Wednesday

The Dog Rambler E-diary

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April 2012
Walk

Longniddrys old railway line Archie, Cyrano, Dylan, Finn, Jolie, Otis

Length

6.5 miles

Dogs on walk

The expected improvements to the weather did not materialise today. If anything it was less predictable and we got wet far more times than yesterday. Not from rain either but from rather impressively, painful hailstones. We started out in fair weather from the small car park hidden from the main road by the modern railway line with its speeding trains slicing through the air. Rattling goods trains and steady local passenger trains but it is the high speed trains that you can still feel even after they have passed. The old, dismantled line follows if for a while. Now a footpath and cycleway all the way to Haddington. The busy main line continued straight making for North Berwick and Dunbar as our route veered off. The dogs set out at an even pace. No one was keen to be the first to spark things off. They wandered as a group, occasionally splitting into two groups or with one or two of them dropping off to investigate something which caught their eye or assailed their nostrils. With darker clouds sweeping inward across the Forth toward us, we continued our amble.

Then it was time to leave the railway and clamber down some steps to an old farm track. Half overgrown it took us between two fields and into a patch of woodland. A lucky move. For as we entered the wooded area the dark clouds began to pass overhead hurling hailstones groundward. We were sheltered by the trees with their fine growth of new leaves not long open. On the ground my first bluebells of the year. Only a tiny patch of three. Their pale purple bell shaped flowers swinging in the wind like bells tolling the arrival of Spring. Not that the weather gave us much hope. Archie searched about in the woodland for squirrels of pheasant. But came back empty handed. The others barely left the grass covered track as we swung back around to the old railway and rejoined it. This time climbing down a bank. Like an optical illusion we had climbed down from the track and now were climbing down onto it. We were in a cutting. Still providing good shelter as the last of the hailstones passed and a pulse of sun broke through the clearing clouds. For how long? Long enough for Archie to decide things needing spicing up. Finn looked like a boy who would be up for some fun. Archie pounced and Finn responded. So did Jolie and Cyrano. Albeit it at a little distance from the gnashing teeth of the other two eager boys. They all raced off along the track. Nearly pushing Dylan out of the way and with Otis leaping to one side to avoid this runaway train. It did not last. It soon ran out of steam and we were all back to our gentle strolling. Cyrano turning his attention to a stick and Jolie following suit. Otis often with me. His infatuation with Jolie appearing to be over for now. She in turn turning her attention to Cyrano. Or more to his stick. He was not pleased about the intrusion. She persisted but he was not succumbing, even to her charming way. What he did give in to was the deep water pool beside the track. The remains of a water stop for steam trains. Both he and Archie swam, Jolie leaned over the side and Finn and Otis balanced on the wide concrete dam, which was spilling over with water from the downpours of the last two days. Dylan none too keen on deep water waited on the track for us. We carried on for a while before tuning under an old brick bridge curving over the tack

carrying a minor road. Another swathe of dark clouds rolled in and another fierce hailstorm sprung up. Hopetoun Monument on a tapering hill, quite clear a few minutes ago was now juts a pale shadow against the backdrop of one sky covering black bruised cloud. The dogs did not seem to mind and Archie, Finn and Jolie ran and chased again. Cyrano not joining in this time as he had a stick to protect. Otis watched from my side and Dylan picked up his pace at the front. Realising we were heading back Otis left me to push on with Dylan. Nearing the end the skies cleared again and in the distance the car almost glinted in the briefest of sunshine. Very brief for as we arrived back at the car more rain and hail was imminent. Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

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