The Dog Rambler

Wednesday

7 E-diary
April 2010

Walk Dundreich, Midlothian Length 6.8

miles
Dogs on walk Darcy, Finn, Otis, Phoebe

In vastly improved weather we set off today for a good hill walk south of Penicuik and
Leadburn, on the way to Peebles. Having picked all the dogs up, they patiently settled
down for the journey full of anticipation and excitement for the day out ahead.

We travelled out on the A703 turning left about 3 miles beyond Leadburn, onto a minor
road. The bad weather of the past week and the high winds this week had wreaked havoc
with the road. If we had come this way a few days earlier it may not have been passable
because of fallen branches, now piled beside but still intruding onto the road. A bit further
on revealed a flood across the road and into the fields on both sides, which although nearly
a foot deep was passable with care. With the hazards out the way we got to our parking
point, a widening in the road and levelled verge beside the gate toward Portmore
Reservoir. However, before we were able to get out we had to sit tight while a farmer
herded a flock of sheep and lambs from the nearby farm along the road to a field. With
all the baaing as they passed the Jeep the dogs remained unmoved, perhaps more focused
on the walk ahead and lamenting the delay in getting started.
At last we were off, through the gate and along the dirt track toward the reservoir.
Phoebe as ever, full of unspent energy was bounding all over the track not sure who to
play with first. She started with Finn and soon moved onto Darcy, but Otis was not going
to be left out and he made his presence felt. Running around was hampered by the fences
either side of the track with the grassy verges only being a few feet wide. Also with sheep
in the field to the right and cows to the left I curtailed any signs of over exuberance from
any of them.

However, this all changed as we neared the reservoir and the surrounding land opened up
into a wider expanse of hummocky grass on undulating ground. With this boundless
expanse by comparison Phoebe and Darcy, the two biggest and longest legged, were off
haring around in wide circles, over the path, up the grassy banking toward some trees,
then swinging round darting back across the path and along the bank of the reservoir.
Phoebe always in front Darcy straining to keep up. Finn and Otis busied themselves nosing
around the edges of the track, dismissing the occasional fleeting thought about joining in
when Phoebe and Darcy sped over the path.

Ahead of us lay the reservoir stretching and curling to the right appearing to end in a line
of tall green fir trees. Standing just out in it on a pontoon was a lone fisherman. I brought
the dogs, well Phoebe and Darcy, under control so as not to disturb him too much. Finn
always the curious and slightly distrustful one, dropped his head slightly and pushed it
forward looking intently at the fisherman, then he spotted his bag on the shore and with
Otis headed over for a sniff. Once I got them away and had waved a hello to the
fisherman, we continued along the side of the reservoir through a gate over the track. Just
beyond here the climbing began.

We left the track behind, with it disappearing below to our right. As out indistinct path
curved upwards now on our right we walked beside a small wooded area of densely
planted pine trees. On this northern slope and with the protection of the trees there were
still patches of snow about, some quite deep and several dog lengths in width. The sight of
the snow was enough to really spur Otis into action and soon he was leading a chase
through the snow and out onto the scraggy grass and back into the snow, wheeling about
in the untouched and pristine level whiteness. Although after Otis and the others had
finished it resembled more beaten egg whites whipped into a sorbet. Darcy having been in
long chases with Pheobe and then with Otis, sat down in the snow for a bit of a breather.

The climb was steep and the patches of snow sometimes too wide to walk around. Ahead a
family of five, including three young children, were on an Easter half-term climb up
Dundreich. Ploughing on we caught them up and continued to the top of the trees were a
gate took us onto a more moorland like terrain. Initially we dropped down as we circled
the head of small corrie. Then a further steep climb began on another indistinct track with
heather either side. We had been lucky with sheep, whilst they were around about us they
were at some distance. That was until we rounded the other side of the corrie and a couple
of sheep came into view, Phoebe and Darcy had gone ahead chasing each other and I just
spotted the sheep before Phoebe did. She showed great interest in them but I had managed
to get her attention and get her on the lead before this. Darcy too was showing a lot of
interest and joined Phoebe on the lead as a precaution. They were very shortly back off as
we continued to the summit, marked by a trig point and a small cairn (2,043 feet).

We then followed the wide ridge to our left, with the dogs crawling between the parallel
horizontal wires on a fence, toward the summit of a second hill Jeffries Corse (2,011 feet).
While the dogs roamed and chased over the peaty heather with troughs and vertical banks
and then into deeper snow drifts there were clear views across to the Pentlands north
westwards and more of the Moorfoot Hills spiked with wind turbines to the east.

We returned from Jeffries Corse to Dundreich, passing the family having lunch, and
continued onwards toward Brown Dodd. Nearing the top of Brown Dodd (1,968 feet) in
the distance Dunslair Heights, one of our prvious walks, with its mast rising from the trees
could clearly be seen. But we turned to our right and began to descend the steep grassy
slope, still on an indistinct track. By now all the dogs had worn themselves out a bit and
were walking with me while they summoned up their second wind; which was to come as
we neared the reservoir again.

We continued weaving down the track on one arm of a deep wound in the side of the hill,
cut back into the hill over time by the small steam running through it. Below and
approaching fast were some sheep scattered over the flat ground. For a while all the dogs
went on their leads until safely past. While on the lead they showed very little interest in
the sheep, even when they were only 30 or 40 yards away.
The track now very clear against the grass sliced its way through the undulating terrain
with the high hills to our right and a small hill of trees and an iron age fort to our left.
Ahead the reservoir was approaching again but there was still time for another chase and
a final drink from the fast flowing burn.

We rejoined the reservoir right at its head and set off walking the full length of it, soon
back on the section we had tramped along at the start of the walk.

Back on the track from the reservoir, toward where we were parked, the dogs looked quite
relieved when the Jeep came into view over the brow of a sheep filled field. They piled in
with Darcy and Finn sitting tall in the boot and Phoebe sprawled on the back seat with
Otis, nose poking out the window.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk and enter password W4lk0704

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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