. Lucas no longer bothered by them kept his eye out for an ambush by Jolie instead. It came. He did race off after her from time to time. She needed him as Brooklyn and Tim were having a right old scrap together. Needing to be told to calm it down from time to time. Cyrano had finally been sidetracked by a stick and

then ran off ahead as we got a little closer to the small stream running near the bottom of the track. A chance for a final drink for them all. They needed it after all that running about and then it was back up the car. They were much quieter on the homeward journey.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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