Wednesday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 26
October 2011
Walk

Allermuir Hill and Capelaw Hill, The Length Pentlands Cyrano, Dylan, Gustave, Jolie, Phoebe, Solo, Tim

6.3 miles

Dogs on walk

Another day back in The Pentlands with some Autumn sun to accompany our ramble. Low in the sky casting long shadows and drawing out contrasts in the landscape. With the heather already losing its flowers the hills looked as though they were wearing bright tweed jackets. With the bleached look of the fading grass adding a lightness to them. Another day in The Pentlands and another start from Dreghorn. Today busy as minibus loads of orienteers heading for the hills with their little maps, compasses and running legs to hunt down the hidden markers scattered in the hills. We were soon on our way and climbing through the line of trees. Tall and erect like near silent guards protecting the access to the hills. Their only sound the murmur from their high branches, passing along and through them like Chinese whispers. In the trees the dogs ran, dodging their trunks, like obstacles on an activity course. But disrupting each other as they weaved along so they missed some of their target turns. Gustave today was not immune and soon had Phoebe haranguing him. He rolled over several times but this just heightened her sense of fun. Despite his pretences he too was

loving it and kept going back for more. Such a mismatch of size. He was soon rescued, as if he needed it, by Jolie and Tim. And that was that. For the next few miles they ran and chased almost incessantly. After his exertions of yesterday Solo was taking it much more easy today. He had Cyrano for company at first until he was drawn away by a fascination with the others chasing. More keen to watch then take part. Dylan back in his usual solitary mood trooped along at the back. Having left the trees and begun the first of the steep climbs Gustave began to slot himself in behind me. I tried to push him forward but he sneaked back behind me. Very happy to be there, until Phoebe finally took him away again. At each turn and twist of the climb the sun always seemed to be in our eyes. The long shadows of the dogs stretched and taught across the heather. Above us and on a knoll, stark against the sky, a group of sheep watched our progress. From the top of Allermuir Hill a shadowy vista of the main glen below and darkened sides of the sun sheltered hills greeted us. In the bottom the azure gleam of the reservoir like a sapphire embedded hard in the ground. The dogs raced away down the slope. Stopping and waiting for me at the bottom, ready for the climb up Capelaw Hill. Here the bleached looking grass added a luminosity to the hills, making the dog toothed ridges beyond seem even darker and mysterious. Coming off the hill and Cyrano took up with Dylan as Dylan ran about with a large woody sprig of heather. Below us Edinburgh stood proud with a deep blue from the Forth separating it from Fife. Some of its green field and hills catching the light. We dropped back down toward Dreghorn reaching the line of trees. This time full of soldiers on exercise, no need for its own guard like stance. We skirted the trees to avoid bothering them and found 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

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