The Dog Rambler
Thursday
22 E-diary
April 2010
Walk Reservoir spotting, The Pentlands Length 6.6
miles
Dogs on walk Finn, Otis, Phoebe
With just Finn, Struan and Talaidh out today, we headed for one of our favoured walks.
On it we were graced by the company of my sister, Julia, and niece, Charlotte.
The walk became one of reservoir spotting as it took in or afforded views of many of the
reservoirs that once fed Edinburgh’s demand for water. Some still do. Having parked in the
Bonaly Country Park car park we set off along the side of a hill that revealed Torduff
Reservoir on its far side. On the way round we met a woman we knew, with her slim
Pointer, who is convinced that poor Finn is a bully. Nothing could be further from the
truth as Finn is a very gentlemanly dog, but his eagerness to be friendly could possibly be
misinterpreted by some people. Today he ran over in a greeting keeping quite low down in
an almost submissive pose. Struan on the other hand made a more headstrong approach.
But it was still Finn who was seen as the bad boy.
Kidney shaped Torduff Reservoir was calm, with the wind slackening from previous days
and the reservoir sheltering in a gorge. The path led us across the dam, with the now
disused filter beds at the bottom of the banking to our right and the skyline of Edinburgh
beyond, and then along the western bank of the reservoir. Without any overly exuberant
dogs on the walk today, Finn, Struan and Talaidh were ambling along the path with us
with a certain serenity.
Sadly as the path curved away round the top of the reservoir and up to the right we came
across a dead swan. It appeared to have flown into the fence beside the path and severed
its wing, dying of the shock from the accident. Even sadder as we reached Clubbidean
Reservoir there was a solitary swan gliding across the surface, perhaps awaiting the return
of its mate.
As we rambled along we met a couple who at first thought they recognised Finn and one
of Struan and Talaidh. They soon realised it was not who they thought but coincidently
they knew a Vizsla and Dalmatian who walked around here together. What is more their
dog was a Schnauzer, just like Misha who Finn lives with. We were soon to become more a
part of this coincidence.
Our path took us around the top of the reservoir and onward toward Easter Kinleith
Farm, with the sun making an effort to break through the grimy cloud above. The dogs
were still trotting about around us as we walked by a field of sheep with some pristine
white new born lambs. They were beyond a drystane dyke, with its irregular stones raised
high above the dogs’ heads, so they were ignorant of their existence.
Beyond the farm we took a detour down into the Poet’s Glen. The Poet, who lived beside
the glen was James Thomson, known locally as the weaver poet and the second Burns. We
were greeted by a chestnut pony at the top of the glen grazing in a field. As I crouched
down to introduce the dogs to the pony I toppled over backward only to have all three
dogs clamber on top of me in a game of who could balance best on top of me and aim a
lick at my face at the same time.
The path descended some steep wooden steps to the burn, where the dogs were grateful of
the chance for a cooling drink. We looped up the other side of the steep narrow glen with
trees gripping the bank, some having lost their footing and toppled toward the burn but
caught and cradled by the entwining branches of their neighbouring trees. The path then
looped back down into foot of the shallow glen arriving at a crystal clear pool leading to a
sparking waterfall reflecting and refracting the sun like a diamond. Again the dogs were
into the pool to quench whatever thirst they had built up in the last few minutes.
Just as we were about to leave the glen our coincidence occurred; coming the other was a
really pleasant woman walking a Vizsla and a Dalmatian. The eight year old Dalmatian
was Tia and Isla was the four year old Vizsla. As they greeted each other we were
surrounded by a dizzying Dalmatian dance with a tango of vibrant, vivacious Vizslas. We
left the dogs’ new pals behind but in their continuing excitement Finn and Struan were
energised to play and tussle together.
Back on out main route we reached Wester Kinleith and joined a track heading back in
toward the Pentlands along a line of tall, slim Scots Pines. Our path was a ribbon of earth
between the trees with rustling branches overhead catching the sun so only narrow shafts
made it to the ground. This was enough to provide sufficient light for the dogs to forage
out a wealth of sticks.
Beyond the trees we climbed onto the moorland with lengthening views exposing Harlaw
Reservoir and Threipmuir Reservoir in the distance to our right. Here the dogs were off on
chase over the grass tussocks as made our way up to the shoulder of Harbour Hill revealing
Glencorse Reservoir away down in the glen to the south.
We climbed up Harbour Hill with the dogs as usual beginning to chase about as we rounded
the domed summit. The view to Bonaly Reservoir splashed in a pine wood emerged and we
headed down the hill toward it.
From here our path took us beside the reservoir and across Bonaly Moor descending back
to the wood of Scots Pines above the car park. After a further drink of water from our
own supply, the dogs settled in the Jeep ready for the off.
Nick
Photo slideshow from the walk
E-diaries now also available at [Link]/TheDogRambler
Nick Fletcher
The Dog Rambler
9 Links Street
Musselburgh [Link]
East Lothian nick@[Link]
EH21 6JL t. 0131 665 8843 or 0781 551 6765
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