Chomp! Part 3

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Moving on from Camas nan Geall, we drove to the base of Ben Hiant – Ardnamurchan’s highest point. On our last visit there we climbed up in the dark to catch sunrise from the top. This time we were heading up at the opposite end of the day, but one thing remained the same: it was very cold and windy at the summit.

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We didn’t hang around on the summit for long, preferring instead to walk back down to a lower point that was much warmer and gave us a very pleasant view of of the setting sun.

Ben Hiant, Ardnamurchan [IMG_9994]

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Beautiful though the sunset was, it didn’t hold Beagle attention for long

Soon after that last shot we continued down the hill to the Beaglemobile, arriving just as the light was failing. My first task on getting the van open and the lights on was of course to prepare two bowls of Chappie for the pups. From this point until the bowls were put down on the floor, Biggles became Ardnamurchan’s honorary Town Crier, proudly announcing teatime to any sheep, deer and humans in a 5 mile radius. We humies had our tea also, but not having my own inbuilt megaphone I was unable to broadcast the event as effectively as my little big-gobbed boy.

By now the Corran ferry service had closed for the day, so we had a choice: spend the night on Ardnamuchan, or just accept the somewhat longer drive back to the campsite. The lure of the showers and our extraordinarily comfortable tent won out pretty easily. What’s more although the drive would be longer, we expected it to be much easier at night; there’d be less traffic, and headlights would provide ample warning of any oncoming vehicles. As it turned out we were mostly right, but a few pesky deer still managed to get the adrenaline flowing.

The next morning I took the pups for a final walk round Glencoe while Susan packed up the tent. Whenever I’m responsible for the first morning walk on a campsite I always try to get Beanie and Biggles through the exit gate before they relieve themselves, but I rarely succeed. Perhaps the urgency in my walk translates into urgency in their lower bodies. Regardless, plot number 13 got doused by Biggle pee, and not for the first time on our little holiday; I guess the number 13 really is unlucky.

After a stroll around the nearby Lochan Trails we returned to the campsite, where we encountered another Beagle. He or she burst into howls of outrage as we passed, but my two trotted on calmly without responding. It’s not often I get to play the owner of well behaved dogs, but when it happens I make the most of it. “I don’t know, some Beagles!” I said, shaking my head as we walked by.

The drive back home passed quickly and soon I was leading Beanie & Biggles through the front door. I unclipped their leads and as usual Beanie immediately embarked on a whirlwind tour of the house to make sure that everything was as she’d left it. While she buzzed around, Biggles drained the water bowl, found the comfiest seat in the lounge and plonked his big white bum on it. Once Beanie’s internal checks had been completed she requested access to the back garden. I let her out and stood watching at the door, expecting her to go on her customary mad sprint of freedom. Unusually, it didn’t happen;  she just calmly patrolled the garden borders then had a relaxing sniff round our tree.

Early Morning Sniffy [IMG_5688]

From my point of view our holiday with the campervan and tent had involved more doggy restrictions than previous breaks in the caravan; after all there’d been no off-lead time in the tent at all (unless you count that brief moment when Beanie unclipped her own lead). Perhaps being tethered but able to go in and out of the tent or van at will actually gave our pups a greater feeling of freedom than being off lead in the confines of the caravan?

 

5 Replies to “Chomp! Part 3”

  1. Susan in Delaware

    I love the photo of Biggles using Susan’s foot as a pillow. :) Perhaps they were so worn out from the adventure that they have to settle down! Being on the road, even if relaxing in the Beaglemobile, is different from being home and requires a certain level of 24/7 alertness.

  2. Paul Post author

    Yep that’s absolutely true, and our two do like their afternoon naps. And morning naps. And evening naps. Sometimes a nap itself can be tiring and you need a nap afterwards to recover from it.

  3. Susan in Delaware

    Well, and then all that napping makes a beagle hungry. They seem to follow a schedule similar to hobbits: 7:00am – Breakfast, 9:00am – Second Breakfast, 11:00am – Elevenses, 1:00pm – Luncheon, 4:00pm – Afternoon Tea, 6:00pm – Dinner, 8:00pm – Supper …. and then whatever random item happens to cross their paths in between. :)

  4. Julie - JB, Cassie and Buzz's Mum

    Sounds as though you had a wonderful holiday and took some brilliant pictures, as you always do! Holidays are so much more fun with the beags – we used to go abroad all the time before we had dogs but I don’t miss it all; it’s much better being here with them and sharing our holiday (we can’t bear to put them in kennels!!).

  5. Paul Post author

    Thaks Julie – yep a great little break. And like you we’d never consider a holiday without our furry children :)

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