I travelled on the Bakewell bus this morning and got off at a stop known as 'Pineapple Farm' just to the north of Bakewell. I climbed down the steps to the Monsal Trail and headed to the gardens at Thornbridge Hall, which are free admission until the end of January. As I passed by Hassop Station I noticed that there are now toilets there, so you don't need to go inside to the cafe.
About a mile further on I reached Thornbridge Hall. After exploring the gardens I went for a bowl of tomato and basil soup in the cafe there.
There's a tropical beach hut which is serving as a library and art gallery.
I returned to the Monsal Trail, still heading west, passed through Headstone Tunnel and then climbed up to Monsal Head, this climb was the steepest and most difficult I'd done since my knee injury.
I walked down the road to Little Longstone; the church there is actually a chapel and it's always open so I went inside. I didn't take any photographs this time though because there was a young women inside doing some sort of auditing or surveying work.
I took the footpath going across the fields to Great Longstone. I didn't enter the main part of the village, I just headed immediately back over to the Monsal Trail and re-traced my steps from earlier this morning. I considered taking the path that goes to Bakewell but my knee was aching a bit and I knew there was a stony descent near the end and so continued on the Trail, which is easy going. I arrived back at Pineapple Farm and had twenty minutes to wait for a bus; the number 257 turned up, it goes a really long way round to get to Sheffield but I boarded it because it's a beautiful route...I was rather disappointed that the windows were dirty though.
No comments:
Post a Comment