Recently my evil employer, was kind enough to give us all one of those thermos type coffee mugs (an act so out of character, that I am expecting my P45 any day now). So anyway I decided that this was an occasion as good as any other to try it out. However having parked at Beeley I decided I couldn’t road test it long enough to even get out of the car, so drunk all my coffee there and then (all washed down with a slice of coffee and walnut cake that Helen had baked earlier).
Now this was probably Helens third choice walk, having rejected an edge one due to the wind, and another possibly as it was a bit far for Luther. So yes there was a bit of a chill in the air still and nowhere near the 19 degrees forecast (even if I did eventually take my top layer off).
Anyway we started off along Gibbet Moor on what would be a circular to take us back to Beeley. However due to the signs warning that there was nesting birds, for much of this section the dogs had to stay on the lead. Eventually we found ourselves walking along a ridged section, that ran parallel to the road all the while being looked down upon by a couple of goats (no problem as I am used to being looked down upon), before eventually making higher ground and finding a nice rock ledge to look out from (it’s alright the camera exaggerates ones weight).
From there we made our way into Chatsworth Park, eventually ending up at the Stand Tower, where we sat on one of the benches (overlooking Chatsworth House) and compared notes with two elderly chaps who were on a day out from Sheffield. To my surprise Helen still had a few provisions on her, but unlike the two elderly chaps I wasn’t sharing what I was given with either Luther and Molly. They on the other hand wanted to know did the dogs eat bread, which is a definite yes (especially in Luthers case, given that he also eats sheep droppings). From there we made our way up towards a pretty little waterfall, which is part of what feeds the whole fountain configuration in the gardens of Chatsworth.
Somewhat further on Luther had some problems with some side steps along a steep wall (after earlier doing a smaller version with no problem). Having eventually got to the summit he decided he definitely wasn’t using the same method going down, and basically leapt from the top (ouch). Surprisingly the younger Molly was also having problems with this wall, having decided to cut out the steps altogether and was instead trying to go over it in one leap. Some several attemps later she did manage it, but Helen decided it was prudent to let them both calm down a bit before we moved on again. You can’t keep a good dog down for long though and this picture was taken of Molly not long after, where if you look closely enough you will see that she is so manic, one of her eyes is yellow and the other green.
Anyway from there we made our way below a far off ridge, before eventually retracing our steps along Gibbet Moor back to Beeley. Our dogs were back on the lead for the nesting birds, but not so for everyone coming the other way. One couple’s dog came over to be friendly, but kept getting tangled between Luthers lead and legs, following which the male part of the twosome gave me the dirtiest of looks. However not being a full time doggie person like Helen, I probably misinterpreted that, so thought it best not to smack him in the mouth.
Walks since last blog entry:
1 x 9.25 miles – Putney to Osterley
2 x 7 miles – Osterley Park/Grand Union
1 x 7 miles – Grand Union/Osterley Park
No comments:
Post a Comment