Walking In Chatsworth Park With My Sister From Australia

My sister Della from Brisbane is on holiday for two weeks visiting family members and so it was nice to spend a few hours with her walking in the Peak District. Like myself she is a keen hiker back home in Australia but we had to keep it easy going underfoot today because she was only wearing trainers.

She picked me up just after eight o'clock this morning and we drove to the car park at Calton Lees, near to Chatsworth House. One of my favourite cottages to photograph is here.

We looped round to Edensor, going via Calton Houses.

The approach towards Edensor is lovely and there are plenty of pretty cottages for me to photograph in the village, each one unique; there's even a tea cottage.

We moved on to Chatsworth House itself, unfortunately covered with scaffolding; Della was impressed with the ladies' toilets though. She assured me he footwear was okay for the climb up to the Hunting Tower, where we sat and ate our sandwiches before returning to the car for a one o'clock departure - she needed to visit our parents again briefly and then get ready for a dinner date with an old friend at a country pub near to Wakefield.

She dropped me off in Sheffield city centre and I made my way on foot to the railway station. At Doncaster Railway Station I noticed a busty young woman stripped down to only a skimpy lacy bra and a tight pair of shorts; she was very easy to notice. Oh how I love the summer! 

Miller's Dale, Blackwell, Pomeroy, Monyash and Over Haddon...and then Bakewell.

It was sunny when I got off the bus at Miller's Dale but unfortunately for most of the walk the weather was overcast. I took the footpath signposted for Cheedale but left it after about half a mile to climb up to Blackwell. 

I then headed south, gaining a few more hundred feet in altitude as a reached Pillwell Lane, a track that then becomes a road. I continued along another country road until I reached a short section of the Midshires Way just before Pomeroy, located on the busy Buxton to Ashbourne road. There's nothing to see at Pomeroy; all that's there is a pub, a couple of farms, and a few housing association homes which used to be local authority council houses.

The next section across the fields was easy to walk and navigate. This took me almost to Flagg, but not quite; I turned right along the road and then continued straight ahead past Knotlow Farm and the path leading to Monyash. 

I lingered a bit at Monyash taking photographs of the church, the mire, and some of the houses - these are the best, or most interesting ones.

I left the village to the south and found a lovely path with a dry stone wall either side of it before turning left down into Fern Dale...where I saw my first early purple orchids of the season; not the best I've ever seen though - by a long way.

Fern Dale leads down into Lathkill Dale; whilst I was walking here a young couple passed me and we exchanged a few pleasantries. Later on, in Over Haddon, I noticed them changing out of their walking boots and preparing to drive off. The man got out of the car and approached me and asked for directions, the way back to Bolton, where they lived. I suggested they drive to Bakewell and pick up the A6 towards Buxton and Manchester; it seems that was what he was also thinking. Surprisingly he asked me if I wanted a lift to Bakewell; I think his girlfriend, who was doing the driving, wasn't sure of the way. I eagerly accepted his offer; it was getting quite late and I've previously walked all of the various routes back to Bakewell anyhow. As I was climbing in to the car he offered me an apple left over from their lunch; I declined, but as I got out at Bakewell he pressed it into my hand. I immediately bit into the apple - it was delicious.

Both the bus to Sheffield and then the train to Doncaster arrived on time; there was no free fruit given away on either though.

Beverley And Two Pretty Yorkshire Wolds Villages

A trip out in the car today with Siobhan, my support worker, to one of our favourite nearby towns.

En route to Beverley we called at two pretty villages; first of all South Cave. We've passed through here on the main road before but had not previously been down to visit the church...and it's a lovely spot.

We also walked up the driveway to have a look at Cave Castle, which is now used as a golf club and conference centre.

The next village we visited was Brantingham, picturesquely situated right at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds. We sat and ate our sandwiches on one of the seats located on the village green next to the duck pond; unfortunately I couldn't take any photographs because of some roadworks spoiling the view. We did go for a walk round the village though and I found plenty of other things to point my camera at.

We then got back in the car and drove up the hill to the church, which is a few hundred yards away in Brantingham Dale.

We continued on to Beverley by the shortest route...where I spent quite a lot of money in one of the charity shops; I bought two practically new pairs of comfy shoes, two shirts, a pair of trousers and a fleece.

On our way back to Doncaster we called at a place we'd been to before for tea and cakes, Drewton's Farm Shop, but discovered that it had gone all upmarket and was now charging £12.50 each for afternoon tea. We didn't stay and called in at the cafe at The California Gardens Garden Centre at Howden. Our treat of tea and cakes was perfectly adequate.

Fairholmes, Derwent Edge, Ashopton, Yorkshire Bridge, and Bamford

I travelled all the way to Fairholmes, on the train and then on the bus, with Douggie, a fellow walker from Doncaster. We've met quite a few times when catching the train to Sheffield but have never made any formal arrangements to meet up for a walk. Today he went walking over to Alport Castles...and I went in the other direction up to Derwent Edge, first reaching the Derwent Dam where I carefully photographed all of the new information panels.

I immediately headed for open country, climbing up Hollin Clough and eventually reaching the toposcope at Lost Lad and then the paved footpath along the top of the edge, stopping to take photographs at Back Tor, the Cakes of Bread, the Salt Cellar, and the Wheel Stones.

It's a steep descent down to what remains of Ashopton village after the valley was flooded to make the reservoir. Something smelled very tasty as I passed the pub at Yorkshire Bridge; I didn't stop though because I wanted to catch the next bus back to Sheffield. I needn't have hurried though - I got the departure times muddled up; they are different on a Sunday...for several years though they hadn't been.

As I was standing at the front of the bus waiting to get off at the stop for the railway station in Sheffield Douggie came down the stairs from the upper saloon; He told me that he'd got on at Hope, a few miles before me. So we travelled together on the train to Doncaster - we didn't say much  to each other though...we both had a short nap.