I think it’s fair to say that 2020 has been the year that everything changed. Like millions of others around the world, we have grappled with the now familiar themes of lockdown, seperation from family, financial insecurity, and health worries. Wally and I have had a tricky year, but it has not been all bad.
We are lucky that for us, there have been lovely changes for the better alongside all the difficulties, and one of these was the arrival of Nuis, a ten month old rescued border collie, with a big heart and a sad history. Poor Nuis spent his former life caged in a crate, and came to us with wobbly legs, skin sores, and absolutely zero outdoor experience.
Two months in, and all that has changed. It’s been a bumpy journey, and I’m sure there are more lumps in the road to come but Nuis is now a happy, bouncy outdoor dog, with an insatiable appetite for chasing a ball and snuffling treats. He loves his walkies, and is now strong enough to start exploring the mountains with us.
Yesterday, he joined us on walk to the summit of the mountain we named him after- Beinn Nuis. It’s one of my favourite mountains in Scotland, and stands proud in the centre of the island, at the western edge of the Goatfell Range.
It was a beautiful, crisp and cold day. A few snow showers blew in on the sharp breeze, but in between the sun shone and the views went on forever. Nuis doesn’t care much for views, but he loves to have space to run and sniff the air. Beinn Nuis has a lot of deer, and Nuis likes deer, which meant that on the way up we kept him safe on the lead, but on the way down, with a bit of tiredness in his legs and a hunger for treats in his belly, he was safely let off the lead for a good bounce around. It was lovely seeing him running free, and admiring how his fur matches the red colour of the hills in November! He was well named. He still has much to learn (he’s not a fan of river crossings- even little ones), but I hope this will be the first of many adventures on this beautiful mountain.
Arran is currently at level 3 of Scotland’s covid restrictions, which means that we are out of reach of most visitors for now. I feel pretty sad that we can’t share our special wild places with people at the moment, but hopeful, that this awful year will come to an end before long, and that 2021 will bring new light and joyful new experiences for us all, including for wee Nuis.
