Ness Glen 14 March

Alan, Allan, Davie Mc, Dougie, Gus, Ian, Jim, Johnny, Kenny R, Kenny T, Malcolm, Paul, Rex, Robert

On the week of the Cheltenham Festival, a field of fourteen geldings paraded in the paddock at the football ground car park for the Ness Glen Novices Stakes. Runners and riders (see Gus for the name of Winona’s sister) were well versed on the track as we would be repeating the route as detailed on the 27 December 2017, so we set off at a trot, in dry overhead conditions, on ground which was to be, officially, good to soft. The Promised Land was soon passed and the road up to Dalcairney Linn was taken at a canter. As is our norm now, we decided to have coffee at the benches at Barbeth, with this viewpoint arrived at after an hour. The track down to the Craigengillan road was mercifully quite dry but there was a chill wind on the exposed sections. Good views were had of Fort Carrick and the Dark Sky Observatory as we approached the stables, but the rain started to fall, a disappointment since the forecast had indicated no rain until around 2pm. Nevertheless, the start of the gorge was reached at noon and, after another twenty-five minutes, we were at the dam.

Lunch was taken in the shelter of the dam as the rain was unrelenting, not pelting but just steady, and we had to assume that Loch Doon was still there, as we set off on the return journey without going up to see it. A first for the Ooters doing this walk?
The high road was chosen for the chase down to the footbridge over the Doon, now resplendent with a new deck, and, with the conditions now miserable, the final gallop back to the cars was made in forty-five minutes. Use of the whip for the final straight had been banned, and it appeared that Holly, the only filly in the race, had won by a nose. Dougie, who was odds-on to fall at the first fence, managed to make it round unscathed, whilst Paul managed to avoid the water jump!
The whole walk had taken three and three-quarter hours, matching the quickest time previously recorded by your scribe in September 2016. It was difficult to get a good rub down as the rain was quite heavy by the time the paddock was reached and, since our grooms seemed to have disappeared, getting changed was the hardest bit of the day, being wet from the outside in, and the inside out.
FRT was taken at the Dalmellington Inn where the locals, well in control of the remote, were watching the aforesaid races at Cheltenham. Special mention goes to Alan, whose gallusness procured Kit-Kats for those taking coffee.
The legs had been well stretched, the only real hurdles had been the wet conditions, and the time in the pub was well earned.
Footnote. When the Irvine guys got home, the streets were bone dry.

Coffee stop

The water jump

Bridge over troubled water

Dam provides shelter for lunch