going on a bear hunt
After a wet Sunday it was a pleasure to see the sun out this morning. Better still, it was a Bank Holiday Monday and there was no rushing to and fro, no school nor work. After a leisurely morning we decided to walk Jack at the back of Mugdock Country Park, joining the West Highland Way for a while but mostly walking on a narrow mountain bike trail running parallel to the main path in the woods. We didn't manage to talk the teenager into joining us. He was busy making route cards for his Duke of Edinburgh expedition in June. He said he might be too busy even to empty the dishwasher :-)
The walk was lovely. It was a bit like going on a bear hunt. There was the dense Gruffalo* forest, a steep wooded hillside to scramble down, a bog to squelch through, loch side walking and a path meandering through bluebell woodlands. In a couple of weeks, it will be astonishingly beautiful but for now, only a few blue bells were flowering. There was plenty of animal excrement for the dog to roll in, and some dead frogs, too. We didn't encounter any bears but there were thousands of spiders in the bog. I took a bit of a tumble and bashed my shin quite impressively. I would show you but I am still wearing my winter leg hair and I don't want to frighten anybody. Instead some (plenty) photos of the walk. Enjoy!
We are lucky to live so near such beautiful countryside. Back to work tomorrow but there is plenty to look forward to. More on that another day. Enjoy your week!
* Richard says that the Gruffalo lives in the pine forest past Kyber Pass behind Mugdock Country Park.
The walk was lovely. It was a bit like going on a bear hunt. There was the dense Gruffalo* forest, a steep wooded hillside to scramble down, a bog to squelch through, loch side walking and a path meandering through bluebell woodlands. In a couple of weeks, it will be astonishingly beautiful but for now, only a few blue bells were flowering. There was plenty of animal excrement for the dog to roll in, and some dead frogs, too. We didn't encounter any bears but there were thousands of spiders in the bog. I took a bit of a tumble and bashed my shin quite impressively. I would show you but I am still wearing my winter leg hair and I don't want to frighten anybody. Instead some (plenty) photos of the walk. Enjoy!
We are lucky to live so near such beautiful countryside. Back to work tomorrow but there is plenty to look forward to. More on that another day. Enjoy your week!
* Richard says that the Gruffalo lives in the pine forest past Kyber Pass behind Mugdock Country Park.
What a wonderful place for adventuring. Sorry you fell over, it must be your turn this week. I'll fall over next week. Glad you had such a good day. Was the dishwasher emptied by the time you got home..? CJ xx
ReplyDeleteI love this adventure! It looks like a great place to hunt for bears. I'm sorry about your fall, I hope you're okay. Sometimes the bruises can show up a little later. I'm intrigued about the Duke of Edinburgh expedition; he seems to be known as a very rugged person, right? I'm thinking it must be a challenging experience. Probably the best kind they can have, really! :)
ReplyDeleteA lovely day out and did you sing we are going on a bear hunt as you went along :-)
ReplyDeleteIt looks a fine day out. Was Jack rolling in something unspeakable?
ReplyDeleteouch, hope your shin is ok today. x
ReplyDeleteYou gave us such a wonderful tour, I love sharing the book and singing going on a bear hunt with the little ones, they love it.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely day out. Hope your leg heals soon.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a lovely place to walk. Sorry about your shin - hope it gets better soon. I had to work on the bank holiday!
ReplyDeleteIt does look like the right place to go on a bear hunt! Beautiful countryside- I'd love to see photos of the bluebells in bloom. That will be a spectacular sight I could imagine. Sorry to hear about the tumble. Hope your shin feels better now. Enjoy your week! X
ReplyDeleteGorse flowers and the promise of foxgloves too - wonderful! Your woods look very similar to ours. Joe too thinks he's in Gruffalo Land when we walk there.
ReplyDeleteHope the injury heals quickly. I shaved my legs for the first time in a while last night. Not that I'm intending on wearing a skirt any time soon (at least, not without woolly tights).
Have a good week x
Ooh, I can feel that pain! Bashing your shin is really painful! Hope it heals quickly. Lovely photographs Christina, really I should go to Mugdock with Meg some time, I always forget about it, and yet we are only 10-15 minutes away from it coming from the other direction. Must put it on my 'to do' list! Great pics of Jack too, he looks like a real character! X
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely pics of your great adventure! I love Mugdock - when we lived in Milngavie, we walked there a lot too, but never managed to spot any bears either ;-) Sorry you took a tumble, hope you heal soon. Have a happy week,
ReplyDeletehugs xx
Looks like a great walk, a lovely adventure!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. My terriers have rolled in disgusting things and eaten even more disgusting things more times than I can count....it's the joyous part of having a dog! Sorry about your shin - you made me laugh with the hairy leg comment, I'm the same, I hate shaving my legs in the shower in the winter months and do it as quickly as possible! X
ReplyDeleteDid the dog find every bit of excrement to roll in? It must have been his idea of heaven (although not so nice for the owners!)
ReplyDeleteHey Christina,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful place for a walk. I love all of your photos, but particularly thoose of your family. And I did chuckle at your winter leg hair comment. Me too, my friend. Me too.
Have a great week,
Leanne xx
Wonderful pics Christina but poor you and the shin bash. The dog must be brave as they come and as hard as nails to stand in that water as I can only imagine how cold it must be at this time of the year!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely photos - you're so lucky to live near such beautiful countryside. Thanks for sharing! Judy X
ReplyDeleteLovely photos, shin injury and excrement not so lovely! I like the bright yellow coats, so you can see where those boys are easily :-) xx
ReplyDeleteGlad that you have to deal with a dog that likes to roll in stinky things too! I get frustrated when we have a really nice walk and then I have to ride home in the car with a dog that smells so bad we have to open the windows, even in December!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous place for a walk, a bit of everything there. You made me laugh about jack rolling in unmentionables, Archie's just the same, mucky pups. I love that photo of the loch behind the trees, just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting us "join" you on your walk, Christina. Your pictures were terrific! Why, oh why, do dogs like to roll in things that smell so horrible? :-)
ReplyDeleteYour walk looks just stunning, so many wonderful things to see everywhere you look.
ReplyDeleteHugs and have a good week,
Meredith
Such colourful adventures! everything is "greened-up" so well there. Our outdoor adventures are a little less green. The kids called the forest "twiggy" this past weekend. :0)
ReplyDeleteFantastic photos and yes it really could be we're going on a bear hunt. enjoyed your post x
ReplyDeleteGorgeous pics, I feel like a walked along with you. Thanks for the exercise, I needed it.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like an excellent walk, and how cute are your boys in their matching yellow coats? We often start hunting for Gruffalos when everyone gets a bit tired and moany. x
ReplyDelete