Long Trot

by Grant Nicolle

  Field adjacent to the Amulree Hotel

  Day 17 (Amulree to Clathy - 17 miles) We both enjoyed a big breakfast today before heading south on the stunning route towards Findo Gask. The first section through the Sma’Glen saw Marv play up a little. We were on the A822, on which there was little traffic, when Marv spotted a tractor coming the other way. I couldn’t keep him straight and he wheeled round and cantered off back down the road. I soon got him back to a walk and pulled in to a field to let the tractor go by. I put it down to him being in high spirits and full of beans. There was certainly a new spring in his step today. The verges were getting lusher and there were grassy fields which replaced the Highland heather. Also we were passing many more horses in surrounding fields which raised his equine morale.

  (L) Riding through the Sma’Glen, (R) lunch break in same After turning off the A822, we came into Glenalmond which was stunning and serene. Soon after, on the back roads, we came across a carrot on the road. I picked it up and fed it to Marv. A few metres on, we found another carrot. I thought that someone was planting these for us. However, the carrot trail grew bigger and soon it was numerous carrots all over the road. How strange! We passed a farm where there was the biggest mound of carrots and parsnips piled up like an orange snow drift. Marv was not happy. This was unusual to him and must have posed a threat, as he started walking away sideways keeping a look out for the scary orange pile which might attack at any moment. I couldn’t believe he didn’t want to dive in and gorge himself on vegetables.

  (L) Carrot mountain, (R) quick break on the quiet lanes Later on, at Clathy we found the house of a friend of Mum and Ken. John and Helen had a paddock at the end of their garden, which Marv immediately made his home. I attempted to hose down Marv to give him a good clean, but Marv hopped around on his lead rope and made the process difficult. Later, I was gratefully taken to the characterful local pub at Dunning for a drink after an evening meal of homemade lasagne (three portions!) and rhubarb crumble (two helpings).

  Day 18 (Clathy to Cleish - 19 miles)

  My big breakfasts were becoming the norm but I would never turn down the opportunity, as my lunches were often sparse. Marv and I had both lost weight in the first two weeks and it was my chance to put some back on. We crossed the busy A9 just north of Auchterarder, and actually rode through Dunning where we had had drinks the night before. Dunning is a lovely picturesque village and I stopped at the Post Office for some lunch supplies and some mints for Marv. Some of the locals came to say hello and proceeded to buy Marv a big bag of apples which I fed to him for the next few hours. We then took the steep single track road southeast out of Dunning, which climbed to 251 metres. There were good views northeast to Perth, but the road was like a roller coaster and I was more focused on the route ahead than looking back. We dropped down into the hamlet of Pathstruie which felt like the back of beyond. Climbing again out of the hamlet up to 273 metres and having ‘fun’ with the local bin lorry which kept overtaking us. Marv didn’t seem to mind today and ignored it thankfully. We then passed a herd of Highland cows getting their hooves trimmed by a farrier or vet in a field. The rest of the route today was very zigzag until we came out of the wooded Ochil Hills and the roads become flatter for the last two hours.

  Due to the number of hills we had climbed today the 19 miles took a fair time and we were very glad to reach my cousin Rory’s house in Cleish. They luckily had some stables and a field. Marv was duly fed first and Rory had kindly organised a family get together that night. Joining Rory and his wife Laurie were; Rory’s brother Jamie and his wife Sarah, Fi and Maisie and family friends Dennis and Jean. I had a fair bit to drink over dinner, and afterwards we went out to see Marv to introduce him to everyone. I decided to demonstrate how safe Marv was by cantering him bareback round the field with no reins or head collar. He did a great job for the audience, but he did look a bit bemused as to why I was doing this in his down time! It was great to catch up with them all and let my hair down a little.

  With Rory and Laurie (and mooch)

  Day 19 (Cleish to Dunfermline - 16 miles) Marv has become an expert at grazing on the hoof. He is a verge expert and always keeps an eye out for a spot of clover which he can dive into and devour. I am keen that he does snack during the day to keep up his energy and actively encourage this. I would often take a break and sit down on the verge whilst he hoovered up as much grass as he could in the ten minutes he had. Sometimes he went for higher vegetation and grabbed at branches. He didn’t stop walking but just lunged to the side and ripped the branches off on the move. I called these his leaf kebabs. Sometimes when I turned around there was an end of a branch poking out each side of his mouth as he chewed his way along it. I then helped him out by pulling one end and he stripped the rest of the leaves off.

  We left Cleish armed with a huge packed lunch thanks to Rory. The route led due south again climbing to 282 metres through a big forestry block. We were shadowing the M90 which ran a few miles to the east. The last few miles today took us through Townhill on the outskirts of Dunfermline. Mum and Ken lived in Dunfermline and that is where I was staying later. We had to skirt round the edges of town as I didn’t fancy taking on the busy town traffic. I found a disused railway line which helped, but I struggled a little in suburbia and found navigation much easier in the countryside. We found Ian and Pat’s farm at Masterton which overlooked the Forth bridges. These were friends of Mum and Ken and they had kindly allowed Marv to stay in a stable. Once Marv was fed and watered I was driven back by Mum and Ken to their house for a bath and supper. Rob, who I had seen a few days earlier joined us for dinner along with Mark (the website wizard), Fi and Maisie. I now had had two great social evenings back to back and I was feeling really positive. I had managed to get Marv and myself back to Edinburgh from the top of Scotland, on schedule and in a fit state. I still had to get over the Forth Road Bridge, which I thought might be tricky.

  Dinner with Mum, Ken, Rob and Mark at Dunfermline

  Day 20 (Dunfermline to Balerno/Edinburgh - 16 miles) I was dropped off at Masterton by the team and I saddled up Marv for the bridge attempt. We had a back-up plan of Rob driving a borrowed 4x4 with a borrowed horse trailer if the crossing was unsuccessful. Ken had recce’d the best approach route to the bridge which was through the Bridge Hotel car park. A path led from the car park straight on to the footpath of the bridge. Before I knew it we were on the bridge and I was leading Marv in quite windy conditions. My heart was racing as I knew there might be an issue. There was no sign to say no horses, and the Forth crossing website also had no rules for horses, so I felt I had just cause. Also just to add pressure, Ken had called STV and tipped them off and so they were waiting on the far side of the bridge to interview me. Marv was on his toes and was looking around at the great view, but he was not panicking and we made good progress.

  We reached the half-way point and a car came towards us on the footpath with its lights flashing. Here we go, Bridge authority vehicle approaching. The car stopped alongside and the driver said something inaudible through the lowered window, which I didn’t catch due to the gusty wind. I shrugged and said that there was no sign to say no horses and carried on. He drove off northbound. As we approached the south side of the bridge I could see a police car waiting for me with the blue lights flashing. Oh dear! Also there was an STV cameraman set up filming me approaching. I put on a brave face and strode on towards them both. A reporter came forward and interviewed me as I left the bridge. After which a policeman approached and stopped me. It appears that the Bridge authority was not happy, as apparently there was an unadvertised bye law that forbade livestock, which apparently I should have known about (not sure how?). I told him I was doing the trip for charity and that I was to be on this evening’s news. He understood and told me to carry on while he sorted out the nonsense with the over officious Bridge authority.

  (L) On the Forth Road Bridge, (R) South Queensferry and the Forth (rail) Bridge Later in the year, the Bridge authority actually put up
barriers at each end, possibly to prevent a re-occurrence of our crossing (it may have just been a coincidence). I still don’t think they have put up a no-horses sign. It could be that Marv was the last ever horse to cross the Forth Road Bridge on foot...? Once over the bridge I still had to do a photo call at the Mace office (near the Airport). Mace wanted to do a news story on their employee and so I turned up in the car park and all the staff came out for a mass photo with Marv. STV were also there to complete the interview. I stupidly forgot to take my Oakley sunglasses off and put my helmet on, so looked a proper cowboy on TV which was not very clever. I had taken a lightweight climbing helmet with me, and the helmet travelled the whole trip with me, but was not used a great deal. After leaving Mace I headed through Heriot Watt University’s campus and finally reached the organised field between Balerno and Currie on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Charlene was the field owner and had a three year old long legged Clydesdale neighbour for Marv called Goofy. It was then back to our house in Morningside (where the trip was planned) for two blissful days off.

  We got up early to go out and see Marv. I had been waking at 0500 on average and would often start a day at 0600 if I was not someone’s guest. So a lie in to 0700 was allowed. We were met at the field by some local children who had seen Marv on the news and were keen to know more about him and the trip. Similarly, Fi and Mark had been receiving wellwishers messages from all over, some even from overseas. They would then add the kind words to the respective website page which gave me more encouragement that the trip was indeed a worthwhile venture.

  Marv enjoys a good roll near Balerno Another relaxing day was had, continuing to plan and book more fields/stables for Marv for the forthcoming weeks’ travels. I had a large section of northern and central England with no fields booked (most of my organised horse accommodation was in central Scotland, Shropshire, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire). I also had nothing organised for the last two weeks in the southwest of England. This I did deliberately to ensure some uncertainty remained and thus maintaining the sense of adventure.

  Week 4 (106 miles)

  Week 4 (total 106 miles)

  Day 23 (Edinburgh to Heriot - 19 miles) When Fi and I came up to the field on the Monday morning, Marv was lying flat out and looking very relaxed. He popped up his head long enough to register us then flopped back into repose. I think he thought the trip was over after having a long restful weekend and back in his own territory. We sent Maisie over to say hello, and with a grunt Marv got up and wandered over. Today’s ride would take us over the Pentland Hills and into the Scottish Borders. I knew the first part of the ride well, as we had walked and cycled the route a few times before.

  Maisie joined us for the full day and we set off up the climb and managed a photo on the highest part of the pass looking back at Edinburgh and the Firth of Forth. We dropped down the far side into Glencorse, passed next to the reservoir and Flotterstone Inn. It was then a quick spell on the verge of the busy A702 before heading onto the back roads again around Glencorse Barracks. The route took us very close to Gorebridge and some of the miles were over roads Marv and I had trained on during our build up weekends. I think Marv found the area familiar.

  (L) & (R) Heading over the Pentland Hills It was at this point that John, my manager at Mace, who had authorised my leave of absence to undertake the trip, and his wife met up with us. He had packed an awesome picnic into the boot of his car with numerous snacks for Marv too. We found a suitable layby with a grassy verge to catch up and talk about the trip. After lunch, as we passed through Middleton, we were on new ground again and the last few miles of the day used an old Roman Road route across the fields to Heriot. The views were spectacular and we cantered through fields with cows and sheep around us. Marv was a bit wary of the cows as they started to follow us, but Maisie thought the whole episode was great fun. My friend Julian (our website diary editor) had parked at Heriot and walked out to meet up with us coming in. Janet from Heriot had kindly allowed us a field for Marv and a nice spot to pitch the tents. Julian was joining us for the night and was camping too. Fi arrived after work and we pitched the two tents. Maisie was really tired as she was not used to a full day’s travels and she went straight to sleep for a rest. Janet generously brought out some brandy and ginger ale and we went up the field to say hello to her horses and Marv. Marv was in a separate field to her horses, and he was already becoming friendly with the mare. Later on the three of us headed to a local pub in Middleton for a meal before going to do a final check on Marv. Marv who had already jumped out of his field, was now in with the two other horses! Janet moved her gelding (William) out to prevent a fight and Marv got to spend the night with his new female friend. We let Julian have Maisie in his tent for the night.

  (Clockwise from top left) Arriving at Heriot, Marv checks out his competition, Marv necking his special mare and Marv in contemplation

  Day 24 (Heriot to Melrose - 19 miles)

  Marv and Maisie share breakfast Janet appeared early the next day with a tray of bacon, toast and coffee. A superb start to the morning. We packed up the tents and went to grab Marv, who would not be caught today. Normally he would come straight over to be saddled up, but today he needed some persuasion to even get a head collar on. Once we started leading him out of the field he then pulled away and escaped back to the mare. Finally we got him down to the road and equipment fitted. I said my farewells and headed south, this time without the Mooch. The route was very scenic and shadowed the Gala Water and A7. Marv continually stopped, looked round and neighed loudly for the first mile. He had certainly fallen for the mare from Heriot. Once we had put some miles in he settled down and we managed some lengthy trots as we neared Galashiels. After passing the Gala rugby ground we headed along the disused railway line which connects Galashiels to Melrose. Again, we made good time by cantering on the level surface and passing a few dog walkers and cyclists at speed.

  A friend of mine, Jamie, had asked his wife Mhairi to meet us in Melrose town centre and she showed me to a field they had secured on the eastern edge of town. The field had some horses in it already and I was concerned that a kick from either of them could end the trip, as they did not take very kindly to Marv. However, the landowner was not there to discuss this issue and so I felt obliged to put him where I was told. It was then back to Jamie’s house, where I managed a shower and a mini siesta before Fi and Maisie arrived. They were to join us for dinner. We headed out to see Marv after the meal and decided that the horses were still not getting on well, so I moved Marv to another field nearby just in case.

  Day 25 (Melrose to Oxnam - 19 miles)

  This was to be our last full day in Scotland. After breakfast, Fi and Maisie headed north back to Edinburgh and I bade farewell to Jamie, Mhairi and their young son Innes and set off south east towards Jedburgh. I put some sun tan lotion on Marv’s pink patches on his nose, which he disliked intensely, but if not applied would have resulted in sunburn and a scabby face. We stopped in the quaint village of St Boswells for a snack restock and pit stop for Marv’s mints, carrots and an apple. Shortly afterwards I made an error in directional choice by deciding to use a public footpath as an alternative route. The path was too narrow for a horse and saddlebags, and ended with a footbridge which was useless. We managed a tight U turn but on the way back one of the saddle bags ripped open as we squeezed through. All the contents spilled out onto the path. I was annoyed at myself for taking the wrong route and then for the ensuing kit disaster. I managed to stuff the spilled kit into the day sack that I had, and we carried on the pre-planned horse friendly route. Mental note; footpaths are footpaths for a reason, otherwise they would be bridleways. This was a good lesson to learn!

  The day improved and we made some good speed with numerous trots and canters past the dominant Waterloo war memorial monument on the hill. We had our lunch break today deep in a grassy bottomed forest. I just lay down for 30 minutes shuteye, whilst Marv munched his way around me. We had to take a slight detour to cross the Ri
ver Teviot as the bridge I had picked was not suitable for horses. The final leg of the day picked up the old Roman Road again (called ‘Dere Street’) which was straight but quite rocky. Dere Street took me right to Polly’s steading, who had kindly allowed Marv a stable and me a bed. Before dinner, Polly took me to a local equestrian store where their resident saddler repaired my ripped saddle bag. I met the kids back at the steading and managed to build a Lego tank for Angus which he promised to take to school the next day to show his school friends. I then spent a very relaxed night with the family eating a lovely venison casserole and rhubarb crumble. Polly gave me some tips for the next day’s route out of Scotland.

  Great moustache

  Day 26 (Oxnam to Cottonshopeburnfoot - 14 miles) Although the mileage was comparatively low today, we were going to be doing most of the miles off road. We bade farewell to Polly and family before re-joining Dere Street. This leg was in my top five most memorable sections of the trip. I was on a Roman road heading towards the border with England, just as many others will have done in centuries past. Dere Street was grassed over and the ride was spectacularly scenic. A few remote farms and barns were the only signs of habitation. A dry stone wall ran alongside part of the way, and I came across a solitary man working on rebuilding a section of the wall.

  Heading into the Cheviots whilst using the spectacular Roman Road We were now deep in the Cheviot Hills climbing up towards the border at approximately 400 metres. The other side of the border was Otterburn Military Training Area where I had spent some time on exercise in the Army a decade ago. We reached the inconspicuous Scotland / England border, which was marked only by a fence line and a small signpost. It also was located in a peat bog, so crossing here was especially difficult. We spent quite some time trying to find a suitably firm route through. I did not want a repeat of day four and getting Marv stuck on the border miles from any help. On reflection, I would not repeat this route over the border with a horse, as the ground was too soft, but luck was on our side and we just made it through.