Tuesday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 04
October 2011
Walk Dogs on walk

By reservoir on a windy day

Length

6 miles

Brooklyn, Finlay, Gina, Gustave, Jerry, Solo, Tim

Biting winds kept us low today. The radio announcing speed restrictions on the Forth Road Bridge gave us our warning. And sure enough as we parked above the city by-pass the car gently rocked. It was not the excited dogs, although they were excited, but the wind gusting off the hills and into the side of the car. The heavily ruffled waters of Torduff reservoir, tormented by the wind, pushed up against the side of the dam. Finlay looked down hopefully but could not find a way through the fence and down into the water. The others ran on ahead along the path above the reservoir. Little Gustave, having been squeezed into todays ramble for his owners, running along beside Tim and Gina. Brooklyn, not quite running along beside. More tripping over himself as he tried to play with each of them at the same time. Jerry and Solo knowing the score and knowing that there is another reservoir above this one, pushed on at the front. Sure enough as the path twisted around and up the slope, crossing the stream with its waterfall feeding into Torduff Reservoir, we found ourselves below the dam of Clubbidean Reservoir. Here the stream ran out from it, connecting the

two with its slivery thread. We walked below the dam to the other side of the reservoir, crossing the stream again and were now able to access it. The dogs gleefully flew past the upturned boats on the bank and crashed into the water liked a newly launched ship. As the spray settled Finlay and Tim could be seen swimming. Then there was Solo lazily drifting along. Brooklyn, Gina and Jerry chased each other in the shallows before haring up the cobbled dam wall, leaping the low stone barrier and off across the grassy slopes of the other side. With Gustave now in pursuit, having barely put a toe in the water this time. We weaved through the trees on the opposite side of the reservoir. Brooklyn flashing between them, a semaphore message to the others to chase after him. They did. A blurring trail of dogs threading their way between the trees and eventually back into the water. They almost burst out the other side and onto the track leading toward Easter Kinleith Farm. The landscape now changing to green fields dotted with sheep and a cut field of wheat with a couple of lonely hay bales still waiting to be collected. Nearing the farm and some small birds swooped and dived overhead. Dark silhouettes against the sky they looked like swallows. Surely not. I would have thought they would be away on their long flight back to Africa by now. As one swooped down, bearing in on a hapless insect, its tell-tale marks revealed that they were swallows. Beyond the farm and we dropped into the eerie narrow slice of Poets Glen. A deep cut in the earth, scoured by a tumbling stream. Protected by thick trunked trees, seeming to close in as we approached. They left us a small path and half concealed steps almost part of the banking to take us right down to the dark depths of the stream. Climbing back out an unexpected overgrown pond allowed for a swim. But it was the return to the reservoir that provided a better swimming opportunity. Unfortunately Brooklyn found a deep muddy inlet. He came out wearing not very fetching black stockings and I just managed to call Finlay and Gina back the other way to avoid a similar situation with them. With one dirty and smelly dog we carried on. I was hopeful he would go back in at the dam and would be clean. But oh no as all but Gustave went in he also stayed at the waters edge. Nothing I could do could get him to go in. Fortunately he

had lost some of the mud racing through the trees again and was far less dirty when we arrived back at 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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