Tag Archives: derbyshire

Superb walk at Lyme Park

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Julia, Dot and Dave on a bridge over the Macclesfield Canal, coming towards the end of our walk. We are headed for the ridge top right.

The best kind of wintry day: cold, but with sunshine and a certain stillness in the air. The weekend was much the same, and our longish walk at Lyme Park on Saturday was superb. We covered just under five miles, with a fair bit of ascent, and happily Dot and I were relatively untroubled by our recent ailments. I felt pretty well throughout. She had a slight ache in her back, but had no problem completing the walk, which left the car park at Lyme Park (which is in Cheshire and was used by the BBC in the filming of Pride and Prejudice) before heading over a low ridge and down to the Macclesfield Canal. We walked along the canal for about a mile and half and spent some time watching geese skating on the ice and eventually plunging through it. Then we headed back up over the hill to our start point.

We were actually staying in Derbyshire – at the Lee Wood Hotel in Buxton – with Dave and Julia Evetts. Unfortunately the excellent food there negated the slimming work achieved by the walk, and at the end of the weekend I found my weight had worsened rather than improved. So this morning I did another couple of miles. I am really too heavy now and am determined to take off about half a stone. Dot is quite keen to assist me in this.

Didn’t feel 100 per cent in Derbyshire and had to go to bed earlyish both nights, but we still had a very good time. However an ambulance was called for someone else and I think it must have hit our car, because there is a dent in the back wing. Rather irritating.

On the way north on Friday we called in at Coventry with Andrew’s new TV/DVD combi, which I managed to set up in his room after walking to the shops with Andrew to purchase an aerial lead. Bitterly cold, and at that point quite windy. The set-up was very easy, and Andrew seemed to get the hang of it. The Langleys staff, who seem to be taking a closer interest in Andrew than the previous owners did, have said they’ll make sure he can operate it. They also took him into the city so that he could buy some clothes last week.

Before Coventry we had called in on A Ethel to give her her birthday present and stayed for a while. She seems very frail, but looked better than she had a couple of weeks ago. Rosemary is out of hospital and recovering from pancreatitis.

Clear drive back from Derbyshire via Chesterfield and the M1 on Sunday. Stopped at Cambridge Services for a snack, and both felt very tired. Nevertheless I took Rupert to Lowestoft in the evening for another poetry reading event at the Seagull Theatre, while Dot relaxed at home in readiness for an early school visit today. The reading went quite well, though it was a mixed bag as usual. Host Ian Fosten in good form, except when he omitted me from part two by mistake, and I had to point it out to get my second three poems in. Quite a good reception: did a couple of light-hearted ones (Directions and At the Chemist’s) which provoked some laughter. Also did Careless Rain, Mother of a Year Six Boy, Denver Sluice and In Love with the Second Cello.

Vigorous days in Derbyshire

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Dave, Julia and Dot climbing back on to the ridge between the Dove and Manifold valleys, taking advantage of a rare track.

Calves aching after a fairly strenuous weekend in Derbyshire, staying at the excellent Lee Wood Hotel in Buxton, where the food is just as good as they say it is and the service was first-class. We were there with Julia and Dave Evetts, who are not ones to sit around. Hence within a short time of arriving (we had lunched in Nottingham and travelled with the Evetts in their new sparkling red Audi) we were down in the town for a look round. Main discovery was that it was absolutely freezing, in the most freezing of freezing ways, and it was a big relief when we reached a coffee shop. I was a bit worried about the planned walk for Saturday, but it turned out to be nowhere near as cold. Icy, yes; snow, quite a bit on the ground; but bright sunshine and very good for walking, especially after we realised we were going the wrong way and retraced our steps slightly. Walked from Longnor down into the Dove valley and across to Crowdecote. where we had a warm baguette break at the Packhorse Inn. Then across the river (again) and across grassy fields back up to the ridge. Happily the ice had made the mud walkable, and we were able to climb a fence avoid some rather large-looking cattle, which may or may not have been bullocks. From the top we walked down into the opposite valley of the River Manifold and then back up again to Longnor. At each end of the walk we stopped for tea/coffee at the former town hall, which is now a teashop and purveyor of art, craft and a few books. I bought a nicely produced book about Wainwright, the fellwalker. Bit out of his territory, but never mind. While we were unbooting at the car, we watched a local cat perform an amazing trick of jumping up at a front door, hanging on by its front paws and knocking lower down with his back paws. Obviously a special Derbyshire skill.

After another superb meal in the evening (steak for me) we checked out of the hotel the next morning but left car and luggage there while we did a shorter but quite strenuous walk (three miles instead of five) ending at the summit of Corbar Hill. Quite a bit of snow around, so Julia and Dave (who had climbed it before) decided on discretion while I – quickly followed by Dot – scrambled the final fifty feet or so. Wonderful view from the top, with a lot of snow patches on the high ground all around.

On the drive back to Nottingham we stopped at The Miners Arms near Carsington Reservoir, where we had a very good carvery meal. Then after pause for tea/coffee at Toton we headed home to Norwich. Part of the A14 was closed, but we diverted via St Neots and avoided the worst of the hold-ups. No snow on the way, but when we got to Norwich it had obviously been snowing, and our road was icy, though not difficult to negotiate.

2 October 2007

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An EDP picture of one of the PVM boxes. Today four of us – Rupert, Annette, Mike and I – installed the machine in Borders, the Chapelfield Mall bookshop, where it will be for two or three weeks. It looks pretty good and – a real plus – is working.

It’s my grandmother’s birthday. She would have been 127 today.

Dot has been away for two days at a conference in Derbyshire, which as far as I can make out is about how to run Christian charities, or run them better. Before she went we had the Stedmans for tea, and Dot cooked scones and rock cakes, which was a treat. Interesting talk with them about how views change over the years.

Then on Saturday we went to see one of Dot’s colleagues from her early years in London. AB now lives in Bury St Edmunds, and we hadn’t seen her for some years, so we went for lunch on Saturday. Had a really good time and in depth discussions about life in general. Stayed longer than we’d intended, which meant we didn’t have all that much time before going to Bergh Apton in the evening for dinner with another couple of couples from the education world. It’s all eat.

Have been busy catching up with stuff since Dot has been away and am seeing a stonemason on Monday about replacing my parents’ headstone. Today and yesterday have spent quite a lot of time on InPrint stuff and have just completed another poster for a machine that’s going in a Norwich pub. It doesn’t work properly, so we’re making a few bo0xes available free and inviting £2 donations while redirecting them to the real thing at Borders! You can see that working…

Did an interview with some web writer about the PVM this afternoon, and the results should be available soon on http://www.lifesignsnetwork.net/index.aspx I hope.

Andrew seems to be settling in at The Langleys and has a mobile phone. Long talk with him today – or rather, long listen. He has been getting out and looking at things, which is good.