Despatches from a mother who started late (and is running to catch up)

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Take to the hills

Edinburgh residents reading this will know about the beauty of the Pentland Hills that surround the city to the south, guarding it in a semi-circle of heather, hill, reservoir and woodland that gives views stretching over the town to the sea beyond. It is easy to forget Edinburgh is a coastal town, coming to a halt at the water's edge, perhaps because the weather does so little to encourage a trip to the seaside. Yet out on the hills, the city looks like an island or peninsula, lapped by water.

Before we bought a car earlier this year, we had limited means of getting out to the hills. On one occasion we resorted to taking a taxi to the start of a walk, dressed in walking boots, fleeces and gaiters (buses didn't go there). It reminded me of a journalist who boasted he had to take a taxi to the front line of a war somewhere in Africa. I forget where exactly. Hope he was still able to claim on expenses.

Now we have the noble beast, we drove out to Harlaw Reservoir under our own steam. I still find driving stressful, almost a year after buying the car, but there doesn't seem much alternative if we're to go anywhere interesting.

We waited inside the car until all the dogs barking and milling about the carpark had moved on. I'm useless with dogs. Beanie used to love them; now I fear I've passed my phobias onto her. She gets nervous too.

Beanie travelled in a backpack carried by her father. We managed a full circuit of the reservoir, overseen by the charred hulk of Black Hill (501m), whose blackened slopes are the result of 'muirburn'.

We spotted greylag and pink-footed geese, that roost in the Pentlands in winter-time (living in Greenland the rest of the year, greylag geese see Edinburgh as the equivalent of a winter holiday in the Caribbean or Florida), sheep, horses and some cows. Beanie greeted them all, except the geese, with the word: 'bear'.

On our return to the car we realised we'd lost one of Beanie's shoes somewhere on our walk. If anyone reading this spots a girl's shoe (size 4.5) out by Harlaw reservoir, please drop me a line.