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The Dog Rambler E-diary

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November 2011
Walk

Presmennan Wood, East Lothian

Length

6.5 miles

Dogs on walk

Archie, Cyrano, Dylan, Jolie, Phoebe, Solo

After the quite level Saltoun Forest on Monday today we were in the very different terrain of Presmennan Wood. Trees clinging to the steep slopes of a deep cut in the land rising on both sides. One up and up toward the edge of the Lammermuir Hills the other back up into the rolling farmland. At its foot some Victorian landowner had used the shape of the landscape to create a long narrow stretch of water, Presmennan Lake, dammed at one end. The deep cut in the land, an odd geological feature carries on in both directions beyond the wood. One way a farm shelters in its receding depth. The other way fields slope down to find a slim burn running away from the lake on a sinuous route toward the coast, many miles distant. We began with a climb up the southern slope of the wood on a wide grassy track that became muddy and then no more than a narrow path once it had reached its full height, with a bench giving views across to North Berwick Law and the Bass Rock. The gentle low line of Fife, spiked by its few high hills, along the vast Firth of Forth making our horizon, with a big sky rising above it. Shades of blue marking a half sunny day. The dogs ran up the climb, at first bunched together but then beginning to slowly spread

out. But not by much. Naturally Dylan stalked off the front. But was not to have it his own way. Cyrano kept checking on him and so too did Jolie and Archie. Phoebe may have done so but she was so busy running hither and thither it was hard to tell. Even Solo found the energy to rush on ahead stopping and turning with Jolie to check on me. The only two that seemed to care. Deep smells of I suspect deer wafted over the rise and across the path. Most of the dogs from time to time hanging their heads over the edge and only Cyrano and Archie venturing off the track to explore. Not for long they were soon called back. I was not up for losing dogs in the dense wood of mixed fir and deciduous trees. Some impertinent fronds of bracken were making a late show with green fans of growth adding to the texture of the woods amongst the fading orange of the bracken which was obeying the seasons. We left the woods through a half hidden gate, obscured by cut branches the residue of tree felling and general forest management. So keen were the dogs to get to the gate that Archie tripped himself up on their tangled spiders web and Cyrano found himself almost trapped, like a dog caught in the rising tide. Phoebe, long legged Phoebe, found it quite easy. The gate took us into the fields forming the side of this long dip. Acting like a bowl and collecting all the water from around about to feed into the burn. I am surprised it was so small given the mud we were walking in. Not helped as cattle had been here before us and had cut and carved the ground with their cloven hoofs, like very bad ploughing. It did not deter the dogs and as we looped around the dip, either side of the burn, Archie, Cyrano, Jolie and Phoebe got up to some fun chasing and then mauling over a stick. Solo having stopped to check out a particularly scented patch of grass showed a great turn of speed to catch us up, flying past to join Dylan down by the burn. Back into the woods and we went to the end of the lake. Beautifully serene, shaded by the dark outline of the trees, a deep blue of flat calmness with two white swans gliding across it. Then in went the dogs. It was all splashing and ripples crashing against the dam. Then swimming after twigs. Although only Cyrano and Solo went for a swim, Archie almost. Dylan and Jolie did not go in at all. We followed a path mirroring the lakeside but rising up and down along the contours of

the steepness of the land. Archie and Cyrano were in and out whereas Dylan rather impatiently at the front urged us onwards. We still had a loop of the woods to do. This took us back up to the top of the woods before the wide green track dropped us back to the car. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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