Monday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

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March 2012
Walk

Into Saltoun Wood near East Saltoun

Length

6 miles

Dogs on walk

Dylan, Jolie, Lucas, Tim, Struan, Talaidh

An early start in Saltoun Wood so that the Ramblemobile could go into the garage this afternoon for some follow up work from its recent service. Braver today than Friday I ditched the waterproof despite the churning clouds. Gloves were required for some time but even they came off as the day proved warm enough for just my fleece top. A quiet wood today after the industry here of a couple of weeks ago. Silence swept the wood only the shrill call of some birds and the telegraphing of the wind through the tree branches played around us. A little barking and playful growling from Lucas and Tim added to it. Jolie was leading them on a merry dance like the wind skipping between the trees. Dylan, Struan and Talaidh were holding a steady pace and would do for much of our round of the wood. The work may have fallen into a lull in the wood but its impact was clear to see. Huge swathes of trees cleared and piled up at the trackside in high stacks, side by side. The wind in the branches of the trees now a lament to their fallen comrades. The dogs sniffed their way beside the orange mountains of stripped trunks then raced

along to a corner in the track. It dropped us from our eastern edge of the wood more toward its centre, also half cleared. In places less of a wood and more of a swap of tree stumps, floating on a thick surface of cut and broken small braches, still green with their needles. We swung into an arm of the wood heading south on a track that traced a loop back toward the main section of the wood. Overhead an RAF plane flew low and loud. Lucas jumped and raced toward me. I pretended nothing had happened, although I think we all jumped it was so low. As I just walked nonchalantly on he calmed straight down. Then as if the plane had been a starting gun him, Jolie and Tim were at it once more. Racing, twisting and almost tripping over themselves. Even Struan got drawn in briefly as Tim tired to take his legs from under him. A brave move. We headed back into the depth of the wood with the dogs once more calm and wandering this way and that wherever their noses took them. Tim slipping back with Dylan. Running to catch up and then slipping back again. Lucas dropping back toward me and Talaidh and Jolie feeling the need to bound back and forth from the edges of the track to the rest of us. We looped again through the wood on another track passing a wide pond of water. Normally a signal for splashing and paddling and even some swimming. Not with this bunch. Jolie ran over for a look but did not go in. She was followed half way by Lucas and Tim but they did not even reach the waters edge. So we left a flat, undisturbed pond behind and made for the track just beyond the woodland that would take us around the farm fields and out in the open. The change of surroundings was enough to get the dogs running again. No surprise, Jolie at the front teasing Lucas and Tim. The sun half cracked the clouds and the dogs watched fascinated as tractors turned and tilled a couple of fields, the engines grumbling as they did so. They all did well to keep to the track and hardly set foot in the fields. Turning back toward the wood, the trees were delicate black lace shapes as their pointed tops of frond like branches reached into the air. Back in the wood and we retraced some of first route before taking a sweeping track into

its middle again and rightwards back toward the car. Not another soul had we met today and in the empty car park the dogs stood around the car for a last photo.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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