Hey Humans, Burt the Bulldog here… today I’m going to show off a bit and tell you about some of the hills I’ve climbed over the past few years. Mummy says it’s ok to be proud of my achievements and share them with you so here goes… just like you humans do when you’re training for a running race, mum started building up the miles I walked really gradually so as to protect my joints and muscles. Then in 2015 she thought I was ready to climb one of the Yorkshire three peaks Pen-Y-Ghent with 694m of elevation. it was a fantastic April afternoon and a perfect temperature for me to walk in. I can’t walk when it’s too hot because of my squishy nose and the fact that I can easily overheat. We walked and climbed up the back of the hill and I was jumping up the craggy rocks near the top, finding my own path with just a little shove up from behind on the really steep bits. It was sooo much fun! I often wonder if any other bulldogs have climbed Pen-Y-Ghent? I bet there’s not many if they have… mum took lots of water and treats for me in her backpack. She often says looking after me is just like having a small child, she calls me her fur baby... there’s a picture of me & mum at the top. Going down the path on the other side was super easy compared to the way up and it was just over 6 miles in all. It was a fantastic day, great exercise and fresh air with lots of laughs with the other walkers along the way, I highly recommend giving it a go… I’ve climbed Pen-Y-Ghent a couple more times since then, I can highly recommend the café in Horton in Ribblesdale which is dog friendly and sells gluten free and vegetarian food as well as stuff for the carnivores and sausages for the four paws. It did close for a while quite unexpectedly just recently so please check before you take a trip out...
Soon after that in August on mum’s birthday I climbed Whernside, walked on its own it is a beautiful circular walk from the viaduct where there is ample parking and usually a tea and snack van for treats… Whernside is the longest mountain walk in the Yorkshire Dales National park and has a 704m elevation. Despite this one being steeper it felt steadier as there are steps for a lot of the way up and then a stunning view at the top which overlooks the viaduct. We were lucky enough to see a steam train go by… this was about 8 miles and I was still striding out when I got back to the car. Because it was mummy’s birthday we stopped at the fabulous Wensleydale Heifer in West Witton on the way back for a meal. Its dog friendly there apart from in the restaurant. We had a meal in the snug area which is dog friendly and daddy saved me some of his fish (minus the batter as this is not healthy for humans or four paws) which was a real treat. I certainly slept and snored well that night. Just like any athlete does I also have a rest day after a big walk to let my joints and muscles recover, mumma also gives my arms and legs a massage which I really like. She says this is good for paws and humans to help release the lactic acid build up and promote fresh blood flow. I just nod and enjoy it…
I conquered my last of the Yorkshire three peaks – Ingleborough last year in May 2017. It has 723m of elevation and I consider it to be the hardest mountain to climb because of its acute ascents in places... This walk should have been about 6.5 miles, although that day because of a detour I walked nearly 9 miles! – (note to self-buy mumma a compass for Christmas). This one is the steepest to climb and I took my time finding my own path and again getting a helping human hand and a shove up when I got to some really steep and craggy bits. I’ve put some photos and a video of me at the top, it was very windy but beautiful there. Mummy called me her little athlete bulldog that day and she was super proud of me. We walked back down the same way as its really steep going down the back of the mountain. As a bulldog I’m quite top heavy and need to be careful going down steep things. Mumma is always looking out for me and making sure I’m always safe & sound…
This year I went on holiday with my humans to Scotland. We stayed in a dog friendly cottage which had a fabulous view of Ben Nevis. We set out one day with the intention of walking Ben Nevis up to the snow line which was about 2.5 miles up the mountain. I had such fun winding my way up the paths and playing with other dogs along the way. We did indeed get to the snow line, mum decided that was high enough as we didn’t have the right equipment to go any higher, the views were stunning as you can see form my video. Mummy said that she couldn’t be prouder of me and that she would now stop asking me to climb such big mountains as I was nearly six and not a spaniel, heehee. She’s going to taper my big hill walking distance down slightly to ensure my joints and muscles stay fit & healthy. We’re still gonna challenge ourselves though… I wonder what she has in store for me next??
The treats I took with me that day were some of my favourites from a company called Fish for dogs. www.fish4dogs.com. I really love the sweet potato ones that are wrapped in fish skin they are called sea wrap treats. I also took the Mackerel morsels which have added glucosamine and chondroitin for healthy joints. Mummy only lets me eat stuff that has nutritional value to dogs. Sometimes though as a real treat she does let me have a sausage (onion free).
Sausages are definitely in my top ten list of yummy foods… I also buy some of my treats from a lovely shop in Darlington called The Designer Dog Company in Northumberland street, www.designerdogcompany.co.uk, I meet lots of pretty girl dogs in there, I think they fancy me, woof woof…
I’m very blessed living in North Yorkshire with so many fabulous walks on my doorstep.
Why don’t you take your human out somewhere new and explore this big beautiful world we all live in…
I hope you’ve enjoyed my blog, stay tuned for the next one coming soon…
Kisses Burt the Bulldog xxx