First walk up Pendle Hill

There’s a rule of thumb that you should walk a dog 5 minutes for every month until they are fully grown.  Whilst I get that over exercise can cause problems, and looking back I probably walked Finney too far too soon, there comes a point when you know your dog, especially a springer spaniel, needs more exercise!

Now 9 months old, we’ve not been on a decent moorland walk, so with a hint of spring in the air it was the right time to climb Pendle Hill.  Our ascent began near Sabden, which I think was the place I first attempted to reach the top with Finney (we took a wrong turn in the mist!). Marley was as usual unphased by the walk ahead, dragging me up to the point where I thought he’d give a husky a good run for his money.  Despite the constant pulling, it was good to be back on the hills, and as we walked alongside the peaty stream after leaving the ridge it just felt good!

After a paddle and drink we headed over the paved path to the trig point. Funnily enough I was thinking what a feat it must have been to lay that path, when we hit what resembled the early stages of a building site near the summit. To be fair, it will no doubt be great when finished, as the constant heavy traffic takes its toll on the peat. The summit itself was a huge anticlimax today, with dozens of people ascending from Barley, clearly on some kind of sponsored walk. We rested a while looking towards the Yorkshire Dales before retracing our steps.

A few times I let Marley off lead.  He is like a rocket, racing off until he realises I’m no longer with him at which point he comes racing back (happily). I wouldn’t dare let him off lead where there was a chance of a fellrunner going by. He is still very reactive to fast moving things, be it people, birds or bikes. When we have space though, he’s great.

With all his pulling my legs ache and my arms are wrecked. I bought a new Ruffwear front range harness yesterday so tonight used it with the front clip. Albeit with chicken in my hand, we had a lovely short walk and probably his best heel work to date. Very pleased as I don’t much care for the Halti I bought last month.  It tends to ride up to just below his eye so a bit of a concern. I might go for the opti fit version if I can find one and the front clip doesn’t prove successful.

After an afternoon with the first grass cut of the year, I’m looking forward to spring!

Cornwall in the snow!

Cornwall is fantastic out of season.  Some of my favourite holidays have been in January or February.   Storm watching is exciting, and so it was that when we arrived that 60 mile an hour gusts and huge waves were pounding the coast path between Polzeath and Daymer Bay. It made for an exciting walk and a challenge for the dog, let alone me, to keep our feet on the ground.  We stayed in the little village of Trebetherick, just behind the St Moritz Hotel. A great location for dog owners out of season, with two fantastic beaches within 15 minutes walk, and a great coastal walk linking the two.

Later in the week the weather took an interesting turn, with heavy snow.  After an eventful lunch and afternoon stranded in St Mawgan we had an even more eventful evening stuck on the A39 near Wadebridge. Happily we made it back to our holiday about 9.30!

Next day of course we were rewarded with spectacular snowy scenery!