18/01/17
For the first time ever, Google Maps steered me wrong. With Moffat planned for the afternoon, I wanted a spot close by to take the dogs this morning and, at just over two miles away, The Hills seemed perfect. The directions seemed to take an indirect route but hey, maybe the parking was on the other side. But after driving twenty minutes into farmland and Google Maps insisting I take a dirt road, I reversed out and headed back, finding an easy parking space and a wonderful trail just a few minutes from the entrance of my lodge. But had I not taken the scenic route, I would never have seen a predatory-looking bird fly almost directly in front of my windscreen. It looked like a large brown owl, but since it was flying in late-morning I'm guessing it was a buzzard. Plus, on my way back I saw this adorable guy. He and a couple of friends were feeding by the fence, but he seemed especially curious about the car.
The Hills is a walking trail so there's no chance of being surprised by cars or logging vehicles. It's also a circular trail, which feels more worthwhile than going forward until you have to turn back. The first half of the walk displays signs explaining why felled trees have been abandoned: fast-growing timber trees are being cut down to allow the native flora to re-populate the area, and dead trees on the ground are fed on by moss and lichen, which provide a home for insects that are in turn eaten by other woodland animals.
Apart from two Border Terriers and a Husky with their owners the trail was empty, and the dogs were allowed off the lead. At one point we took a wrong turn and ended up on a path of trodden leaves, me pulling myself up on tree branches, before I realised this was probably the wrong way and heading back the way we had come. The first half of the walk offers incredible views of the surrounding scenery, but the second half offers much more spectacular gems along the trail. This little brook inspired Mouse to splash in the water before leaping from bank to bank. He slipped once in the mud but it didn't stop him from having another try. Daisy, not a fan of water, waited patiently in the leaves.
Walking on, the trail cuts a path through a rock face and steep banks, like some kind of fantasy woodland pathway. The dogs marched on ahead side by side, doubling back occasionally to urge me on from taking too many photos. We returned to the car, had a quick shower, some dinner, and a tidy up, and headed off on the 30 mile drive to Moffat.
Moffat attracted me because of one particular establishment: the Buccleuch Arms Hotel, which had this cute note on its website: "When we say we are a dog friendly establishment it is not just a statement. It is an absolute ... Your dogs are our friends and are more than welcome to be with you even if you choose to dine in the bar. Moffat is a dog lovers paradise with numerous walks in all directions enjoyed by all." More importantly, it comes highly recommended by Happy Cow for its vegan options, so it seemed the perfect place to visit -- and to grab a quick bite if I was feeling peckish. I'd envisaged Moffat as a Whitby kind of place, but in reality it is more like Guisborough, with a main high street and quaint little side-streets, and so in the short time it took to explore the town I wasn't hungry enough to eat, and it felt like a waste to sit in by myself with a drink. Of course, I managed to find myself a cemetery: it didn't have the same isolated charm as Irongray, but it had some ancient tombstones and a mysterious monument.
Outside of the cemetery there were signs for Grey Mare's Tail Nature Reserve, which was ten miles away. Having come so far and only spent half an hour in Moffat, it seemed worthwhile to journey a bit further for a nature reserve. On the way back to the car park, after a quick detour through a park, I noticed a sign for waterside walks, so with only two hours left of daylight that seemed more appropriate than trekking on to Grey Mare's Tail, even though it meant we wouldn't be able to see the nature reserve.The walk was alongside a modestly quaint stream that seemed to be running quickly despite the reasonably dry weather we've been enjoying. Both dogs enjoyed a drink when the bank sloped down to a rocky beach, and Mouse got his paws wet having a nose in the stream. We went on to this cool-looking bridge, but turned back at that point to fill up at Tesco and grab some burger buns for tea.
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