The Dog Rambler
Monday
19 E-diary
April 2010
Walk Abercorn Church to Blackness Castle Length 6 miles
along the Forth
Dogs on walk Finn, Otis, Struan, Talaidh
At the start of another week of dog rambling we headed for the Firth of Forth in West
Lothian. With Finn and Otis being accompanied by Struan and Talaidh today’s walk would
take us on wooded route between two historic points; Abercron Church and Blackness
Castle.
Under a grey sky like a dirge lowering our mood we tramped off from the car park at
Abercorn. Several large buildings and a church make up Abercorn, nestling near the shore
of the Forth just west of the grandeur of Hopetoun House and forming part of its estate.
Through the gate at the church we took an immediate left through another gate and
began the slippery descent on a barely discernable path through young lanky trees. For
many of the trees it appeared that their time was nigh with some workmen engaged in a
serious felling operation. Great gaps had been cleared and wood chippings scattered in a
wide confetti across the slope. To get past the workmen without causing a fuss the dogs
began this early section of the walk on the lead.
As soon as we posed no menace, the dogs were off their leads and off toward the shallow
river about fifteen feet wide. It cut its way through the surrounding trees as it flowed
toward the end if its existence, combining with and being swallowed by the swelling
vastness of the Firth of Forth. The dogs hungrily gulped at the crisply clear water,
revealing the stony bed, as though they had already been on a long walk. Perhaps they
were loading up in anticipation of the ramble ahead.
The uneven path, leaning us toward the river, soon arrived at an attractive stone bridge,
whose main purpose was now long gone. It nestled in the undergrowth and the shelter of
the trees with a muddy track taking us across the river, only yards from being swallowed
by the Forth.
We climbed a track back up the river with it now to our left. The path soon swung away
to the right as it reached the top of the rise, revealing the Forth below screened by the
staccato notes of the trees. Finn was lagging behind, like a child in a sweet shop bewildered
by the inexhaustible supply of sticks. Otis and Talaidh were close to me snuffling in the
undergrowth of carpeted wild garlic, pulsating in vivid green and casting its aroma across
the wood. Struan was striding ahead on a mission only know to himself.
The track ran along the top of the wooded area banking down to the Forth. On our left it
opened to fields, part of the Hopetoun Estate, recently ploughed and planted, with spikes
of green inching from the brown turned earth. Finn caught up and he and Otis reckoned
now was the time for the first chase of the day. This brought Struan back to the group to
see what was happening, his mission forgotten; much like Finn’s sticks.
We continued above the Forth, with the trees offering occasional windows opening up views
across to Fife and Clackmannanshire with their shipyards, docks and rising mountains
behind, some still wearing small white caps and scarves of snow. The path reached a
junction and we headed down toward the Forth, with the dogs stopping by a tumbling
stream, leaning down its gully to reach the refreshing water. By now the temperature was
rising and once of twice the sun poked through before the cloud reclaimed the sky.
We now joined a better used track only yards from the shore of the Forth, still separated
from us by trees. Some sparse felling along here offered new treats of sticks to Finn and
Otis, while Talaidh rejected the natural in favour of a plastic bottle. After a while another
path option looped us back up to the top of the trees with the dogs happily weaving across
the path and into the undergrowth on both sides.
The path weaved its way down to the western end of the wood and another, this time
shallow and gentle stream beside a park area. The wide inclined park with its short grass,
proffered a great chasing terrain which none of the dogs could reject. It began with Finn
pushing Struan until he broke and began to run. Otis soon joined them and once running
her never stopped until the far side of the park. As I walked he ran, whether being chased
or not. First one way. Then the other way. Up the slope. Down the slope. Then in a circle.
The edge of the park was in the shadow of Blackness Castle, which in turn occupied ground
butting out into the Forth. We walked away from the castle toward the village of
Blackness, but dropped onto the shore beside the harbour. With the tide well out the dogs,
led by Talaidh, proceeded to get smaller as they sprinted out toward the water, wheeling
in a wide circle back to the shore and its fascinating smells in the seaweed, and back in the
shadow of the castle.
We rounded the back of the castle and rejoined the shore walk on the eastern side heading
back toward the wood. We kept to the shore, severely disturbed and torn by the recent
storms, with the wood to our right. The dogs rolled along with their noses nearly lost in
the flotsam until we re-entered the wood with its myriad of paths. We looped around in
the wood on a mixture of paths we had walked and ones we had not until we once again
reached the stone bridge.
Between the bridge and the Forth we stopped by the widening river for a paddle. This was
in part a rouse to try and clean up Otis a bit before we got back to the Jeep. By throwing
stones into some of the deeper waters it succeeded. Finn busied himself with the bank side
sticks while Talaidh joined Otis in the water.
We climbed back past the felled trees and the church to reach the car park and the Jeep.
Nick
Photo slideshow from the walk
E-diaries now also available at www.scribd.com/TheDogRambler
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
