Easter

Good Friday March Setting out from the Haven Church

The Cross Arrives at Stapleford Square

Jason Preaches the Easter Message

The Salvation Army at the Saxon Cross

Singing in the St Helens Church Yard

Hot Cross Buns in the Church Hall

The Girls make Easter Chicks on Saturday

26.5 degs C on Saturday afternoon

Easter Sunday - 'He is Risen'

Stanton Moor

As promised we took up the Rowsley walk almost where we left off.

By way of a change we thought that we would start with refreshments at Darley Station.

1. Mistake 1 - The SATNav had this idea to take us into the station by the back route. However, the route was marked 'No Through Road'. There were posts across it.
2. Mistake 2 - Darley Station were no longer serving refreshments and a train was not due for 30 minutes.

And so on ward to Rowsley Station. The steam engine to Darley and then Matlock was just filling up. It was the identical engine and carriages that I photographed and subsequently painted a picture of.

After the train left the station went quiet and we had our refreshment and comfort stop.

Perhaps we wouldn't have dined here had we noticed the sign above us.

My cake had a chick on it.

And so it was on and up to Stanton Moor, this time by car. We started in the wrong place and we possibly did the walk back to front. There were information signs (There is a proper term for signs which tell you about the place.) all over the place with a map. It would have helped if the signs has 'You are here' markers. But, Derbyshire is for real men who do orienteering through peat bogs in the moonlight.

We did get to the 'Nine Ladies' stone circle. Following the path though a field with a sign saying 'This way' did it. The stones are quite small, but evidence of prehistory in the area.

We walked on across the moor getting confused at one point, thinking that we were going to see the 'Cork Stone'. We found a different rock looking over the valley to have our lunch.

Going on we eventually came across what we thought was the 'Cork Stone' It had the 'easily recognisable ... footholds and hand grips'. But I am uneasy about the identification when I compare it to the photo in the guide.

Cork Stone - as guide

Cork Stone - my photo

We were very sure that we had found Earl Grey's Tower.

And so back to the 'Nine Ladies' then along the panoramic edge,

back though the dandelion covered field to the car (at the edge of the picture). And so to home.

We really will have to return if only to satisfy ourselves as to which is the true 'Cork Stone'.

Rowsley Walk

This has to be one of our better walks. Firstly it has the right degree of challenge, it was varied despite the shortness of it, it was quiet for a Derbyshire beauty spot, it is circular, the parking was free, and best of their was a 'pit-stop' at the start and the end.

Rowsley is a village along the A6 between Matlock and Bakewell. The walk starts at Cauldwell working flour mill. We did not arrive particularly early, but the mill was not yet running. After tea and cake I returned to the car. I had to photograph the powerful gush of water coming from under the mill.

It created a powerful spray just a little further down stream.

Had I not have taken the photographs at the this time I could not have done so later. Once the mill was running the powerful force was converted to the energy needed to turn the mill and only a weak outlet was visible on our return in the middle of the afternoon.

This was also one of the better documented walks. The author of the walk's description made only one error. It was reasonably clear which was the private road to start on. However, the road was marked as going to Woodhouse Eaves rather than Stanton Lees.

Off we set. A nice gentle start followed by a sudden climb which continued for miles.

Stanton Lees was quite a pretty village. Its hard to believe that you can get a sense of remoteness and still see the A6.

The top of the village

The top of the lower part of the village

Leaving the village. Note the lower pool.

Not far through the village we exited onto a road which we followed until we reached the stile to enter Stanton Moor. We had decided that the path around the moor would be too much for us so we went over the stile and only as far as a log to sit and have lunch. This was another plus of the walk as we sat looking over the Derwent valley.

The Nine Ladies stone circle would have to wait for another day.

Back to the road and another up hill trudge to the start of Stanton in Peak village. Just before the village the path left of the road and down through the woods, back onto a road which had a view point before we left the road on the left.

From the view point

Foot path entrance stile

And so on back down the hill; giving us a view of the River Wye.

Back down to Cauldwell Mill. It was now running. This was quite nostalgic. As I looked through the door I could see the boxed in belt lifting grain to the start of its journey as I had done as a boy in thewater powered flour mill that my dad worked in. The same clanking noises. King's Mill where he worked stood on the site of a Medieval water mill, but by the time my dad was working there the mill wheel had been replaced by turbines that generated electricity to turn the massive grinding machines.

Mill entrance

So to the final 'pit stop' and collect one each of the local ice-creams. These we enjoyed sitting on a rough wooden seat looking up to the mill weir. The ducks were disappointed by our purchase, but happily followed us up to edge of the weir before we left for home.

Unlucky duck

Ducks on the mill pond

There will be another episode when we return to Stanton Moor and the Nine Ladies.

Beyond Tissington

The Derbyshire walking season is here again. Last year we started by walking from Ashbourne to just short of Tissington (I was wearing new boots and we did not put enough money in the meter.) This year we set out to carry out our resolve to complete the High Peak Trail. Today we set off for Tissington to walk as far north as we could in the time. We were late in setting off and had to call into Margaret Cornish on route with pain relief spray. The SAT Nav did its thing again. It took us along the most dire route and at one point directed us of the main road down what probably was the shortest way, but the ford we encountered would have needed a four wheel drive with a vertical exhaust to get across. (On the way back our SAT nav lady was very insistent about getting us on to the A52 instead of our preferred route.)

The first thing to do at Tissington was to park the car. We noted that most cars were parked facing the wall. We read the notice that told us to park with our bonnets towards the wall. After parking we ate at the Old Coach Tea Rooms.

The Tea Rooms are on the left. Our car is bonnet in on the left.

After toileting I did a quick snap of the hall. The hall has the following URL http://www.derbyshire-peakdistrict.co.uk/tissingtonhall.htm

Tissington is known for its 'well dressing'. There are five wells around the village.

This is 'Hands Well'

The village has its church (St Mary's) and a village pond.

And so on to the trail.

It follows the path of an old railway line and is mostly in a cutting with ocassional glimpses of the countryside. To walk along is a slower version of a train journey.

Tidy farms and sheep with their little lambs

The most prolific flower on the way was the lesser celandine. We have not tracked down the ordinary celandine, much less the greater one.

We plan to return for the well dressing in June, exam marking permitting.

A Different Sunday

We always knew that this weekend would be different. It has been good having Joe home and we look forward to a fleeting visit from him on his way back to Brighton from a conference in Harrogate.

This being Sunday meant trouser shopping for Joe. 'I know', I said we'll call into the new Beeston Tesco's on the way to the station. Mum thought that she had better come too. This Tesco does not open until eleven. 'How about back tracking to the clothes shops at the Chilwell retail park. Same result. And so, with trepidation we went to Tesco's at Toton; almost completing the round trip. Trousers - £3 a pair - job done - off to station - drop off Joe and out for a walk. (Excuse the punctuation - don't know how to expressive with usual markers.)

Holme Pierpoint was to be our destination. We have only been on a brief visit, some years ago, when Martin Holland held a service at the caravan park their. (The only thing that I recall about that visit was using the mobile to ask where Martin was and I heard his voice saying 'just behind you'. It is now quite normal not to use your eyes to look for someone.)

We made our first stop at Holme Peirpoint Hall.

Holme Peirpoint Hall

This was private property and so we turned around and found a lane to walk down by a fishing lake. I had to take a of the pussy willow. One day I will achieve the perfect shot of one.

Pussy Willow

The lane ended at the National Water Sports Centre main lake. Here they were setting up for racing. While I waited there were Canada geese in flight.

Canada Geese

The race got underway.

Finally we called into a small nature reserve. The larch cones presented an attractive, but difficult shot against the light.