Friday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

and 02
September 2011
Walk

Cutting through Gore Glen

Length

6.25 miles

Dogs on walk

Cyrano, Dylan, Gustave, Tim, Struan, Talaidh

Uncertain skies above us a scrum of dark clouds and breaking sunlight gave little hint of what the day would bring. Warm temperatures gave hope to a more sunny day. But as it transpired the clouds won the day with their increasing darkness even splashing a few drops of rain during the latter stages of the walk. We left the car beside the playing fields in Gorebridge with their adjoining modern housing estate. Cutting along beside the playing fields an old track hidden by trees led us toward the glen. The dogs off to a slow start were all behind me sniffing about in the slightly wet grass with the days heat raising their scents into the air. The trees grew smaller and more widespread as the track rounded a corner. Now the dogs with more space let loose and Struan took them off on a threading run through the trees. Cyrano and Gustave joining Tim in the chase. The track dropped us steeply into the glen and under the concrete bridge of the A7 rumbling with traffic. Having been behind all the dogs, except Dylan, had raced off down the bank. We caught them up at the bottom, Dylan still behind me. As he was for most of the walk. Until we turned to come back that is.

The glen was very shaded by the trees thick with leaves. The dark sky above added to the gloom. Gustave and Cyrano soon found the small river. Cyrano looking for a stick and Gustave laying down for a wallow. Tim was following Struan as he strode along the path leading us over an old stone bridge to the join up the much larger River Esk. Now Cyrano ran by them and kept going. He was heading for the tight curve in the river with its stony shore. A good place for throwing and chasing or swimming for stones. Both him and Tim did so. Gustave and Talaidh standing together looking at me but each time failing to follow the thrown stone. Dylan was off to the side paddling about, keeping a respectable distance from the slight chaos of the stone chasing. We left the river to climb out of the glen and walk along its top. The wooded sides dropping away toward the river below, appearing to thread its way through the trees. The narrow path was quite overgrown, with broom, nettles and other plants and bushes stretching out their stems and branches to catch us as we went by. The dogs now walked in a line, swapping positions when the path widened enough to allow them. Cyrano carrying a stick making it even more difficult for the other dogs to get by. He left the stick when we had dropped back to the river and its wide flat plain. As Cyrano ran off toward the river Dylan and Tim raced off across the thickening grass. It had been cut and baled last time along here but the grass was regenerating itself again. Struan hared after them and the three of them lurched back and forth. Gustave watched them but they too far out of reach. He joined Cyrano down by the river and the rest soon followed. Heading back Cyrano found himself being chased for the latest stick he had found. Winning the race he dropped it at my feet. I threw it. It was between him and Struan as to who would get there first. Tim having gone the wrong way. Cyrano stretched out his neck just about beating Struan. Struan deferred to him and let him have it. Back on the track climbing toward the top of the glen Gustave and Tim found just enough space to have a bit of a tumble together. Now Dylan was at the front, only just visible on the long straight sections. At other times lost around corners. He was the first to meet a dog coming the other way but Gustave and Tim soon pushed past him.

Along the final section of the old track beside the playing fields we were joined by a young King Charles Spaniel. It happily walked between us, its owner with the other dog following some way behind us. As the dogs scrambled into the car it stood and watched only leaving us as its owner appeared from the track.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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Nick Fletcher The Dog Rambler 9 Links Street Musselburgh East Lothian EH21 6JL

www.thedogrambler.com nick@thedogrambler.com t. 0131 665 8843 or 0781 551 6765

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