We still managed to get a good dose of sunshine close to home though.

Having completely fried all my muscles with speed sessions and power-lifting over the past fortnight I’m on a strict diet of easy runs this week. Beanie and Biggles are very happy about this as it means plenty of nice 90 minute runs on the beach for them. Today we trundled along in a civilised manner until their dad appeared with the camera part way along our course. Things got a bit exciting then….especially when dad lured the pups through ice cold water dragging their hapless mum behind them!

That water was FREEZING – there was no way Beanie was going in!

Blue skies, blue sea, warm sunshine and the snowy white peaks of Arran peaking out above the haze. What more can you ask for?

Such well behaved pups!

I’m a firm believer that most things in life are good for you in small doses. And that goes for canicross too. A little bit of pulling in harness is very good for the dogs – it is strength training after all. But just as you and I need to keep strength and speedwork in moderation – and build it on top of a strong fitness base, so too do the pups. As such, the dogs are on flexi leads for most of our long runs (today was an exception because my arms were killing me after a hard gym session!). This is the next best thing to running free as it gives them plenty of scope to vary their speed and run the way they choose. We’ve been trying to take this a step further this winter and have been working on ways to get them off-lead on a regular basis. We’ve come up with lots of off-lead games for the beach which are working well and keeping them close to us, but we also take them to a safe enclosure where they can let rip.

And of course, the sunshine has prompted plenty of play sessions in the garden.

Hopefully our winter training will get us in great shape for the spring and summer. We’ve got lots of trips planned (although no dates set!), the main one being a week long extravaganza of trail running, hill running, hill walking and hiking on the Isle of Skye.

Enjoying a cross country romp…with a difference

We all know that the ideal sport for a Beagle is drag hunting – a pack of Beagles running across the countryside following an aniseed trail with humans following the hunt on foot. In the old days the pack would have been hot on the tail of a bunny, but that’s illegal now so an aniseed trail laid by a human is the next best thing.

There are two obvious drawbacks for the typical Beagle owner:

1. Finding a farmer that’s happy to let a pack of Beagles go careering across his land is not easy (Although it has to be said that the farmer next door to us has offered. In fact the fox hunt used to meet at the end of our road!).
2. How likely are you to get your Beagle back? Are you willing to take the risk that he’ll favour deer or sheep over aniseed?

The next best thing we could think of was to have our Beagles follow the trail whilst on lead. Sounds dull? Well actully it’s superb fun because you run with them! Here’s how it works:

• The trail layer runs off dragging an aniseed rag behind them. Their objective is to loose the Beagles.
• A little later the Beagles are set off to follow the trail. They’re attached to a runner via a harness, bungee line and belt. The Beagles will go full pelt and stick to the trail like glue. Through streams, mud, woodland, over walls and fences….the level of chaos depends entirely upon the imagination of the trail layer. For the humans it’s the ultimate cross country running experience! The game ends when the Beagles catch the trail layer.

We aim to make it last for about 2 kilometers. Of course a Beagle can run much further, but when attached to a human they’re pulling a heavy load. They won’t let you know they’re tired as they’re driven to hunt so for safety reasons we think it’s best to keep it short and sweet. In addition, you’ll run much faster over a shorter distance and that’s more satisfying for your Beagles!

The more Beagles in the ‘pack’ the better, but in our experience it’s best to let them hunt as a pack. That means everyone runs at pretty much the same speed. It’s not fair on a little Beagle to be left behind the pack just because he’s attached to a slow hummie. Staying with the pack is very important to a Beagle!

Warming up with a 1k cross country run

Other tips are a good warmup first – we even do a little 1k cross country run before hand to really get their blood pumping. And a nice long cooldown walk afterwards. If you try Beagle Cross with your Beagle please send us a video of the fun!!

…until Biggles visited for the day and his distinctive warning siren echoed across the waves to Ireland.

We’d been planning a day trip to the Mull of Galloway since our return from the West Highlands last week and had just been waiting for a sunny day. Quite unexpectedly we opened the curtains on Friday morning and saw clear blue skies and sunshine. We bundled the pups in the car and were on the road within half an hour.

We’d only been out of the car for a couple of minutes when Beanie and Biggles noticed a sign instructing them to “walk this way”. At least, they think that’s what it said. They oblidged with their usual noisy enthusiasm and really couldn’t understand why mum got so upset.

The Mull of Galloway has two fog horns. One is big and red and the other is tricoloured and goes by the name of Biggles”

After exploring the lighthouse and foghorn for a while we headed off on our cliff-top walk. We’d actually planned to run the 10k trail but sadly the sunny day came along when we were really all due a day off from running. So we opted for a walk this time instead and I’m actually very glad it worked out that way. The scenery is just stunning and you really don’t get to appreciate the views quite so much when running. The route runs along the edge of the cliff tops of the West side of the Mull for about 4 kilometers before heading across country then following the East shore back to the lighthouse.

I wouldn’t say that I suffer from vertigo, but I do have a healthy fear of danger. So I was a little alarmed when I saw large warning signs on the gate at the start of the route saying “Dangerous Cliffs – Proceed at your own Risk”. Beanie and Biggles clearly read something very different from me and lunged through the gate and bounded along the path before I had too much time to think about it. You don’t have the option to walk further inland as the farmer has erected a fence to stop live stock toppling over the cliff edge. You’re forced to walk on the cliff side of the fence.

At some points the route ahead looks quite daunting – sheer cliffs with waves crashing against them and the little path winding precariously close to the edge. It’s tempting to reach out and put your hand on the fence to steady yourself. But as I discovered to my cost it is actually an electric fence!

It’s not long before the views back toward the lighthouse start to look truly stunning.

To give you an idea of scale, that tiny dot on the top right is Beanie, Biggles and I!

I don’t know if you can make out the little white dots on this picture? That’s sea foam. The wind was so strong that it was blowing blobs of foam all the way up from the sea and carrying it quite a distance inland.

There are a couple of very short sections where the path winds down to a little rocky beach, but it quickly winds back up onto high cliffs.

This is about as far as the path goes before crossing through fields to the East coast. If you look very closely you’ll see the lighthouse way off in the distance. That’s where our walk started, winding all along the coast. It looks as if the lighthouse is on an island but it is actually connected to the mainland.

The trouble with this time of year is that you run out of daylight very quickly. But fortunately we had the lighthouse to guide us safely back to our car.

We found a nice little forest trail nearby with a large, hilly section of ancient woodland. There were spectacular views of the mountains but unfortunately we didn’t see much thanks to the rain! Once again, our legs felt like lead and we were both pretty relieved that the Ben Nevis walk had been rained off – I think we’d have struggled!

Here’s a little video clip of the run.

The day may have been somewhat low-key but that doesn’t mean it was completely uneventful. While relaxing after the run, Biggles decided to reverse up to Paul and purge his anal glands on his T-shirt. The resulting stink was so bad that even Biggles himself flashed Paul a look that said “Ugh! Dad you smell BAD!” Needless to say we made use of the on-site laundrette that evening.

In the morning we walked to an abandoned crofting village called Simirisary and then on over the hills to a beautiful white beach looking across to Eilean Coille and other small islands.

Our hearts sank when we got our first view of the village and the flock of sheep happily grazing amongst the old buildings. Fat chance of ‘Brother Biggles’ sticking to his vow of silence. Actually, we’d have been fine if those darn sheep had just stood still. But they bolted and our Beagles went ballistic! Biggles was so outraged he kept his woofer turned to eleven for the rest of the day.

The road-less village has long since been abandoned but many of the ruined cottages have been restored for use as holiday cottages.

The path from the village to the beach is really quite dramatic – it takes you through bogs, across streams and along a cliff edge before descending to a lovely secluded beach. The only other way to get to the beach is by boat.

Beanie and Biggles explored every nook and cranny of the beach:

Searched for crabs in the rock pools:

And STILL the recently ex-communicated Brother Biggles was mouthing off about those sheep:

After lunch we set off on a 10k run to another secluded beach. This time the route itself wasn’t as spectacular – a little section beside a loch then along a bog standard forest track. It did however take us into an area known to contain unexploded WWII munitions; we passed a couple of big red warning signs cautioning us not to disturb any metal objects we might find. Beanie & Biggles of course couldn’t read the signs but that was just as well, because telling a Beagle not to do something is a sure way of getting them to do it as an act of defiance.

Against all odds we made it to the beach without getting blown up. The beach is called ‘Singing Sands’ due to the low frequency sound that is generated when you shuffle your feet along the beach. Even on a dull day it has the feel of a tropical island. Beautiful white sand, lovely blue-green sea and white frothy waves crashing on the beach.

Here’s a short video clip of the run. We actually look more ‘spritely’ than we felt in this video. The previous day’s hill climb had really taken it’s toll on our poor old legs!

It’s a there-and-back 12km route and its showpiece – Lochan a’Choire – comes right at the turning point. The walk up to that point is truly glorious. The path winds and undulates through beautiful scenery and if Biggles’ Geiger-counter sniffing is any indication, every inch of it is lined with the most incredible smells.

As you approach the cliffs the anticipation of that first sighting of the loch builds. It’s as though the path makers deliberately set out to tease walkers, because you hit ten or more blind corners and rises in that final kilometre, each one promising to be the last.

Beanie & Biggles strain towards the next corner..

We turn it to find yet another up ahead…

These steps are a tease too – believe it or not the lochan still isn’t visible from the top!

Could this finally be the last one?

Yep! And what a view..

A couple of minutes after we arrived at the lochside the sun did a vanishing act, the wind picked up and it grew very cold, so we didn’t hang around for long..

Biggles wants to explore the great sniffs further, but Beanie’s feeling the cold. Time to head back.

As soon as we got a kilometre or so from the cliffs things warmed up again – it’s as though the immediate area around the loch has its own private microclimate. The way back was just as enjoyable as the way in, and as our pace picked up Beanie took to bounding through the heather at the side of the path. I’d rate the walk as the best I’ve had so far, and it would make a great route for a there-and-back run too – something to do the next time we’re up around Fort William.

So, with the need to run up a hill still unsatisfied, we tried Dumgoyne (one of the Campsie Fells) on Sunday. This time there were no bogs or swarms of insects, but there was a well-worn path leading right to the top. In fact there were two paths, and that was the problem. One of the paths takes a winding approach to the summit, whereas the other one takes a very direct route straight up. Guess which one we chose?

One of the descriptions of the run I’d seen mentioned that at the steepest points we may have to drop from a  run to a brisk walk, but on the route we took, I ended up crawling on all fours with two sniffy beagles merrily tying me up with their leads.

Still, we did eventually make it to the top and got to enjoy some great views despite the hill’s modest height.

We got to do a lot more running on the way down when the alternative, much gentler and winding route revealed itself. Beanie and Biggles – who had pulled very little on the way up – now decided to coordinate their efforts in an attempt to get me arse-surfing my way down the hill. First there was a united all-out tug-fest to get me going faster than I wanted, then Biggles abruptly switched into sprint-stop-sprint mode while Beanie did her best to get under my feet. Somehow I managed to stay upright, but when we reached the final style they got me with the old “straight under the fence” routine.

Why is it that Beagles never have a reverse gear when you need it?

All in all it was a great work out and Beanie and Biggles loved it. I’ve a feeling we’ll be doing it again soon, and now that we know about the gentler path, we should be able to keep running more of the way up next time!

The Bigglet is now 3 years old! By way of celebration our birthday boy’s first act was to deposit a particularly smelly barf on our bedroom carpet, before climbing into bed with us for a cuddle. To be fair I had spotted him consuming a rather sloppy poo the previous night, but rather than interrupting him I took the lazy option and let him get on with it. Bad move.

With such a poor start to the day things surely had to improve, and indeed they did. I took both our pups out to the beach for a run, but to give them a treat I ditched their canicross bungee lines and used their extenders instead. It was harder work for me (our two Bs are officially the world’s best lead tanglers), but they loved it! Biggles made good use of his extra freedom by repeatedly shoulder-charging his sister, while Beanie tried to snatch a putrid chunk of dead bird that the tide had washed up. Runs on the beach don’t get much better than this!

Later in the day they got a play session in the garden, but to mark Biggles’ birthday I broke out the special Air Kong squeaky tennis balls.

There’s a strict Beagle protocol to be observed when a squeaky ball makes an appearance. Beanie uses her superior speed to seize the ball first, and cavorts round the garden squeaking away merrily. About a minute later she gets bored and forgets to guard her ball, allowing Biggles to nick it, whereupon he goads her into a chase..

When the chase peters out, we have a rendition of the famous Beagle aria “I’ve got a squeaky ball and you haven’t”

Shortly after this, Biggles takes the ball down to a quiet corner of the garden for some quality chew time. It’s at this point that I normally intervene to rescue the ball while it’s still in one piece, but this time I just let him get his chewing gear to work on it. If you can’t kill a squeaky ball on your birthday then there’s no justice in the world!

This ball is done squeakin’

Teatime came early for our pups, and hand cooked chicken and rice was on the menu. It took mere seconds for tea to be consumed, but the subsequent bowl-licking took more than ten minutes – a sure indication that it was well received. So no expensive toys this time, but I think my little boy thoroughly enjoyed his birthday nonetheless!

Happy third birthday Mr Biggles!

We set up a stall and a short have-a-go run, but with competition from agility, flyball and a giant green bouncy alien, we wondered if we’d be able to attract much attention.

I wouldn’t park too close to that thing if I were you. It looks hungry..

Fortunately if there’s one thing Beagles are good at, it’s attracting attention! We harnessed up Beanie, Biggles and Bundy and gave them a few demo runs on our little course, and the noise they generated helped bring a steady stream of people our way. They probably also helped burst a few eardrums, but there’s always a downside to getting three Beagles together.

Brian and Susan do a demo run with the three musketeers

The course was less than a 100m in length, but that was still enough to put a smile on the face of just about everyone who tried it. Burns Pet Food had been kind enough to supply us with a generous quantity of goody bags, so everyone who ran also got to take home some tasty, healthy treats for their pooch.

At one point I got a little break from photographing all the have-a-goers and purchased a rather tasty chicken sandwich. I got to take a couple of bites out of it before I was called back to duty, so I carefully placed my sarnie back in its packaging and popped it on top of Beanie & Biggles crates behind our stall. In retrospect I realise this was not a good idea, but the packaging was the stout, snap-shut plastic kind and I figured it would be safe for the minute or so it would take me to snap a couple of photos and return. Not for the first time, I was wrong. Beanie’s dextrous tongue had somehow managed to roll the package over to a more accessible spot and prise it open, and she was now nibbling away at my precious nosh. Much as I love beanie I didn’t really want to share her germs (I’ve seen and smelled all the other stuff she eats) so I gracefully accepted the loss of my snack and shared the remainder of it between the Beanster and her Biggly brother.

By the end of the day we’d seen dogs of all shapes, sizes and breeds  take their owners on a madcap sprint down our track. And I really do mean ALL shapes, sizes and breeds!

This was the first canicross demo any of us had ever done but it went very well indeed. Apart from that little incident with the sandwich, that is…

Team photo. Check out the paw prints on Stewart & Brian’s shirts!

First though, there was lunch. Susan cooked up some toasties, and we sat down hoping to eat them in a civilized way, which is never easy with two Beagles in such a confined space. It was relatively easy to convince Biggles to settle down next to me, but as usual Beanie was a much tougher nut to crack. When she eventually gave up hope of stealing the toastie off Susan’s plate, she tried for mine, failed, then immediately focused on raiding the still red-hot electric grill on the worktop. I still had my toastie in one hand but I managed to grab Beanie’s collar with my free hand just before she could burn herself. I was very pleased at not only having protected my toastie from Beanie, but also having protected my Beanie from being toasted, and just as I started to say “that was a close one” I heard a decisive “crunch”. Yep, you guessed it, my toastie hand had strayed into Biggles’s strike range and he had taken full advantage. So for me, lunch was short.

After finishing the remaining half of my toastie unmolested, I successfully walked the 7 mile route in the rain, guided by the route description, two Beagle noses and the gps app on my phone. I was now confident that navigation would not be a problem during the run. Other things like bogs, fallen trees and steep hills could still be a problem, and indeed at one point – even at walking pace – I did end up doing a bit of bottom surfing in the mud, but I figured somehow we’d all muddle through on the day.

The first group activity wasn’t the run though, it was a walk up the Merrick. Despite gloomy forecasts we actually got pretty decent weather, but the summit was shrouded in mist. That’s three times we’ve climbed the Merrick, and we still haven’t properly seen the views from the top!

A panorama from just beyond the first hump, twenty minutes or so from the top.

The final day of the trip was reserved for the run, and again the weather gave us surprisingly good conditions: a very light drizzle – just enough to keep us all cool, without getting us soaked. As I’d feared, the hazards on the first part of the trail claimed a few victims; nearly everybody ended up in a ditch at some point, but the group coped admirably with the hills. By the time we all arrived back at the Glen Trool visitor centre we were liberally decorated with mud splats, grazes and insect bites, but everybody seemed to be happy so I’d have to call the venture a success.

I think Beanie & Biggles truly feel at home in our caravan now. Both of them really stretch out when they sleep, and Biggles is becoming a little more tolerant of people wandering close to the caravan, unless they’re wearing a particularly provocative hat!

A muddy tummy is a happy tummy