Saturday, March 26, 2022

It's Lovely Weather And I'm Stuck At Home

It's been warm and sunny for the last few days and the fine weather is set to continue for several more days. I'd normally take the opportunity to go walking in the Peak District but a complicated series of events involving tree surgeons, my landlord, my neighbours, my garden gate, an alleyway at the back of my house, my wheelie bins, my landline telephone, a BT call centre, a canteen of cutlery, and some bath towels has meant that I've had to stay at home.







Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Thirsk, Boroughbridge, Aldborough, and Lower Dunsforth

Another one of my day trips out with my support worker today, visiting Thirsk and Boroughbridge, two market towns I'd not been to before...and calling at two pretty villages on the way back home.

To be honest Thirsk was a bit of a disappointment; I couldn't found many subjects to photograph...there certainly wasn't anything memorable there.






















I much preferred Boroughbridge, although it's smaller than Thirsk. It seemed to have more character and more variety of buildings. We found some tearooms to have tea and cake there.














We hadn't intended to visit anywhere else but Siobhan noticed a sign pointing to Aldborough and she remembered going there many years ago. It was only two miles and not really out of our way.






















We ended talking to a local woman in the churchyard and she told us the story about why the church clock needs repairing; A few months ago it chimed for thirty six cycles at three o'clock in the morning and woke up nearly everyone in the village. She also told us about the church's clock in the neighbouring village of Lower Dunsforth which has is unusual because it's red. I took a couple of photographs as we passed through.







Monday, March 21, 2022

Chatsworth House, Two Dales, and Darley Dale

I travelled to Chatsworth House and climbed up the steps to the Hunting Tower. I then continued through Stand Wood to Beeley Moor.













I headed down Beeley Lane, a dead straight road, for a mile and then took a track going off to the south, which continued in the same direction as Flash Lane.






My route then continued as a broad track through an area that had recently been felled and new saplings planted, and then more open countryside going down to Two Dales and the bus stop at Darley Dale. I noticed a permissive footpath that isn't shown on the map, it wasn't clear which way it went across a field though and so I didn't use it.








Saturday, March 19, 2022

Mansfield

I had a few hours in Mansfield with my friend Justin today. We travelled on the bus to Worksop and then caught the train. I don't know the town that well, I've only visited it a few times and have never ventured beyond the immediate town centre - and so today I decided to go exploring a bit further afield...not too far from the shops though.




























Friday, March 18, 2022

Grindleford, Eyam, Housley, Wardlow, Ravensdale, Cressbrook, Monsal Head and Ashford in the Water

 I caught the bus to Grindleford today and walked along the closed road to Eyam.





I waked through the village and then took Tideswell Lane, a green lane that goes over to Housley, a tiny hamlet.




















I continued across the fields to Wardlow; I spotted some alpacas in the distance, something I see on most of my visits to the Peak District now. A few minutes later my mobile phone rang, it was my landlord. He wanted me to take some photos and provide details about the large oak tree in my back garden that's causing some structural problems and needs to be removed. Therefore I needed to get home as soon as possible in order to meet an agreed five o'clock deadline, but it didn't really alter my plans...I just needed to make sure I got to Ashford in the Water in time to catch the Bakewell bus that departs just after two o'clock.

The path from Wardlow descends into Cressbrook Dale. Not long after reaching the bottom of the valley I arrived at the two rows of cottages at Ravensdale.




I walked down the road to Cressbrook and then up through the woods to Monsal Head. I was glad to see that all the annoying signs and notices that were ruining the classic view of the viaduct have been removed.




I passed four dewponds on the way to Ashford in the Water.






Whilst I was sitting in the bus shelter my phone rang again. It was an update from my landlord; he now doesn't need me to take any photos, or do anything...a tree surgeon will be coming on Wednesday to do the job. 





Monday, March 14, 2022

Stoney Middleton, Great Longstone, and Bakewell

I travelled to Stoney Middleton on the number 257 bus; my card didn't scan and I had to insist to the bus driver that it was definitely valid for travel at that time - a few minutes later it was obvious that the machine wasn't working because people couldn't make contactless payments. I walked up the very steep High Street to reach my first footpath, going down into Coombs Dale.








I walked up to the top of the dale and then went higher to Longstone Edge before dropping down into Great Longstone.























I walked through the village and finished by walking along the Monsal Trail for the two miles or so to Bakewell.