The Dog Rambler
Thursday
13 E-diary
May 2010
Walk Gore Glen, Midlothian Length 6.3
miles
Dogs on walk Pearl, Struan and Talaidh
Our ramble today took us to the Gore Glen, a beautiful almost hidden glen statring beside
the A7 at Gorebridge. In bright conditions but still with the chill wind of recent days we
set off from the Gore Glen car park.
Our route took us parallel to the A7 heading in a westerly direction, the occasional drone
of cars beyond the trees the only confirmation of its existence. Otherwise it was the myriad
call of the blackbird and the, whispering of the immature leaves on the trees in the breeze
that were our company.
Pearl settled into her stride straight away and linked up casually with Struan and Talaidh
as they all meandered across the path picking up interesting scents. There was no great
commotion of welcome or otherwise, they just simply slotted into a walking pattern as
though they had been companions for some time.
The path suddenly dived downward via steps taking us into the hidden depths of the glen.
Rounding a corner it joined up with the Gore Water, rushing away to its confluence with
the River Esk. The steep sides of the glen and its overhanging trees shaded the water with
just dappled light brightening its surface as it broke through the cover. Pearl had decided
to walk pretty much beside me at this point. This is near enough where she toddled for
most of the walk. Just ahead most often was Talaidh and leading the way was Struan,
boldly seeking out our route.
Pearl’s attention was drawn to some of the sticks beside the path, which I inadvertently
picked up and threw a short distance for her (something which I now know I shouldn’t do).
But her attention was soon drawn to the many pine cones strewn across the path, shed by
the tall pine trees wrapped around the glen. She would trot along with one in her mouth
for a few strides before dropping it in favour of another obviously more preferable one.
Where the Gore Water met the River Esk we crossed an old, ramshackled stone bridge,
once linked with the old mills along the banks of the river here but now long gone, with
just a few patches of overgrown stone walls marking their presence. Now the floor of the
glen opened into a wide wooded area, silted over time by a tight meander in the river. At
the meander the dogs stopped for a water break and a bit of a paddle. None of them
venturing too deep.
We walked along the path running against the flow of the river, as the wood to the left
gave way to a fenced off grass field. Trees continued to cling to the bank, but more
deciduous than pine. After a while the path crossed another stone bridge, half hidden by
ivy clinging to its ramparts. Here the ground opened into a wide grassy clearing sloping
upward from the river. Struan and Talaidh set off on a chase across the grass. Pearl half
set off to join in but then had second thoughts about it. Maybe next time.
The path climbed through the open ground and back up into trees, now running along the
top of the glen. Below, the river was a shimmering ribbon, appearing to thread between
the tall thin trunks of the trees. The new growth of broom was doing its best to obscure
the path, reclaiming it to wilderness. Me, Struan and Talaidh strode through it all, while
Pearl, with her shorter legs walked under most of it.
After a stint across the top of the glen, the path slipped back down to the river and
another much wider expanse of open grassland. This heralded a change to the landscape of
the walk where to river plain opened out quite wide, letting the sun splay its warmth over
the ground. Although the cold breeze kept the temperature down and the gathering clouds
hinted that the sun’s company was not for long. Pearl continued to trot along with me,
occasionally lifting onto her back legs to give my hand a quick nuzzle. Then she would
wander off to join Struan and Talaidh when a particularly enticing smell drew them all
together.
We crossed the river again on another old stone bridge marking an old track which may
have been part of the Arniston Estate, whose large Palladium house was over the rise
ahead and to our left. Our way continued through grassland, widening and narrowing on
our side as the river meandered across the landscape. It then lifted away from the river
climbing past a field of sheep with young lambs a mixture of black and white, chess pieces
strewn over the field. I am not sure Pearl even noticed them, if she did they drew no
response from her.
We now descended again into an unexpected scene of a multitude of cypress trees, some
very tall an spindly others with trunks broad enough to hide several Struan size dogs
behind. Around the bases of these were spreading clusters of rhododendrons, just beginning
to bud. We where in what were once the informal gardens of Arniston House, with perhaps
a one time avid tree collector. The dogs roamed around on the rhododendron bushes,
which like the broom earlier were trying to envelop the path.
We left these behind as we passed under a high road bridge as the steep banks came back
to join the river. Now we leaned into the left bank as we climbed up and down on a
narrow, indistinct path through young trees clinging to the soft slopes. This brought us to a
gate at the top which led through to the old ruins of Temple Church. This C14 church was
once a central feature of the Knights Templar’s domain in this area.
Having reached here we now reversed our course. Finally on the way back we passed a few
people having made a later start on the same or a similar walk. Some had dogs, who Pearl
just ignored, using Struan an Talaidh as her bodyguards.
Pearl was quite happy to see the Jeep appear as we came out of the trees, by now she was
walking a little way behind me. She climbed onto the back seat of the Jeep, with Struan
and Talaidh in the boot, and we set off home.
Nick
Photo slideshow from the walk
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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
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