Wednesday 1st February, little Selene and Sammy set out to complete a 10 mile backpacking walk to qualify for the 3rd leg of Selene's Working Pack Dog title (WPD). Armed with a map, directions, a GPS and supplies, they headed out from Witley Station just before 10am. The weather couldn't have been more perfect; a brisk -1^oC when they started the walk. I will apologise in advance that this is quite a long write up with loads of photos.

WARNING: This walk has a total of 21 stiles to cross, many in new fences with little or no room to get a dog through, meaning you will have to lift your dog. Although a moderate trail when walking alone, when you have a dog along with you, you soon wish you had someone with you to help lift your dog.

The first part of the walk started at Witley Station, Surrey and headed North East towards Sweetwater Pond. This part of the walk was very easy, the ground was still frozen so paths that would have been slippery later on in the day, crunched under our feet. Less than a mile into the walk, we came across our first stile, a relatively low one with big enough a gap that after removing the backpack from Selene's harness, i could post her through the gap. All clipped back up again, and we continued our walk down towards Sweetwater pond. We were making good time on our first 2 miles. The ground underfoot was easy going and we hadn't come across any obstacles that would hold us up, and with Selene still walking confidently after a mile, i checked her pack to check it was still level and we continued on our way.

Once past the pond, we crossed a small muddy carpark, where a lady was just returning from her walk with 3 lovely greyhounds and a smaller dog. The small dog took an instant liking to Selene and they both said hello nicely. The lady very kindly took a photo of us, and we spoke about working dogs, before we parted ways. Her little dog, liked Selene so much that he wanted to come with us, following us along the path for a little way, before running back to his own pack. He must have decided that living with malamutes looks like too much hard work!

We soon passed "Enton Hall" on our left and continued on a straight path which turned into a sandy bridleway, up onto Buss' Common. Turning left at the T-juntion at the end of the pathway, we continued on until we reached the Merry Harrier's pub. This pub used to have a famous humorous sign "warm beer, lousy food". We crossed the road outside the pub and not wanting to take Selene's backpack off again just yet, we managed to follow the fenceline up through the pub carpark where it dips down into a stream leaving a big enough gap that both Selene and I could duck under the fence. Selene not fussed about getting wet and not fussed about getting me wet either, she tried to pull me in, only just escaping by hoping up onto the bank! The path now continued up a hill onto a grassy track at the top. This was our first bit of hill climbing of the walk and we were in for a lovely surprise at the top when we walked to the end of the footpath stepping out infront of the quaint and pretty Hambledon Church. Hambledon Church is worth a visit, if it is not locked. The churchyard contain a large old yew tree and the local legend states that the spirit of an old witch resides in the tree and if you walk round the interior three times you will see her.

A little further up for the church, before rejoining the route, there is an old Lime Kiln, we stopped for another photo op. We had just covered the first 2 miles of our walk, and Selene was still going strong. Another pack check and she just wanted to keep walking, so on that note, we continued with Selene still carrying the original pack weight.

The terrain now changed, becoming quite hilly as we started walking along the Greensand Way, heading towards Dunsfold Church. The terrain becomes quite hilly with many ups and downs, but the views are stunning. We were now heading South East, towards Vann House and Vann Lane with views ahead towards Blackdown. Soon Selene picks up pace, with her nose switching from the floor to the air, she'd picked up a scent. As we came to the top of a hill, we look left, and a whole field of sheep stop and stare at us as we passed. Selene wanted to stop here for some lunch, but i persuaded her that it might be best if we didn't have lamb and that we'd stop at 5 miles for something to eat and drink. 

We continue on our route, walking down a steep hill; well i say walking, it was more like mud skiing, without the ski's! Managing to get to the bottom without falling over, we walked for a further 1/2 mile before we reached Vann House. The grounds are open several days a year in the National Gardens Scheme. Vann is owned by a city gentleman and enthusiastic gardener who had the good sense not to try to restore it excessively. Selene wanted to buy the house, just so she could have a huge pond to jump in!

The footpath continues passed Vann House and down into Prest Wood. This stunning peace of woodland has a stream that runs through it and walking along with Selene leading the way was one of my faveourite parts of the walk. Is there anything more peaceful than silently walking with one of your best friends?

As i knew further on in the walk, i would have to walk for 1/2 mile on man-made surfaces (a main road) for the next few fields we tried to gain some of that lost distance back by walk around the edge of the field, instead of crossing it like our directions said. We managed to gain back just over 2/3 of a mile doing this. We then took the footpath that took us through Dun's Farm and followed the farm track out the other side to where we had to cross a stile. The fences were all new, and the stile in place was incredibly difficult to cross as it was nearly 5 feet high and had no way of getting a dog through it or around it. I tried getting Selene over it after i took her pack off, but this one was far too high to lift her, being only 5 feet tall myself. We decided to take the trackway up and around the field, where it luckily came out at the same place that we would have, had we crossed the stile.

We had now walked over 5 miles, and we called time and stopped for lunch on the public footpath. I tied Selene off to the next stile we had to cross, whilst i sat down on it so i didn't have to sit on the cold floor. Selene had a sausage roll, the shop had run out of dog chews, so i grabbed her a Ginsters Sausage Roll, which she seemed to really enjoy. She then thought she needed a dessert too as she pinched my peanut flapjack!! She was also thursty by this point and i emtied out some of her water for her. Making sure i took equal amounts out of each side.

We had sat there for a little while, when a woman in a black Range Rover drove passed us, then reversed to speak to me. She said "I hope you're not going to sit there too long?" Can you believe it, i'm on a public footpath and this woman thinks she can tell me how long i can sit there! I said that I'll sit here for as long as i like as it's a public footpath. It turns out they get a lot of burglaries at the farm house and they don't like people hanging around... yeah, me and my dog are really a threat in broad daylight! She shouted as she drove off, I better not be there by the time she gets back... had i had more time to waste, i probably would have hung around to see what she would do, but with time getting on, we packed up and left. Before we could go anywhere though, we had to cross the stile i had been sitting on... yet another stile with no way of getting a dog over it without heaving it over, not to mention the illegle barbed wire on either side of it (barbed wire should be no closer than 1m to either side of a gate or stile). Angry from my encounter with the rude American woman, i held Selene tight and lifted her feet up onto the top of the wire, then quickly hoiked her bum up and over.

We walked around this field and crossed another stile and gate, walked around another field past some pigs and down to another stile, where some builders working on a farm building very kindly helped me lift Selene over it for me. The gave her some treats from my pocket and gave her loads of hugs whilst i put her pack back on. Selene is such a sweetie, she can even make builders go all gooey over her!

We turned the corner at the end of the footpath and stopped outside Dunsfold Church. Dunsfold Church was built between 1270 and 1290 and has been left almost entirely unchanged. This site was old Saxon burial ground and a Norman chapel stood here previously. Pilgrims came to Dunsfold to visit the Holy Well. The church has a wallpainting and many points of interest. Its nave pews are said to be the oldest in Britain.

After falling over; my own fault as i tried taking a picture of Selene, whilst walking down a icey, muddy path and not looking where i was going; we took a little diversion off the trail to visit the holy well. There is a shrine of the wooden Madonna and a bucket with holy water in it and a little prayer (if you believe in that sort of thing) which you are meant to say as you draw the sign of the cross on your forehead with the water.

We were soon heading through Dun's Copse, by this time the temperature had just crept above freezing in the sun, and everything underfoot was starting to thaw out. It made the going quite tough as my feet were sliding out from under me. Selene with her webbed feet seemed to be handling things just fine, still happily striding out in front of me. She was now carrying 11.75kg after our lunch break and she was still going strong. Following the path through Pignuts Copse (i couldn't help but have a giggle at the name!) the path rose steadily leading to the main road. When we reached the road, i noticed that there was plenty of natural unmaintained ground either side to walk down, to the 1/2 mile of tarmac that i thought we would have to walk on, we didn't need to add that lost distance onto our journey earlier on as we could walk down this natural ground instead. Still, it was best to have done it, just in case we reached the main road and there was no natural verges to walk on. 

Our journey then turned off the road and headed through some woodland with another stream and crossing a bridge, emerging onto the bottom corner of farmland. The path lead up the right-hand side of the field, up-hill. By this time, this part of the field had been in the sun for a few hours and the ground had thawed completely. Walking up the hill, for every 2 or 3 meters walked forward, i had slid back 1/2 a meter! Making it to the top, we turned left and walked along the bottom edge of the next field, before taking a diagonal path to the left (above photo) heading to another small piece of woodland and another field heading downhill on the other side. We were both now getting tired and getting ready to stop again, but with a dog walker and her 4 dogs behind us, I just wanted to keep going until we were on our own again and able to rest for a little while. This field led down to another field surrounded by trees and a stile to get into it. Exhausted and dreading having to lift Selene again, to my relief this farmer had put a gap in the fence and a swing board that you use to close once the dog is through. The field had about 10 pregnant sheep in it so we quietly made our way through, Selene being a complete angel, sticking by my side on my command (and using treats as bribary!). Once through the stile at the other end of the field, we stopped for another bite to eat. I gave Selene her 2nd sausage roll whilst i tucked into another peanut flapjack... this one i made sure she didn't steal off me! After about 15 minutes of catching our breath and resting my now aching thighs from the last 2 miles of mud skating, we packed up and walked on.

We had now reached Chiddingfold, and now on the last leg of our journey. I wasn't to know that this last 2.5 miles was going to be the toughest we had done so far. Turning away from the villiage and onto more farm land and the majority of the stiles to to cross in the last mile of the walk. Selene had already covered the 10 miles needed by this stage, but we needed to complete the walk.

We had crossed 4 stiles in less than a mile, walking through some woodland with sticky mud trying to suck off my shoes until we reached a set of duck boards and kissing gate into a very pretty meadow with a spring in it. The spring feeds into the stream i had just passed, which goes on to feed into the river Arun. Crossing the stile at the other end of the meadow, the path lead out onto a road and new housing estate. I crossed the road and picked up the grass footpath which lead behind the estate and back onto farmland on the other side. We were both now getting very tired and just gone passed mile 11. The next 1.5 miles was the longest slog i have ever done.

Walking across muddy fields, and trying not to fall over, we walked down into the holly woods at Hartsgrove Hanger, then after some time, we came to a stream and a stile. This stile was high and had barbed wire once more illegally placed on it. the bank either side of the bridge i was standing on fell away so we couldn't even walk around the open end of the fence at either side of the style. Selene had had enough and lay down. I gave her a huge hug and lifted her up onto the top bar of the style, and got behind her to hoik her over. Putting her pack back on again, she was now an expert at this and stands very still waiting to be given the command to walk on once she is dressed again. We walked up the left side of a gully to Noddings Farm, and yep, you guessed it, another stile. This one was 5 feet high on my side, but with a 6 feet drop on the other side. I was terrified that this one was going to hurt Selene who had been such a trooper so far. Once again, we did the hoik and jump method, with her landing a little harder than before, she got up and shook it off. Once more she stood whilst i put her pack back on.

Less than 100feet away with another stile, so off came her pack, and over the stile she went again, then back on with the pack. Another 200 feet across this field to a small wooden bridge with a style at either end and off her pack comes again. Luckily these two stiles have a gap big enough that i can post her through like a letter. Back on with her pack and to the 3rd from last stile. I take her pack off, get in position to hoik her over, and she flops off the stile and quickly curls up, point blank refusing to jump over.

My energy had gone, i was left shaking, my stomach muscles and arms not just aching, but burning from having to lift over 40kg of malamute over the last 18 stiles, my thighs and calves hurting from trying not to fall over on the mud. To my left as i looked at the stile, i could see the main road leading back to the station. Selene was now laying with her eyes closed, curled up in a tight ball. She was done. I sat on the style and wept. When i say i wept, i had a full on shakey hissey fit. Balling my eyes out as i stared at the hole that would normally be big enough to get her through, the idiot farmer had nailed an extra plank of wood onto the step, closing this gap and like other stiles, barbed wire up to the posts of the stile.

It was now getting dark. The street lights were just coming on in the distance. I noticed a mud path in the grass that looked like a fairly trodden route. It could be from the sheep, but i went with my gut. Packing Selene back up again and walking in the direction of the main road, using common sense that, being a farmers field, he/she would have put a gate in to link to the main road or at least there would be a way out. To my relief as we turned the corner in the field, i saw the tell tale signs of a stile. At least it was on the road side and if i was still stuck, eventually someone would walk past us and be able to help. Luckily, this stile was wide enough to get Selene through, again squeezing her through and putting her pack back on once on the other side.

By going this way, we avoided the last two stiles and now headed back up to the train station where i had parked. I couldn't be more proud of my girl, she is a real trooper and put up with more than most malamutes would, or most dogs for that matter. She didn't complain and still finished the walk carrying 10.25kg, using under 20% of her original start weight. After setting out to complete just 10 miles, we ended up completing 12.79 miles compensating for any road walking by doing extra milleage on farm land. It took us 7 hours and 20 minutes.