Today was truly action packed, and as I write this Beanie is fast asleep in her crate, snoring gently.

In the morning, we drove over to Derwent Water and walked up the “Cat Bells“. The walk was listed in the short & sweet category of our guide book, but certain parts turned out to be unexpectedly taxing due to erosion of the path. Taxing for us that is. Beanie powered her way up even the steepest sections with ease. Every time I looked up to wipe the sweat from my brow I saw a small but perfectly formed Beagle bum disappearing over the next rocky ledge.

When we took a break before the final push to the summit, Beanie hurriedly gulped down some water from her bowl then strained at her lead, eager to continue.

At the summit, Beanie engaged in the time honored ritual of lead tangling with a young Spaniel while we took in the truly spectacular views.

You can tell experienced dog handlers by their lead untangling ability

View from the summit of Cat Bells

Beanie had helped pull us up to the summit and now she was just as determined to help pull us back down. This nearly led us to adopt the “feet-hands-arse” descent technique on several occasions, but somehow we made it without any incidents, and went to Coniston for lunch at the dog-friendly Bluebird Cafe. On the way there we ran into a lovely couple of Beagles: Cindy, and Patrick (aka Paddy) who was just about the biggest Beagle I’ve ever seen. His paws looked like they belonged to a Labrador, but his size didn’t phase Beanie and she went straight into a wrestling clinch as we talked to his owners.

Patrick the model Beagle

Apparently Patrick has done some modeling for the Pets at Home chain of pet shops, so we’ll be keeping an eye out for his mugshot next time we’re there!

While at the cafe, we discovered that dogs are allowed on boat rides round Coniston, or as the operators put it: “dogs are welcome, so are well behaved owners”. Dogs get to ride on the boats for just fifty pence – unless they’re flat-coated retrievers, who get to ride for free. Why? Well it turns out the founders of Coniston Launch had three such dogs – Saga, Folly and Epic – who used to be regulars on the boats, and the free-ride rule was set up in their honor. It’s a lovely story, and Beanie certainly enjoyed the experience, not to mention all the attention she got from the other passengers.

This week we’re having a kind of mini-holiday in the Lake District. Apparently this week is off-season, which should mean a quieter, more relaxing time.

The drive down from Glasgow only took a couple of hours or so, and our first port of call was Brackenrigg Inn in the Ullswater region, for a little pre-walk refreshment. Back in Scotland, or at least our part of Scotland, it’s very rare for dogs to be allowed in pubs. In northern England however it’s more common, and Brackenrigg Inn is listed on various websites as being open to all “well-behaved” dogs. Obviously we had our concerns that the “well behaved” part might be an issue for Beanie, but there was only one way to find out, so we trotted into the bar and ordered coffees. Happily Beanie behaved herself, so we decided to go walking for a few hours then return later for an evening meal.

The staff at the Inn suggested nearby Aira Force as a good walking location, so off we went. We started out on the standard tourist path, then headed uphill to get a panoramic view of Ullswater. With livestock all around, there was absolutely no chance of Beanie going off-lead, but we attached her 26ft extender and let her run on ahead. It soon became apparent that four-leg drive is quite an advantage when going uphill. Beanie kept having to stop and wait for us two legged types to catch up.

Oh the responsibilities of a pack leader – waiting for slower pack members

After while though, even super-fit Beanie was ready for a little breather

However, the climb was repaid by some spectacular views

On the way back down, Beanie recharged her batteries by snacking on some wild Cumbrian sheep poo. She also located the rotting carcass of a dead sheep but by now we’d got the hang of the extender lead and reeled her in before she could sample any of the remaining delicacies. By way of revenge for being denied her prize, she found a nice patch of hidden poo and, well if you’re a dog owner you know what comes next:

Before returning to the car we offered Beanie the chance to have a little paddle to cool her feet but she was somewhat reluctant, despite having had a swimming lesson over the weekend.

After the walk we returned to the Brackenrigg Inn. What better way to end the day than to relax in a bar having great food, with our little pup at our feet, happily chomping on her Piggy Rope!