Mucky boots.

Hello. Fancied something different for my breakfast this morning, rather than the usual bran flakes, ground nuts, seeds, and fruit, and a banana. Twas half a tin of Value baked beans, 12p, two scrambled eggs, 28p, and two slices of seeded bread, 14p. Filled me up a treat, had a late lunch because I was still full at 1pm. 

Weather is still a bit murky, though not raining. I got my walk done before lunch today, and went a different route. The farmers are getting in the sugar beet. Two tractors trundling up and down the track and tipping them onto this pile.

I watched for a few minutes. I had a job once driving tractors through an auction, it was hilarious. I like tractors. I like JCB's as well. I had a go once at driving one at the JCB test site at Ashbourne in Derbyshire, they don't half bounce around. I imagine the suspension must have improved a lot since then.

Clever how that machine scoops up the roots and discards the tops of the plants. Wouldn't mind having a play with that monster. 

Coming back for another load, best get out the way.

 Oh heck, stuck up to the eyeballs in mud.

Moving on. Money saving tip. Are you coming to the end of your toothpaste? I bought the Colgate for 50p ages ago from Poundstretcher, it was on offer. It has lasted a while, I only put a squidgen on my brush, hate having a frothy mouth. Anyway, the new tube is a Tesco Value one, only 25p. It might be cheap but it has all the ingredients needed to clean teeth, and is accredited by the International Dental Health Foundation. I have used it in the past, it's perfectly fine, and the minty taste is not too strong, which I like. Give it a go, no need to pay silly prices for toothpaste.

Think that's about it. I'm making some more shopping bags, always something to do.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Cromford to Matlock and back

Hello and Good morning. I'm catching up slowly. These photo's are of the last days walk, on Thursday. It was drizzling as I looked out of the window at breakfast, but once I got underway it stopped. It turned into quite a nice day weatherwise. The front of the hotel looking splendid. There is a lodge with a swimming pool, and another building with extra rooms, up a path behind the main hotel. 

 This is the view of the hotel from the other side of the river. Shame the tree blocks a lot of it out

There is a path alongside the river which cuts the corner and bypasses Cromford Mills. It comes out on the A6 close to the village. Here is the Community Centre. The roads through Cromford are very busy with mainly tipper trucks which are making their way to and from the nearby quarries.

I walked up a narrow street next to the pond and found the footpath to take me high up towards Matlock Bath. The object being to gain height today and get some nice pics looking down. Quirky log seats next to the pond.

There are quite a lot of stiles to pass through. This one, like many others, is very narrow, and the gate can't be opened. I ended up climbing over it. I don't know how hefty blokes go on. 

Not so much mist today, so the view looking down on the town of Matlock Bath is quite good.

 The tarmac roads only allow for cars to pass through. I stopped to chat to a chappie in his garden, and a delivery driver walked up with his parcel, having abandoned his transit van further down.

The Heights of Abraham is not open today. Have a look at the web site, it looks quite exciting.

At this point the path goes up those wooden steps and across a bridge over a private road. 

Most of the walk is through the woods. Here we are passing underneath the cable car wires.

From a distance if you look up from the road below you can see a large white building. This is it.

You might recognize this view from the previous post. I joined up with the Limestone Way footpath to come into Matlock. Much better view today, the wind has blown away the mist.

No need to linger in Matlock, I'm at the halfway point and need to make my way back. From the Church I followed the signs to High Tor, it goes high up and gives wonderful views of the river and road below. 

It started to get windy, and drizzly, which masked some of the views across to the other side. Good views looking down if you don't mind heights. I tend to take a quick snap then back off.  There are several vantage points, with signs everywhere advising not to get too close to the edge. When I got up there I remembered I had walked this path before several years ago.

Across there among the trees is the white house where I was walking earlier.

The sun tried to shine through the mizzly rain and made the wet rocks underfoot glisten. I love this atmospheric picture.

A bit further along the A6 road goes into the distance, and the rain has stopped. 

The cable car station is under renovation, looks like they are extending it by adding a new section to the side.

Almost down now, that's the main street in Matlock Bath down there.

The Grand Pavilion. It's an Edwardian building, built in 1910, and is now run as a charity by the local community. More info here.

I decided to follow the road back to Cromford, as time was getting on and I didn't want to be late back. This is the weir near Massom Mills. I did go inside and have a look round the shopping complex, masquerading as a customer so I could use the lavvies. The prices were well above what I would pay. Lots of very expensive clothes, a bit like a posh department store.

I was back at the car, still parked in the hotel car park, by 4pm. Traffic through Clay Cross, and on the motorway, was a bit heavy on the way home. Pussies all fine and snuggled up in their beds.

That's the three days walking all written up. 7 miles done today, 24 in total. I have some pictures of the hotel which I will post tomorrow. Until then I'll say, have a nice weekend, and we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Middleton back to Cromford

Good morning, it's Friday morning and I'll post the second half of Wednesdays walk. The National Stone Centre is on the High Peak trail to Middleton Top, when it turns into The Pennine Bridleway. Here we have the restored Steam Engine House built in 1829, to haul wagons up the steep incline. It has a visitor Centre and cycle hire, which were closed, it is only open weekends throughout the winter. Check out the Derbyshire County Council web site for more info. 

I didn't go into Middleton village, this is the view as I left the Engine House. I skirted around the outside, following footpaths. The fog is lifting a bit.

Heading off along a track I walked through Slinter Wood. It was quite steep in places, careful not to slip off the edge.

I was a bit confused at one point as the track seemed to go off in a different direction from what was indicated on the map. It also gave the impression that it should have been a wide bridleway, when in fact it narrowed down to single lane and went through a couple of fields. I heaved a sigh of relief when I caught a glimpse of the pond at Via Gellia Mill. Yes, I was going in the right direction and here is the mill. 

Crossing over the main A5012 trunk road, I took the minor road to Bonsall Village. Boy was it steep. Luckily there was a bench half way up to sit for a few minutes and eat, and cool off a bit. By this time I was sweating buckets.

Lovely olde worlde stone buildings.

The Village Cross. There are more pictures of Bonsall here.

From Bonsall it was a long trek on the Limestone Way, passing Massom Lees Farm. Matlock looks a bit misty in the distance. 

Then as I descended towards the town it became clearer and more details came into view.

I had a little bimble around Matlock, I have been here many times, even bought a car once from the Ford dealer. The market was packing away, daylight was fading, and people were doing a last bit of shopping before they made their way home for the night. I decided that the safest way to get back to the hotel would be to walk along the main A6 trunk road, as it would be well lit and has a footpath alongside. There was an alternative route to follow the river, but a bit risky in the dark. I asked a local man and he confirmed my decision to keep safe, saying there could be an encounter with undesirables, (drug users) along the path. He said he had just finished work and was going to get the train back to Matlock Bath. As I was passing the railway station 20 minutes later, who should I see but the man I had spoken to.

Matlock Bath is famous for their annual illuminations, a bit like a mini Blackpool. The river runs alongside the main road and reflects the lights making the place sparkle. I was sort of hoping there would be some Christmas lights, but apart from the ones on the shop fronts, all I saw were these lights across a bridge. They changed colour every few seconds.

Still on the A6, Masson Mills is the last building on the left between the road and the river, before you get to Cromford. This is an old Richard Arkwright Mill, now home to a shopping complex. 

Five minutes and I was back at the hotel. A couple of night time shots. The Christmas tree decorations were a bit disappointing, nothing to rave about. In fact there was a much better tree at the back of the building which could be seen from the meeting room. 

Dinner was lovely, freshly cooked, plenty of it, served by friendly staff. Couldn't ask for more. I was half way through uploading the pictures when I decided to retire to my room.

Come back tomorrow for the third and last day of my mini break in Derbyshire. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.

Cromford and beyond.

Hello, now where was I? I'm back at Tightwad Towers after my outdoor adventures in the beautiful county of Derbyshire. I put these photo's on last night but I was too whacked to add the words, so I'll get on with it now. I'm going to make two posts of yesterdays walk because there are too many photo's to put them all into one post. 

As you can see by this one, it doesn't look like I am going to get any nice views again. 

Willersley Castle is very close to the River Derwent and not far from the Main A6 trunk road, in Cromford. I crossed over the road and took a track which joined up with The High Peak Trail, a disused railway line which has been turned into a path for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. I came under the bridge.

I did a sharp right turn following the horses up there.

And the track you can see on the top of the bridge is the one I am going to join to Middleton Top.

It climbs up a steep incline. It must have been a very long job to cut a path through the rocks, all those years ago. A few dog walkers about, I stopped to chat to a very nice man. 

At the top is Sheep Pasture Engine House. This housed the winch which pulled the wagons up the incline.

As you can see the fog is still hanging around.

Just past Black Rocks the track crosses a road near Bolehill. .

I stood and watched these workmen laying the hedge, it looks like hard work. The older chap was teaching the younger one how to do it. The trunks are almost severed near the ground, he said it would take around ten years for it to be fully recovered. New shoots would emerge from the bottom to fill all the gaps. The National Hedge Laying Society has a web site if you want to read more about it.

I thought this was worth a look, might as well, I am passing anyway. 

This looks like a practice area for dry stone walling.

These steps show the different colours of the rocks.

The indoor exhibition area was closed for refurbishment. It's almost the end of the season and only the shop and cafe were open. I saw the magical Walls Ice Cream sign outside, oooh, I just fancy a Magnum. It was my lucky day All ice cream was half price. Just got to have one. I ended up chattering to the woman in the shop for ages, she must have been a bit bored, can't see that she would have many customers, not many people about.

I'm going to end this first part here, and post the second part of the walk tomorrow. Thank you for joining me, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip