A Breath of Fresh Air

 I mentioned in my last post that we were hoping to get out for a longer walk and yesterday we did just that.  

After the wind and rain of Friday and before the wind and rain of today we drove up to the village of Hartington which is on the Tissington Trail.

The Tissington trail starts at Ashbourne and ends at Parsley Hay where it joins the High Peak Trail.  We have, over the years, walked all of the trail.  This time we just walked from Hartington to Parsley Hay.

The sun was showing its face, the breeze was brisk and the views were stunning.

A patchwork quilt of fields edged with dry stone walling

The trail itself is easy going underfoot and follows part of the old railway line which ran between Ashbourne and Buxton.

The railway cutting just before Parsley Hay.

We passed a farm and there were lambs in the fields already.

I love to hear them bleating, mums and lambs calling to each other.

A brown sheep and lamb in a field of six camping pods.

The wind picked up and the light changed

Luckily we got back to the car and had just left the car park as the rain started.

It was back to wind and rain again today.

Along the Cromford Canal - Part Two

After sitting at the side of the canal with a warming mug of coffee watched over by our little friend (see my last post) who was probably hoping in vain for a crumb or two we went to explore the workshop and engine nearby.

Above a brake van or guard's van.  The guard would be on the lookout in case the brakes had to be used.  You can clamber onto the van and see inside.

The buildings have been recorded as the world's oldest surviving railway workshop.

 The workers here looking after the nearby railway since c1830.  The railway was known as the Cromford and High Peak railway and was built to transport minerals between the Cromford Canal and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.

The railway line was finally closed in the 1960s and in 1971 the line was bought by the Peak Park planning board and Derbyshire County Council and turned into the High Peak Trail.

 

After looking around the railway sheds we wandered back towards the wharf and crossed the road for a quick visit (time was running out on our parking ticket) to Cromford Mill.

We visited the Mill shop and also the craft shop. We had a mooch around one or two of the Antique shops there.

There were guides in costume for those going inside the mill.  No photographs as they were all leading groups of children who were visiting in half term.

I know I've taken you inside the mill before but I can't find the post to link to.  I'll edit this post if I find it.  In the meantime here is a - link - to the Mill's website for more information.

 

There were lots of fascinating objects both inside and ouside the shops.

I loved all the baskets.  I have three wicker baskets, including a Norfolk potato basket,  which years ago were well used but I never use them now other than for storing things in on top of the wardrobe.  I remember having a basket for Domestic Science at school as we had to take ingredients into school and travel back on the school bus with the finished product.

You hardly ever see baskets used now. In the late 1960s I used to carry a soft basket in stead of a handbag.  Gone are the days of shopping baskets, wicker shopping trolleys and baskets on the front of bicycles.  Now we carry bags for life recycled from milk bottles, tote bags or back packs and yet baskets will last for many years.  A couple of mine must be at least forty years old.  We do take one of them out occasionally for picnics.

 

I'm always fascinated by old bottles and jars and the details on them.  One of my ancestors was born in Staveley where the family had moved for work.  Some of the family members stayed there others returned to their original home or moved elsewhere.  They seemed to move around quite a bit in a smallish area over the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire borders.

All for now.

Thursday's Walk

Thursday morning was quite beautiful.  Very cold and yet bright and sunny.  We walked around Westport Lake not once but twice.  We stopped for a warming mug of coffee in the Visitor Centre between the two.  Second time around we walked along the towpath of the Trent and Mersey Canal and then back around the smaller ponds which lie between the large lake and the Fowlea Brook which is a tributary of the River Trent.

Westport Lake is the largest area of water in the city. The Canal and River Trust own the lake but it is managed jointly by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the City Council.  It is an important site for wintering and  migrating birds.

We didn't see many unsusal birds.

Cormorants flying overhead and the usual Canada Geese, Coots and Mallards.

 

There were a few photographers out and about and a group of people with binoculars who looked as if they were on some sort of bird spotting course as they had an instructor with them.

Around the smaller ponds we saw mostly Robins, Dunnocks and Blue Tits.

Many of the water birds were walking on the still icy lake.

As we walked we felt as if we were being watched.

Some of the trees appeared to have acquired eyes.

I wonder if they had ears too?  If only they could tell us.

All for now.  Have a lovely weekend.

A Short Walk a bit further away from Home

We'd not walked on the High Peak Trail for ages and hadn't been out this way for over three months, probably more like four.  It was good to walk just  a little way in the breezy sunshine and take in some fresh air.

There was hardly anyone around so we had the pathway to ourselves

There were lovely distant views along the path

and over the trees

The birds were singing and the verges were frothy with grasses plants and flowers.

All seemed perfect

worries melted away

The sign was new

Red Campion seemed to be the flower of the moment.

I was pleased to see no litter along the path as I've been appalled by the scenes I'd seen over the weekend on both television and online.  I ask myself why anyone would visit a place of beauty and leave litter behind.  In fact why would you do that anywhere, beautiful or not?  If you can carry picnics and other items to a beach, lake or park why on earth can you not carry whatever is left home again when the burden is probably lighter?  Not dealing with your own litter shows complete disregard and even contempt for the enviroment, nature and wildlife as well as for your fellow human beings.  Sorry, grumbling over for now.