text: Déjà Vu | Where The Fatdog Walkz
  Posted on 13 Feb 2016 by Ken Brown
  It was 10 years ago when I began my travels into the Scottish Hills. A chance discussion with a dog walking buddy set me off on what was has become a seemingly never ending voyage over our incredibly varied landscape. I may take a wee break from time to time but something always drags me back to the wilder places. As I contemplate my return to the hills it would seem that history is in the process of repeating itself – even when it comes to hillwalking.
  Maisie, our black Lab of that time, was 3 years old when we took our first foray into the great wilds. Our day-to-day dog walking area in the grounds of a derelict mental hospital was only 100m from the house but after 3 years of wandering around the same area I was chronically bored.
  At the time I knew that, within a few months, we were to lose our "parkland" to new housing and the suggestion of hillwalking seemed a godsend of an idea. The builders built…and we left for the mountains.
  Jumping forward to the present day; the "pups" are now 3 years old and it was only last week that we lost the final field of their play domain to the same house builders. That last boggy little rise was only some 200m long by 100m wide and was over 1km from the house – such has been the spread of new housing. The fields below are now a brown soggy mess.
  Needless to say after 3 years of walking them round the same area I have become chronically bored. Once again I feel the need to take to the hills.
  Now thinking forward – what makes this seemingly coincidental repetition exciting is the thought of what might lie ahead. The adventures from 2006 to early 2012 were incredible; the mountains we climbed and the people we met all combined to make it unforgettable. Given that I am 10 years older and possibly not quite in the same shape I was then (ahem!) I am well aware the experiences might not be quite so "dramatic" as in the past. Nonetheless as long as I remember that every day we step out the door is an adventure then there should always be a "Tail" to tell. 🙂
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  13 Feb 2016 at 4:16 pm
  Look forward to seeing what you get up to 🙂
  13 Feb 2016 at 5:15 pm
  I had long spells off the hills building a house 10 years ago when I first started reading your exploits.
  Here I am now missing the hills again whilst I knock every wall out of a house we have bought.
  At least this one is only a 3 year project.
  13 Feb 2016 at 5:20 pm
  There's a coincidence Andrew – I remember us sitting in the Clachaig (I think it was) the first time we met chatting about what I think was your first do-er-upper. Good luck with the restoration of this one! 🙂
  13 Feb 2016 at 5:45 pm
  Yes it was the Clachaig in the old snug as it was before they changed it all.
  13 Feb 2016 at 9:02 pm
  Looking forward to seeing where the well fitting boots will take you.
  Do property developers follow you?
  Follow me! They have quite literally "dogged" my footsteps. They have built on every piece of land for about a mile east of the house. With both Maisie and the "pups" I have managed to keep 1 field in front of them since 2007…but last week ran out of fields 😦