free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
After a month and a half (can't believe it has been that long!) we've headed back out into the glens. We may have missed out on some of the lovely whether we've had in that time, but I guess that's the way it goes! Our walk location pick of the day was one of our favourites, Glen Doll. The reason for the absence is we were on holiday, and then we had a new addition to our family in the shape of this girl:
![6.jpg]()
She's a border collie and was picked up as a stray in Aberdeen where she then ended up in rescue seeking a new home. Following the retirement of one of my other collies, we had already planned to look for a new dog after our holiday and so we e-mailed the rescue my other two had came from to see if they had any collies in suitable for us and they had a timid collie thought to be around 3-4 years old (though we thought younger and our vet agreed putting her at 2 - 2 1/2 years old) in who we went to meet...she responded well to Fly (who is a bit intolerant of other dogs!) and that was what we based our choice on as everything else about her was unknown! But she has proven to be a good gamble and has adjusted very well, loves her walks (which really is the most important thing) and though there are a few problems with toilet training etc there is nothing major. So three weeks ago today, Moss came home! And then Fly went and slipped a disc in her neck requiring urgent surgery so it has been a hectic few weeks...
This was probably Moss' first walk in the glens so to start with she was kept on the long line. While she has good recall out in the farm fields the forest was a different environment but I needn't have worried and after a short spell on the long line testing recall (and an attempt to tie up Millie my other collie), she was let off the lead. We followed the White Water route crossing the first bridge to start with before re-joining the man route up to Corrie Fee. All around we could hear the stags bellowing, some sounding so close but we couldn't actually see them! Despite it being half term, it was quiet up there and we only saw a handful of other people and soon reached Corrie Fee.
Only Millie had the confidence to pose on the posing-rock at Corrie Fee
But then she will do almost anything for a treat! While Moss jumped up a couple of times she didn't stay standing on the rock, so I had to make do with getting a few photos of her on the flatter rock nearby with just her front paws on the rock.
So my current mission (should I choose to accept it, which I think I will) is to get Moss to pose on the posing rock at Corrie Fee! Better start training!
After hanging around Corrie Fee for a while, we headed back down the glen and joined the Dounalt trail. I couldn't believe how quiet it was (excluding the roaring of the stags which never stopped!) and with a good view ahead I could really start to relax keeping an eye on Moss but she showed no inclination of going too far from me of Millie.
We reached the bridge and I stopped to see if I could see any deer, I could certainly hear them but couldn't see any.
So we continued on following the trail back into the forest filled with the lovely colours of autumn.
The sun was starting to shine though at this point too, not that it does much good when we're in the midst of the forest and not really able to enjoy it! Towards the end of the trail where it opens out, I did eventually spot a coupled of deer high up on the hill. Not a great photo, but the deer are there!
From there it was an easy following of the forestry track back to the car and the end of a first successful adventure day with Moss. Our winter will be spent getting some weight and muscle on her (which she is severely lacking in), toughening her pads (soft as a baby's bottom at the moment!) and training ready for the spring when hopefully we can return to the higher hills! But today I'm just happy that she comes back when called, even if she did have a mess around when it came to getting in the car!
