Stay at home

[-AnnA-]

We never made it past the first steps of Stage 1. We got close to the farm yard and were then asked by the farmer to turn back as apparently our dog (on the lead) would scare the lambs away....

Even after explaining that we would stick to the edges of the field and keep our dog under tight control, we were still denied any access.

So yeah... apparently dogs are not allowed on this walk during lambing season as according to the farmer the whole glen is full of sheep.
A shame, as I was really looking forward to this walk...

[Mal Grey]

Disappointing. Whilst I sympathise with any farmer worrying about his livelihood, I cannot believe that an alternative route to open land couldn't have been suggested in that part of the world.

[dogplodder]

Disappointing for you but fair enough for the farmer. Even the sight of dogs on lead can dangerously stress a ewe at lambing time. If I suspect it's a sheep area I'm going to I don't take my two at this time of year.

[Hbrannigan]

Thanks for the heads up, we had one mad farmer tell us that sheep would be falling into the river if we passed by with our dog even on the lead.

[Border Reiver]

I used to live in the country, next to a sheep farm. I always walked my retriever in the same fields on a right of way & the sheep weren't interested, in fact they came right up to the dog to investigate. The farmer still asked me to put him on a lead at lambing time. On one occasion, when I was in the garden, a couple of ramblers with a collie dog came past and the minute the sheep spotted them they went crazy, running all over the place, even though they were 200m or more away. The sight of a strange dog will panic sheep and, yes they could take a jump into a river, or even worse, abort their lambs.

[jephraimtallow]

Rather a misleading title then if the farmer simply asked you to turn back given he was concerned for the health of his animals. If the farmer has been unreasonable or had threatened you with a shotgun perhaps that would have been more deserving of this story.

[Guinessman]

Did you take the rough track to the farm or where you traversing over to the railway bridge to go up Coire Achaladair?,if the first you could have doubled back and gone up the coire and still had a day in the hills