A trip out to Helmsley today, calling at Ampleforth Abbey for tea and cakes on the way back home.
We parked at the back of the carpark and so walked into the Market Place using a different route, which provided some lovely views of the castle and church.
The abbey and associated buildings, and the setting of Ampleforth Abbey is lovely. I would have liked to spend longer exploring but Siobhan was getting tired.
The local weather forecast was significantly better than for the Peak District but it still ended up being cold, damp, windy, and miserable for most of the time.
I caught the X19 Barnsley bus to Marr and took the footpath that goes through Melton Wood to High Melton. I then walked down across the fields to Denaby Ings Nature Reserve; I considered doing a circuit of the reserve but it looked overgrown and I didn't fancy getting my clothing wet. I then crossed over the bridge to join the TransPennine Trail and finished the walk at Butterbusk, to the east of Conisbrough.
My first walk in the Peak District for nearly ten months since I injured my legs, a nice flat easy walk in Chatsworth Park. I travelled on the Bakewell bus to Baslow Nether End and explored Chatsworth Park, Calton Lees and the village of Edensor.
I managed to capture the open-topped tourist bus as it went over the bridge, this service has been newly introduced as a trial for the summer.
When I reached Calton Lees I was hoping to sit down on a seat, I was convinced I'd remembered there being one, but I was mistaken and so I sat on a small area of grass and relaxed and rested for a few minutes.
Edensor is a stunningly beautiful village; I noticed the posters and banners advertising the village Open Gardens and gala on June 15th - I'm planning to go this year if the weather's nice.
I had originally intended to return to Baslow to finish the walk and treat myself to some ice cream but my legs were starting to ache, not hurt though, so I decided to call it a day and caught the bus back to Sheffield from Edensor.
