The Dog Rambler
Thursday
8 E-diary
April 2010
Walk Bonaly to Glencorse circuit, The Length 6.5
Pentlands miles
Dogs on walk Finn, Struan, Talaidh
Another of our regular walks today, setting out from Bonaly and making our way over to
Glencorse Reservoir and back around Castlelaw. The weather was inviting today with
strong sunshine and only feathery white clouds in the sky. However, the breeze, although
not strong, was carrying a chill air with it.
We set off up through the gate by the car park and up the wide track through the trees.
As soon as this walk begins so does the climbing. There was more evidence of the recent
strong winds with branches from the Scots Pines littering the side of the track, where they
had been torn from their trunks.
At the top of the wood we went through the gate, continuing on the climbing track
through the moorland area, still below Bonaly Reservoir. Finn was weaving across for the
track and into the heather on both sides, with sometimes the best part of his head
disappearing into the clumps of heather. Struan and Talaidh for the most part were
keeping to the track.
Through the next gate and we were approaching the reservoir. Still the sun shone and the
temperature began to feel warmer, maybe a result of the effort of the climb. The dogs
roamed about more off the track, all stopping and sniffing the same heather tufts, which
promised treats beyond our understanding.
Nearing the outflow from the reservoir all three dogs picked up a scent on the wind and
bounded toward it. After a good sniff around they found nothing and came back over, but
not looking at all disappointed. It is quite possible given where they were sniffing that that
the scent of a long gone picnic was lingering.
Through another gate and we were now below the slopes of the hills. Here there is a choice
of paths and I took the right one, heading for Phantom’s Cleugh. Finn followed happily but
both Struan and Talaidh held back by the gate in a silent protest as though they had hopes
of going the other way. We wound our way along the muddy and rutted path curving
slightly round the bottom of Capelaw Hill to a marker post and cross roads in the track.
Finn and Struan cheerfully kept straight on but Talaidh again stopped in another silent
questioning of my directions.
We were now on the Phantom’s Cleugh path which leads down to Glencorse reservoir and
the road along its side. Finn found his first sizable stick of the day. Learning for bitter
experience he bounded up the steep heather bank away from the prying eyes of Struan.
Here he threw his head from side to side tossing the stick in arcs into the heather and
then pouncing after it. All this commotion of course attracted Struan’s attention, defeating
Finn’s covert plan. Struan followed his leaps and soon was on the trail of his stick.
However, before he was able to wrestle or bully it away from Finn I had to call them over
as sheep scattered on the hillside began to appear through the heather.
The sheep were soon left behind and leads had not been required. Another gate took us
onto drier walking ground and the final descent to Glencorse Reservoir. Nearing the
bottom of the path we encountered a colourful walking party of about 15 people and
beside the path they were on another group of sheep. This was the way we were heading
and Finn was already getting himself into a bit of tizzy as the walkers snaked along the
path spreading out over a good 50 to 60 feet. As a precaution I put him on his lead as it
wouldn’t have looked too good if he’d run away from this hatted rabble and ended up
amongst the sheep.
Through yet another gate at the bottom of the path we turned left onto the reservoir
road, where we were passed from behind by a cyclist and met two more walkers coming
the other way. After a few hundred yards we left to road by a small gate on the left
taking us up us beside a line of trees to a dirt track above. Emerging onto the track we
met two more walkers who Finn just ignored.
We followed the track to the right and soon came upon more sheep. These were the same
ones we had encountered a couple of weeks before along here, and as last time they were
not moved by the sight of the dogs. Quite literally, they pretty much stood their ground
and just cast a wary or even weary eye over us as we weaved through them.
Soon we were back on the hills again past Castlelaw Farm and the firing range. We
followed the wide track toward Allermuir Hill, with Finn and Talaidh spotting a walker on
an almost parallel track to our left, eyes and heads up ready to bark. By now the weather
was closing in with the wind hardening and showers in sprays sweeping across from our
left, partially obscuring the higher of the Pentland Hills.
We climbed another stile, the same one as a couple of days ago, and this time took a
grassy track over the east and northern shoulder of Capelaw Hill. Here I had to get Struan
to drop a bone he found, with the other two lingering behind in the hope of being able to
make a dash back for it. Then Finn topped it all. Out the corner of my eye I saw him with
something in his mouth that was not a stick. It turned out that he had found an unopened
tube of army issue Strawberry Spread. To his disgruntlement I made him leave it.
Coming off the shoulder we headed in an almost straight line to the edge of the trees
above Bonaly on White Hill. The trees are part of the same wooded area where the walk
started. We walked along the side of the trees with views over Edinburgh, including Finn’s
house, before descending the steep slopes back to the car park.
Nick
Photo slideshow from the walk and enter password W4lk0804
Nick Fletcher
The Dog Rambler
9 Links Street
Musselburgh www.thedogrambler.com
East Lothian
[email protected]EH21 6JL t. 0131 665 8843 or 0781 551 6765
Your dog walking service for active dogs
