Monday, May 27, 2019

At Castleton

On Friday we decided to have a day out before the roads got too busy over the bank holiday weekend.  Castleton in Derbyshire was decided upon.  We were there in just over an hour and had breakfast first at the Three Roofs Cafe.



Scrambled eggs for Paul and croissant for me. I never know why they give you butter with a croissant as it is full of butter anyway.  I like mine just with preserve.


Usually when we visit Castleton I take photos of the church and the castle which I have written about before but this time my eye was drawn to some more unusual things.

A weather vane on a stone cottage
Chickens in a hedge

The sign brought back childhood memories of having a teddy and a dolly.  I still have the teddy but was never too fond of dolly so I eventually gave her away.  Mum always made me give one toy away to the children's home via Santa's Sleigh each Christmas.  Now though our neighbours have a Teddy (dog) and a Dolly (cat) so the names are still in mind.

An old stone barn


A Walk by a stream.

This stream is called Peakshole Water its source being the Peak Cavern.

Peak Cavern where at present a stage is being erected in the entrance to cope with the many events that take place throughout the year.

We approached the kiosk and were told that a tour would take place in a couple of minutes so we decided to join it!  Our guide was very knowledgeable and entertaining.  We learned about the rope and tallow makers who used to live at the entrance to the cave. We watched him make a length of rope whilst he talked about the families who started the rope making industry. The families lived within the cave and one small room for a family was still there.  I didn't take a photo inside - there was just room for sleeping between working hours.

The rope makers also acted as guides to the well off people who came from far and wide to visit the cave. It was an extra way of earning money for their families.  Their children would be involved often standing up high with candles so that visitors could see the important features.  Piggy back rides would be given to those who didn't want to dirty their shoes all these services meant for extra tips to boost their meagre income.

At one point we had to bend low to get through some parts of the cave. Avoiding head bangs and spiders along the way. By the time I'd done it twice - you go out the same way as you go in - I was feeling a bit frazzled and my legs and back were aching.

I felt a bit like he looked and certainly in need of a sit down and another coffee.

Back to normal, up in the fresh air and a photo of the church - I couldn't resist. We didn't go inside as it was time to collect the car from the car park and move on whilst the sun was shining and the skies were still blue.

32 comments:

  1. It was a lovely day for it :)

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  2. A great day out.I am like you.Just jam with a croissant particularly apricot.

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    1. Thank you, yes apricot my favourite too with croissants also greengage:)

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  3. A grand day out starting with a welcome croissant and taking in quite a few unusual things. It must have been interesting to hear about the ropemakers and their lives on the Cavern. 😊

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    1. Thank you Karen, it is hard to imagine how grim life msut have been for all those families making rope and making tallow for candles and waterproofing the rope. Life was short and hard. I'm glad they were able to make extra money from the visitors:)

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  4. Another beautiful place, to be able to visit!

    Imagine living in the cave! Oh mercy, how much sunshine did any of those people get?

    Beautiful, beautiful visit! Thank you for taking me, on it.

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    1. Thank WoW, glad you enjoyed the visit, there are lots of records of people living in caves and rock houses. There are some not too faraway which I mus visit again:)

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  5. What a great place to visit and so much of interest to see :) Croissant looks delicious and I do like the weather vane. You reminded me of my childhood when you mentioned giving away a toy - I remember we used to take toys and books to a childrens' home at Coleshill when I was little.

    The caves look very interesting - although I would have felt the same as you when I came out! We have been into mines in the past and I always find them exceedingly claustrophobic!

    A lovely post and photos Rosie and thanks so much for googling the photographic studio for me - at least now I have an approximate date for one of the photos :)

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    1. Thank you RR, I used to have to choose a toy I no longer wanted and my Mum would take me into the city centre - Leicester - and Father Christmas would pass down the streets with his 'sleigh' and we would put the toy on there, the toys went to the childrens homes or hospitals. I was lucky to have toys passed on to me by an older child who lived next door. I was curious about your Hanley photo as it is close by and found the info on the Staffordshire Past website:)

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  6. What a lovely day out, lots of interesting things you saw. The weathervane is fabulous.

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    1. Thank you Julie, I liked the weather vane, on the way home we passsed one with a donkey on it but nowhere to stop to take a photo:)

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  7. A pretty place to visit! I'd enjoy the cave.

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    1. Thank you William, the cave is wonderful and full of interest:)

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  8. What a lovely place for a day out! I still have my teddy and my dolly and (I am whispering now) I always have butter as well as jam with my croissant. I know that's really decadent but I only have them a few times a year, on celebratory occasions. x

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    1. Thank you Mrs T, glad you have both your teddy and dolly. I used to dress my teddy and wheel him around in a pushchair! Later I had what we called a 'teenage' doll which I did play with, my friend and I used to sew clothes for our dolls. We always have croissants on Christmas morning and New Years day morning as a treat, occasionally when out and about too:)

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  9. Looks like you got the best of the weekend weather.

    Well done for going in the cave, not my thing at all :-)

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    1. It was lovely weather so I'm glad we ventured out to enjoy it, the sun and blue skies even more appreciated after an hour in the cave:)

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  10. A lovely selection of photos. Sounds like a great day out and sunshine too! B x

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    1. It was great to have some sunshine bright but not too hot, just right for sitting outside with a picnic:)

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  11. I don't think I could have done the cave tour, I don't do well in spaces like that! A fascinating look at it's history though. The stream is so picturesque!

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    1. I'd been in Poole's cavern at Buxton which is much more lofty and open, you can stay upright all the time. This one was more difficult to get through. The stream which runs through the vilage is very pretty wuth all the cottages at the side of it:)

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  12. Wonderful. I haven't been to that part of the world for years and barely remember Castleton. It's lovely. So many places...so little time...

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    1. Thank you Mike, so many lovely places around and about Castleton to enjoy - so many places I'd love to see further afield but may never do so:)

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  13. Sounds like a wonderful outing and sun shining what could be better.

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    1. It was great to see the sun and such blue skies, a day out felt like a holiday:)

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  14. Hi Rosie! I love your post! I would like to go to Dolly "n" Ted's in Castleton. The pictures are amazing.

    Sandra xXx

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    1. Hi Sandra, perhaps next time we visit we will try Dolly and Ted's and see what it is like:)

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  15. We love the drive to Castleton and as you probably realise from my many blog posts it's a favourite place for a visit. There's always some corner we haven't seen as there are many windy paths beyond the main street. It won't be long until we return, I hope.

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    1. It is a lovely drive from here as it must be from where you are, I was surprised at how quiet it was when we first arrived. We walked along the stream past the car park and down a lane which lead up to the Hope road which we'd never done before. When we arrived we came down Winnats Pass and went out the opposite way through Hope:)

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  16. Castleton looks lovely and beautiful weather on the day you visited too! x

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    1. We were so lucky with the weather Simone, back to grey watery days again now:)

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