Friday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

top 01
December 2011
Walk

Onto Allermuir Hill on a cold crisp day

Length

6.8 miles

Dogs on walk

Cyrano, Finlay, Gustave, Jerry, Lucas, Ozzy, Tim

Our day began at Dreghorn picking out the least muddy of the paths and tracks. Water seeped out of the wet ground and small rivers ran along many well trodden paths. We crossed a broad field where the dogs had their first run in the long wet grass as we meandered off the path seeking out the not so soggy ground. This was brought to a halt by our first encounter of the day with sheep. But it was not the sheep that caused the trouble. Ahead a woman in a bright red hat was throwing a ball for her spaniel. Using one of those launchers. Still with the dogs to heel I thought we would get by with a scrape. But I was not counting on Tim who from some distance away launched himself toward the woman and her returning dog. He steadfastly refused to heed my call. Of course Cyrano and Jerry began to follow him but pulled themselves up. The woman was trying to speak on the phone as Tim harried around her and the other dogs began to circle too. To make matters worse for Tim he refused to come to me once we had all set off again. Running toward me and then jinking past and off in the other direction until called again and the same thing would happen. I eventually got him to sit and he finally found himself in deep trouble and on the lead until we reached the top of Allermuir Hill. Some

distance away yet. His confinement appeared to make the others a little dour. Ozzy missing his supposed nemesis and both Lucas and Jerry seemed loathe to do anything much other than walk behind me. This was great at first as we had an unmovable flock of sheep to pass. They were separated from the rest of the flock by a fence and obviously did not want to move far away from. Unconcerned by the proceedings behind Finlay happily made his way at the front and Gustave toddled about in his own fashion. With some encouragement I managed to persuade the dogs to move about a bit more and as we hit the start of the real climb up Allermuir Hill some energetic chasing rose up. Cyrano and Gustave in the thick of it with Ozzy and Jerry. Lucas running off to them then coming straight back to me. Tim by now looking forlorn as he realised he was missing the fun. It has been such a long time since he found himself in this position. Perhaps he has not really grown up as I had thought. White patches on the ground made me think that someone had been laying trail up the hill. Then rather too slowly it dawned on me, as they got thicker, that it was patches of frosty ice crystals. Their white dusting spreading across the top of the hill. Now at last Tim was set free. Like a dervish he was in the face of Ozzy, then Jerry. If that was not enough he also set about Cyrano and Gustave. Only Lucas, hidden behind me, was spared and Finlay away at the front. Now the fun began as they raced away down the far side of the hill. The line of hills running away from us very clear and detailed on this cold, crisp day. We dropped into a wide shallow glen running beside Capelaw Hill and between it and Castlelaw Hill. Lower down again it was very wet and squelchy under foot and paw. Finlay kept us moving forward at a good pace while Gustave tried to trip me up several times. Cyrano was off exploring some distance away. A new departure for him recently. But Jerry was never far from Lucas behind me just nipping past me to run ahead before wheeling back around behind me again. We climbed away from glen up Phantoms Cleugh to turn back toward Dreghorn. In the

shade of Capelaw Hill we felt the temperature drop as the sun was lost behind it. No matter, sticks would warm the dogs up and soon Jerry and Ozzy were racing around with one each. Lucas momentarily forgot that he was loathe to leave me and ran off after Ozzy who was already in the sights of Tim. Jerry was left to play freely with his own stick, watched by Gustave, who decided not leave the path the try and chase him in the heather. Instead he thrust his nose at Cyrano. But he was not playing ball. We descended quickly back to the low lying scrub grass and into the trees. A stop by the fast flowing stream cleaned some of the worst of the day from the dogs before we covered the final stretch back to the car. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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