Heroic Feet

Here is a photo of a genuine pair of heroic feet. They belong to little 'Doris' who has just marched from Branklyn gardens to the summit of Kinnoull Hill - virtually unaided. All attempts to carry her, piggy-back her or put her in the Mac-Pack were vocally and voluminously rejected- and on she marched. This is either that she is determined to achieve anything that elder brothers 'Boris' and 'Norris' can manage - or that her teething-associated nappy rash made sitting in the pack a miserable experience. Nevertheless this afternoon was a giant leap for a one-year-old, the ascent being about 200m. Naturally my thoughts are jumping ahead a few years to the thought that with such good progress being made so young, she might soon be pleading with me to take her hillwalking!

Kinnoull Hill itself remains delightful, the huge views, lovely woods, areas of quiet, spectacular cliffs and peaceful glades - we love it and seem to end up, up there somewhere every week. Kinnoull Hill is a few square miles of public land close to the centre of Perth, given to the town by a landlord back in the 1920s. The folly on top of the cliffs above the Friarton Bridge is a well-known landmark. Family opinion though remains divided about the new paths laid through the woods on all sides of the hill. Some of us welcomed the fact that it made the hill more accessible and easy to use for many people; others thought that something of the almost wild feeling of the place had been sadly lost and Perth's little wilderness domesticated somewhat. At first I was appalled at the paths and thought them an eyesore. However, on top of the hill we met some friends with a very young baby in a pushchair that would never have coped with the old tracks. The tracks generally avoid the dangerous edges so Boris and Norris can enjoy a little more freedom too. What finally sold the paths to me though was the fact that the good surface enabled little Doris to achieve her giant leap with her heroic feet.