A Grand Day Out

The Land Rover was booked onto Monday’s ferry in order to take Griff to his vet appointment. As the poor thing did not last out that long, we were going to cancel both the vet and the ferry but I had an idea…

Mr L is on holiday and nothing much was spoiling and so I suggested we got to mainland anyway – and have a day out with Suzie and Nell. We have seen little of the big island since we got here 7 years ago and Nell has never been off Sanday at all. I had been thinking of all the great walks that we had with Griff and Suzie before we came here and it seemed a fitting tribute to the old lad if we were to go walking and have a picnic somewhere.

We had a beautiful day for it, though rather too hot  for us Humans if truth be told. Suzie is under orders to lead a quiet life with leashed exercise only. Her arthritis would not be up to a route march so we planned to have two or three short walks and motor between them.

We began with Binscarth Wood. Nell has never seen a tree before. Never walked in a wood. She took it all in her stride.

It has been a long time since I walked in a wood – especially a deciduous woodland as opposed to forestry planting.

Trees are few and far between in Orkney and Binscarth is very much an exception – a very small exception, and we were soon out on the other side and in blazing sun again. We walked as far as the loch and let the dogs cool down a little before deciding that we wanted to be back in the shade of the trees again and we turned back.

To say that Nell has never been walked, in all of her 6 years, anywhere that required her to be leashed all the time, she did extremely well. That being so, and as Suzie’s arthritis was holding up OK, we drove off to the RSPB site at Hobbister.

We had our picnic lunch and then headed out on the path that diverges towards Scapa Flow and Waulkmill Bay. The heather was in full bloom, full of some very busy bees, and the Hen Harrier on the wing. It was very pleasant indeed.

My foot was sore from my new boots so we just headed to the brow of the hill for a view of the bay before turning back towards the car.

Nell was shattered after her day out and slept like a baby. Suzie seems OK, not worse for the exercise.

Me – I had far too much sun yesterday and am taking things easy in the cool of the house for today, though baguettes have been made (and also some very naughty chocolate and hazelnut buns).