How to Avoid Pesky Fireworks

It took us 7 hours to get there – passing through the most wondrous countryside – copper autumn trees, magnificent firs and glorious lochs – the water as still and reflective as a mill pond. On arriving at the hotel, we were all made very welcome and settled in straightaway. The food was fabulous and Emma and Monte were invited to sit by one of the log fires to toast their toes. On Saturday, after a yummy breakfast – including the hotel’s customary breakfast sausage for each dog – we decided to go to Fort William on the West Coast – Rannoch Station is a stop on the sleeper service, (which allows dogs in the sleeper berths), which runs from/to London and also on the three times a day sprinter which runs from Glasgow to Mallaig from where you can catch a ferry to Skye. So, although Rannoch is a remote place, you can easily access the whole country! We ambled the one minute’s walk to the picturesque station and were soon sitting on the train, (dogs travel free of charge), watching monroes, bens and lochs pass by. A couple of minutes short of the hour we alighted in Fort William where we sat deciding what to do next.

Emma and Monte had their photos snapped several times by many interested admirers and there was much ear tickling and head stroking. To our surprise a voice then said, “Ah – Maremmas!”. We were stunned – someone who actually recognised the breed? There, standing behind us, was Dorothy MacNaughton, a Club member, who lives in a very remote spot opposite Mull – she was on her once a fortnight trip to the shops! We could not believe the coincidence! She is currently looking forward to getting her next boy Maremma puppy; her Maremma girl, who also travelled to the Club’s AGM with her this year, was sitting waiting patiently at home. After much Maremma chat, we parted and carried on with our tour of Fort William.

Next day, Sunday, we all set off to the “House of Bruar” near Blair Atholl, which was described to us as being “the local area’s version of Harrods”. This large shop sold all manner of goods from local food produce to tweed shooting gear. The gentleman’s outfitting section was kitted out with a fabulous fireplace with several comfy looking sofas surrounding it – we can only say that they looked comfortable however, as the sofas were full of men reading their Sunday papers in blissful peace! The shop is also very thoughtful towards dogs and their owners; there is an area of the car park very close to the shop’s entrance which is designated for dog owners’ cars – the owners of the shop have erected a large canopy so you can park your car with dogs(s) inside under it and not have to worry about the sun overheating the car – the canopy shields it from the sun. Very doggie friendly – has anyone else seen such a structure elsewhere? After Emma and Monte had devoured a couple of Gloucester Old Spot pork pies, we took in the sights of Loch Tay – magnificent - and then wended our way back to the hotel for more pampering and dozing by the fire… By the way, there was not a firework to be heard during the whole trip – a complete success!