It felt like we hadn't been to the Crook o' Lune for ages so we headed over that way one afternoon when it wasn't quite so hot. I was prepared this time and took water. Freya would be fine however far we decided to walk because she could easily go in the river. I could easily go in the river too, but I didn't this day.
If you go here at the weekend, it's usually busy, but not so much that you can't keep your distance. I know we go here quite a lot, so I'm sorry if this is a bit boring for you; but looking at that view, why wouldn't we?
I didn't have a distance in mind today. The full walk that I like to do is four miles, but I don't always do the whole thing – depends what I've got in my legs and whether I've got time. Today, I wasn't sure. It was quite warm, but not too hot yet, and there was some nice cloud cover. This is the kind of place where, when you get to it, you can't help but take great lungfuls of fresh air and smile widely and be glad that you're alive. It's quite glorious.
The sheep were very curious today. Freya was on her short lead so she couldn't get anywhere near them, and they seemed to know that. None of them scarpered when we came close to them. Marvellous.
This was the closest we managed to get, and Freya was quite calm – no straining at the lead or whining. In fact, she just sat down and watched. Obviously, I couldn't let her off because a) you're not allowed to do that in sheep fields and b) she wouldn't have remained calm if she'd been free to gleefully chase the lambs. She's a shepherd.
We sat down to take in the view and enjoy our aliveness for a little bit. I don't usually sit down so near the beginning of a walk, but this really is a lovely place to park yourself for a few minutes and do nothing. There's a verse in a song by Noah Reid that I really love, and I take it as my excuse to do nothing when I feel like it. The song is called 'Tiff Song', from his beautiful album Songs from a Broken Chair, and the lines I love the most go, 'I can always find the time to waste my time / I hope I never let that go'.
But you can't do nothing all the time, so we jumped up, tested our legs a little, confirmed that they had a few miles in them, no problem, and tramped off into the woods. A little way down the path we said hello to a man, his daughter and their dog, all paddling in a little pool off the river below us. The man was throwing a ball for his golden retriever and the dog was enjoying a swim to fetch it. 'There, Freya,' says I, 'that's what you're supposed to do.' The man laughed and smiled up at me and threw the ball again. Then we left them to their fun.
Further on, I decided to let Freya off for a paddle as well. I hadn't done this in the same pool as the man, the girl and the dog because you don't just barge into someone else's walk and join in when you don't know them! That would be rude. Also, I've never let Freya off here before and I didn't know what she would do, so I tested her in a little area where I thought I could block her escape if she tried to run. Ooh, she had a great time in the water! Brilliant.
And then the man and the girl and the dog caught us up and stopped to watch Freya splashing around. That didn't last long though, because Freya caught sight of the golden retriever and dashed past me and up the banking. She was in full-on play mode, darting back and forth, dropping down on her front legs, ready to pounce. The GR (I'm assuming they get called GRs just because German shepherds get called GSDs) loved this and was very happy to play. And the man was more than happy for his dog to socialise with mine, so we chatted a little bit, like dog people do. He told me about his dog and I told him about mine, and it was clear he was a very nice man. His daughter was lovely too, asking questions about Freya and trying to stroke her. I always like children who ask questions. Eventually, the man helped me to catch Freya (she's totally deaf when she finds a friend) by getting his dog to sit still, which was very kind. Not everyone does that and I have to chase her, which is as difficult as it sounds!
Then I let the man and the girl and the dog walk on ahead of us, since, as I said, you can't just join someone else's walk without being invited. A little further on though, the GR stopped to do a bit of business, and the man went to pick it up like a very good dog owner. I could see him patting his pockets, and I just knew he was going to find he had no poo bags with him. I chuckled to myself because I didn't have any either. I'd realised this when I reached the car park and had to search the car for anything that would do as a substitute, so I had one used non-poo plastic bag with me, and I knew I'd need it for Freya's business later. The man turned and waited while I caught up, and he was grinning sheepishly as he said, 'sorry, hate to ask, have you got a spare bag with you?' I delivered the terrible blow and told him that I only had one that wasn't even a poo bag. Happily, his dog had done the business well away from the path, so he decided it wasn't too terrible to leave it. I don't know why I'm telling you this part of the story – probably because it's so long since I've spoken to a new person that it feels newsworthy. This year, I think we can all relate to the novelty of speaking to people we don't live with.
Anyway, after that, we walked alongside the man, the girl and the dog, and the man asked if I'd tried sprats for Freya. I haven't, so I'm going to. He said they're really good for teaching them recall, and also for giving them a healthy coat. It was a lovely thing, to walk with another adult who I didn't know anything about. It made me realise how much I'm looking forward to being able to go out into the world and meet people again. Most of the time I'm very happy to be alone, but not always. There are lots of nice people around, and I would like to know some of them.
Our paths diverged at the other side of the bridge because I'd already decided Freya and I were doing the full four miles. So our new friends went back up the river and we carried on across the fields. I took a photo of our new friends – there they are, under one of those trees in the middleground:
It's quite a trek across the sheep fields, so we were rather sweaty and out of breath by the time we reached the other bend in the river. I felt pretty certain I could block the exit here, so I let Freya off for a nice, long paddle since she wouldn't have chance for another after this. Man, she loves the water. I had quite a job getting her to come back to me – I really do need to try her with those sprats.
The way back was uneventful but very lovely, and we were able to keep cool enough down the shaded cycle track. But it was a long way for a dog that's not yet one year old, and Miss Freya started to flag halfway down the path. We had to stop for some rests, which I quite like as Freya always jumps up to sit beside me on benches. I don't know if other dogs do this, but it's just what she knows because I always lifted her up to sit beside me when she was wee. She leans in for a cuddle as well, so we get lots of 'awwww' looks when people pass and see my pretty dog being cute.
We made it back, eventually. We're not trying to win any prizes for speed, or distance actually. We're just enjoying the fresh air and the exercise, walking as far as we can manage. Here's that incredible view again, from up on the bridge. I always pause here before getting back into the car; most people do. Stupendous. It wouldn't even be that much of a surprise to see a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, a couple of badass humans and a bunch of hobbits tramping across the field. It looks like a place that would feature in a journey, an epic quest.
More walks to read about soon. Until then, dear hearts,
Linda + Freya
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