Cronie’s boyfriend Basil is staying with us: a Labrador who is so well trained that he doesn’t even possess a collar or lead. Basil’s owner, a retired policeman, is a keen Munro bagger and he and Basil think nothing of conquering at least three Munros a day. Because my hill climbing days are over, I have been trying to make our walks varied rather than exacting and in the process I’ve learned many fascinating things.
Although the Black Isle where I live (which is in fact not an island but a peninsula, and takes its name from its fertile soil) is only about 16 miles from north
