The Dog Rambler e-diary 25 November 2011

8/3/2019 The Dog Rambler e-diary 25 November 2011

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-dog-rambler-e-diary-25-november-2011 1/4

top

Walk A wintry Deepsyke Forest Length 6.2

milesDogs on walk Cyrano, Darcy, Dylan, Finlay, Maggie, Otis, Tim

Heathery, grassy, reedy, wet, muddy and soggy with almost indiscernible paths that is

Deepsyke Forest. The dogs loved it. The ground underfoot was one giant sponge. Not too

surprising as the forest in planted on high boggy moorland nearly 1,000 feet up. Very

deceptive as it feels quite low with the Pentland Hills to the north west still looking high.

Today wintry conditions hit us. Almost a year to the day when the snow fall came and set

in until the new year, today it snowed. Very wet and it did not lay but is was white and

big and definitely snow. Not for long but it came in two big flurries lasting about twenty

minutes between them. It in no way disconcerted the dogs.

As I said they loved the forest with its wide firebreaks through which we travelled. The lack

of good paths seeing them roam off into the thick, heavy with water, grass and through

the reeds standing to attention guarding the deeper bogs. It was Darcy who had the most

mischief in him. Otis was his first victim, chasing this way and that to try and escape his

clutches. Of course Tim, not a dog who can be left out of anything, was around their

ankles and as Otis made his getaway Darcy turned his attention to a delighted Tim. But

not satisfied with that he also harassed Dylan who at first was a little less than keen. But

The Dog Rambler

E-diary

Friday

25 November 2011



then must have thought why not and teamed up with Darcy to set about Otis again.

This meant Dylan sacrificing his place at the front to Finlay. No longer cream as he sought

out every bog he could. There were many. Maggie was taking things a little easy today but not lagging behind as she often does in these moods. With her hips swinging and her tail

pendulum like she sashayed her way between the boys.

Cyrano was in and out of the trees, picking up scents from all over. Occasionally drawing

one or two of the others with him. But he never went far and would soon appear further

along the track. In the low light of the wintry sky the pine trees were very dark it was

difficult to tell their colour. Scattered amongst them bare, skeletal birch trees stretchedtheir bony finger like branches into the cold air. Some with a covering of lime green lichen

so thick it looked an eerie new growth of strange leaves.

We wound about along fire breaks occasionally finding one of the very few good tracks in

the forest. It was a real test for my fairly new boots, as each step splodged into water, as

the spongy ground gave up its elixir. Then ahead of the distinctive bobbing of white rumps

gave away several deer leaving an open area of ground to take cover from us in the trees.The dogs had not seen them but had picked up their scent. But which way had it come

from and where had they gone? The dogs set off in different directions, sniffing almost

licking, at the air. If any of them showed a sign of going too far I called them and they

loped back without complaint.

The deer gone it was back to chasing each other as we continued to wind our way around

the forest, somehow ending back up the same track when I thought we about to reachanother one. Then I realised as we had come out of a different fire break we had turned

too soon for the one I wanted. The firebreak had taken us right to the edge of forest where

it joins a reopened quarry area. A black lunar landscape with a very bumpy narrow gauge

railway of small goods carriages travelling around. Nothing working today. I managed to

keep Finlay out of it where some really filthy looking puddles had caught his attention.

We got back onto a good track which led us back the road but not the car. It was further along the road because despite the poor weather this parking spot had been full earlier. We

crossed the road which dissects the forest and continued on a path on the other side. It



Ramblesnacks – healthy, homemade treats for your dog with no

artificial flavours or preservatives.

Order your 200g bags now - Heartbeets, Banana Boost (£1.50 each) and

Peanut Choc Chip Cookies (£1.75).

swung round through the trees to pass an old fort like tower, which was part of the

construction process for the water pipes serving Edinburgh, and back to the road and the

car.

Nick

Photo slideshow from the walk

Follow The Dog Rambler on Facebook and access the e-diaries online

Ramblesnacks

The Dog Rambler

[email protected]

t. 0131 665 8843 or 0781 551 6765

http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/1003462037


http://www.facebook.com/dogrambler







Documents

The Dog Rambler e-diary 25 November 2011