Battersea Park, an oasis of green space in South London was the venue for the latest London Scottie Club (LSC) walkabout on 29 September. Much drama has occurred here historically, indeed a duel famously took place between the 1st Duke of Wellington – the last serving Prime Minister to do so – and the 10th Earl of Winchilsea. Mercifully they shot to miss and neither was hurt.

Arguably more drama was created by our sensational Scotties… Some had travelled from afar journeying from Dartford, Ipswich and the South Coast. Whilst the main rump of the pack were London based and suitably savvy, Scotties arriving from each side of the London compass and answering the call of the LSC clan.

As the autumnal leaves gently fell reflecting the onset of a new season our Scotties warmed themselves up with terrier-style introductions at the Rosery Gate. Seasoned campaigners including Bronte, Archie and Aggie were composed in their turf supremacy. Never far away were the distinguished Scottie brothers Willow and Tartuffe who had seen it all before. The Newcomers on the stump were Jack, “new” Archie, Maggie, Mungo and Sheppard – named after the actor Simon Sheppard – who knew!?

“To the Bandstand” was the forward cry, where a smaller but elect group of Scotties were waiting to engage with the main party. This included Hector, possibly the pack top dog whilst big Brewster might have had something to say about that. Young Ted yelped with excitement at the prospect of engaging with Hector, pinning his ears back and tail wagging hard. Bondy was quickest out of the blocks, eager to run-off pent-up energy following a long journey from the South Coast. Ozzy was never far away, whilst Nessie was vocal with the excitement of having so many Scottie companions around him. Clyde and Zorro had cemented friendships during previous Walkabouts, whilst Joy fizzed and bounced – what a fabulous bandana she wore! Ipswich Archie was sporting a dazzling new tartan collar and with striking-looking Shana alongside, they were all well and truly ready for the fray.

The Bandstand is positioned in the centre of Battersea Park and saw a coming together of 25 Scotties, another great attendance for this Walkabout. Many treats were on hand including sliced cake served on paper plates celebrating Aggie’s birthday the day before. Hamish, Audrey, Edith and the permanently bouncing Bobby led the way for a vast photo opportunity, demonstrating to the other Scotties that they could be positioned against the rails of the Bandstand for group pictures. What a sight they were, and many members of the public were delighted by the spectacle. By this stage the Scottie pack were well attuned to each other, rivalries being settled – at least temporarily – for photographs and video clips.

The Walkabout led beyond the Bandstand through tree-lined avenues in the Park whilst an organised football match took place in green space to one side. Wait, was that Bondy chasing out to get involved? Inevitably it was and Ozzy charged alongside, wanting his own piece of the action. Footballers laughed as we skirted the pitch perimeter without any further ado. But then, there was someone walking and innocently waving an ice cream…. Surely that wasn’t Bondy tracking from behind? There was a collective drawing of breath… Phew, that was a near miss!

As the Walkabout progressed, the chimneys of the famous Battersea Power Station came into view on the skyline. Designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (who was also behind the UK’s trademark red telephone booths) it looks equally striking now as it would have done on its original completion in 1957. It has been the subject of substantial development in recent times and would have been interesting to visit but sadly there was no time. The Scotties just wanted to have fun and games around the green spaces of the Park. With so much going on we can conclude their mission was accomplished!

Eventually we reached the café at the Boating Pond for final refreshments. A chance for Scottie owners to shoot the breeze and generally unwind. Music was being played to the tables outside and one of the tracks included Start Me Up by The Rolling Stones. Our Scotties didn’t need any further invitation (!) but that was enough entertainment for the afternoon. Friendships bonded between owners and of course amongst the many dogs, we’ll do it all again in December. Now that’s something to look forward to….

Owners and Dogs

Max and Ted
Denice and Shana
Georgiana and Zorro
John and Archie
Olga and Brewster
Joseph and Ozzy
Erica and Joy
Elaine and Bronte
Jess and Bondy
Lucio and Clyde
Matt with Willow and Tartuffe
Zelda and Archie & Aggie
Pamela and Hamish
Graham and Nessie
Vlad and Audrey
Danny and Maggie
Chrizanne and Archie
Hannah and Bobby
Glynn and Hector
Molly and Jack
Ben and Sheppard
David and Mungo
Carol and Edith

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  High Fives and hope to see you next time!

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  So cute! Far from the Madding Crowd

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  Bondy the Scottie want to be shaken not stirred

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  Band(stand) on the Run

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  This is a typical congested London commute

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  Top deck of bus approaching. Are we there yet?

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  Train approaching the gig