Wednesday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 09
November 2011
Walk

Two hills in The Pentlands

Length

6.5 miles

Dogs on walk

Cyrano, Dylan, Jolie, Merryn, Otis, Phoebe, Solo

Setting out to climb two hills, Harbour Hill and Bells Hill, I was concerned to see how Merryn would get on today. Her third day out in a row and she was a little slow yesterday after Mondays madness. Today she was back in the swing of things; Phoebe not letting her take it easy. She was a little slow on some of the climbs but her legs are much shorter than Phoebes. What a pair they made. Towering Phoebe, head and shoulders above many dogs and then little Merryn, not even up to her knees. They were not the only ones ready for a good play around today Cyrano was up for it and needless to say so was Jolie. Even Dylan was back in the mood for fun egging on Cyrano and Phoebe to chase about with him. There is definitely a good relationship building between Cyrano and Dylan and this is making Cyrano keener to get involved with the others. Although he does struggle to get their attention sometimes as he stands off a little way from them with Phoebe and Jolie are caught up in a tussle. Otis and Solo the more laid back ones let the others run themselves ragged and instead concentrated on striding forward up the hills. There was enough warmth in the air to make a couple of tongues loll, even more so as the sun put in an appearance later on.

The hills were pale today under the slate grey skies, like a faded watercolour. Barley any green left in the hillside grass and even the heather looking worn and tired. Not yet the dogs who kept up their fun. Phoebe stealing a stick from Cyrano as we rounded the top of Harbour Hill. Solo was keeping up a good pace pulling the rest of along. Dylan too busy rolling to be at the front. Usually he just rolls in the grass or heather but somewhere today he rolled din something rather nastier. The smell back in the car giving him away. From Harbour Hill we could see not far in front of us the gently rounded top of Bells Hill. Beyond it the higher peaks of the long Pentland Ridge. Visible today, having cast off yesterdays weeping clouds. Indeed the sun attempted to raise a glow from them as it split the cloud cover. Despite the improved weather it was muddy underfoot and the narrow path on Bells Hill added to the changing colour of the dogs. A visit to Bonaly Reservoir was called for on the return journey. Back over Harbour Hill we went, the dogs still up for the fun with Phoebe finding the discarded stick from before. She soon had Cyrano and Merryn chasing her. Somewhere she left it again as a race down the far side of the hill required her attention. Now Dylan and Jolie were in the midst of it. Otis and Solo were more than happy taking it at their pace and leaving the mad mob to it. Bonaly Reservoir was flat and glassy, dark blue almost black in colour. Soon this was broken by white spray as the dogs raced into the water. Turning to look at me ever hopeful of a stick or two. But without any today only Cyrano took the plunge to swim. Otis barely went in which disappointed me as he was one of the ones I was hoping to clean up. With a half failed mission we kept on downwards to Bonaly and then headed right toward Dreghorn. The wide field which had been full of sheep recently and which we have avoided was not as quiet as it had looked on the outward journey when we had skirted through trees up its side. Still there were less sheep than normal and the dogs fell into their usual positions but the closeness of the sheep set a few noses twitching and a few eyes sneakily glancing. The sheep were quite unconcerned and looking back after we had passed it would be hard to guess a group of dogs had just been through. A final dip in an all too shallow stream did little to add the earlier attempt to clean up

the dogs. It only made them wet with the car only a few hundred yards away. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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