We arrived at the Heatherdene car park near the dam in brilliant sunshine. I think it may have been one of the warmest November days I have ever experienced. The autumnal colours in the trees and the bright blue of the water were stunning and my photos don't do justice to the clarity of the light or the still atmosphere of the day. We took the walk down towards the dam crossed the road and then walked across to the opposite side.
We took photos and watched the little fishing boats bobbing about on the still water then walked back and ate our packed lunch of cheese and watercress sandwiches and the last of the devil's cake. The final port of call on our way home was the David Mellor factory shop in Hathersage. They had some great craft pottery and desirable kitchen equipment as well as the wonderful cutlery made on the site but this time my purse stayed firmly in my pocket. The Round Building factory is on the same site. Two or three years ago we met up with friends and went on a factory tour, organised for the Heritage Open Days weekend; it really is very interesting and the round building is as impressive inside as out.
After a good look around we set off towards Bakewell, Monyash and Hartington getting home at about 4p.m. just in time to bring the cats in, close the cat flap and 'batten down the hatches' as the fireworks started as soon as it was dark - I think they are very pretty at a properly organised event but the random garden ones I don't like - especially the very loud ones, so I joined the cats in jumping at each loud bang - I didn't end up under the bed with my claws stuck in the carpet though!
