Monday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

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September 2011
Walk Dogs on walk

Around Winton House Estate Dylan, Jolie, Lucas, Maggie, Solo, Tim

Length

6 miles

Around some of the boundary walks and through some of the many tracks within Winton House Estate today. Parking by one of the gate houses. Crenulations along its top, two small towers at either side it straddled the driveway. A grand welcome to a grand house. This was only one of the entrances with a further gatehouse to the east of this one. We did not go through it. Instead following a driveway heading westwards along the edge of the more formal grounds, hidden from our view, instead slicing through some estate farmlands. Bales of hay were still regimented in some of the golden yellow fields. Trees echoing them with a slight tinge of yellow coming to their leaves with the approaching onset of Autumn hedged parts of the drive as the dogs raced on ahead. But what was this. Tim had fallen behind, Even further than Maggies customary slot. For large parts of the walk I had to look over my shoulder to locate him. Most unusual. He is not normally drawn away by interesting smells. His attention is normally firmly focused on the other dogs. And when he was today he was on top form, throwing himself into the melee. Maggie back for her first ramble after last weeks holiday was in top form too. Having paced herself for the first half of the walk she was then leading the chases. Even though she

was not always at the front she was defiantly head daredevil. Whatever tight turning manoeuvre she executed Jolie, Lucas, and Tim would follow. The doggie Red Arrows. The driveway gave way to a dirt track with a line of grass down the middle cutting right into some young trees. It led us to the old railway line, once carrying its heavy cargo of coal from the numerous small mines that tunnelled beneath the ground along the line. Now beside it a large grain mill. Reflective silver metal with whirring from within and the blowing of hot air from its space rocket like vents. It was in full flow with harvest time near its peak. Great mounds of milled grain like pyramids of sand were being shovelled by mechanical diggers. Dust in the air at first with the smell of paper but as we got closer it became a sweet sour yeasty dough smell. We left the disused railway to cut back into the estate and a bowl in the land edged by narrow woodlands. With energy to burn Jolie, Lucas and Tim ran back and forth. Hemmed in by the fence of the fields on one side and a deep burn on the other. Solo once again breaking into a run several times displaying energy he has been keeping hidden in the past few months. Dylan tried to lead the way but found that the others kept running by him and then back again. Eventually he had little choice but to join them until we crossed the fields and climbed up into the woodland and toward Winton House, slowly revealing itself through the trees. After a quick dip in the burn under the graceful gaze of the house we made a short loop toward the main road in Pencatiland before heading back to the woodland. Where we walked high above the dip we were in before keeping within the trees. Jolie, Lucas and Tim, acting as a single entity today, chased playfully after a small dog right down into the depths of the trees. I am not sure the small dog found it quite as much fun but his owner was very carefree about it all. Solo and Dylan plodded on with Maggie picking up her pace readying herself for her lead role in the chases. The running about took a back seat as we rounded a deep pond. Trees struggling to grow in the middle, solitary islands. The result of sinking land probably with collapsing mine workings below. Lucas so excited in his running about went deeper than I have seen him before, almost swimming. Jolie too went in quite far but reared back before it got too deep. Maggie and Tim swam about with glee. Even more so when I threw them some sticks

taking them quite far out. Solo today not going in very far emulated Dylan who has lost his interest in water. We rejoined the railway and with daredevil Maggie orchestrating the fun made our way back to the car. 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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