Tag: travel

Ladygrove Woods

As it was Friday, this is my day for walking from home to Whitworth Institute at Two Dales. Depending on the route I take this is a 2.5/3 mile walk. I like the views from the Snitterton Road, which takes me past a cottage that I would rather like should it come up for sale. I took this same road up to Oaker, then rather than go up and over the hill I took the lower route into Darley Bridge. After this, I played table tennis for an hour and then sought out a different route home.

I wanted to take a look at properties in Two Dales, thinking that may be a good area to live, as if just slightly up the hill, houses will catch the evening sun. So, after a quick shop to buy baked beans I crossed the road and walked through the village. I was slightly surprised that it quite flat, until it is no longer flat as it turns into Syndcope Hill, but I turned off before that point. I had spotted some reservoirs and some woodland that looked worth a visit and I was not disappointed.

Ladygrove woods are mostly beech and you can imagine the beautiful colours on the paths carpeted with leaves. The first ‘reservoir’ is visible, but the path thereafter goes high above other waterscapes, so the others are barely visible. The path is narrow and a little uneven and every now and again you have to jump over a small stream. There was a lot of water in these streams given that is hasn’t rained for some time. The other surprise were some boulders and cliffs, looking very similar to Charnwood Forest. Presumably, these have been quarried but I don’t know the history of this area.

I realised as I was travelling the kilometer or so up the valley that this may not have been the most sensible plan as the daylight was fading and I was on uneven ground and didn’t really know where I was going, so I increased my pace a little until I reached the furthest point and then I returned via a higher route, still lovely, but not quite as attractive as the lower route.

From this point, it was mostly road walking through Upper Hackney before taking a nice footpath downhill towards the back of the hospital. This area is still unspoilt and marks the edge of Matlock. The next path downhill that I took, beside an old woodland, was immediately adjacent to relatively new houses and ultimately led down to the main road beside Valley Lodge Care Home. The traffic into Matlock was completely blocked up from there, and that must be almost 1 kilometer to the roundabout. I think I’ll settle for my flat from which I can walk everywhere most of the time. It would drive my potty having to deal with traffic jams day after day.

Total distance: 7.5 miles; morning 3 miles; afternoon 4.5 miles. Total ascent (afternoon): 505 ft; descent 476ft; total time (afternoon) 1hr 45 mins; moving time 1hr 34 mins.

You could do the afternoon walk using buses to and from Two Dales into Matlock.

Thorpe, Tissington and Dovedale

I was on my way to a painting weekend in Thorpe and what could possibly be more wonderful than spending the early part of the day walking around this lovely countryside.

I parked the car at Thorpe Station ( free parking with my High Peaks Annual Pass) and began walking along the High Peaks Trail to Tissington. This is another former railway track and despite its name it is not particularly high, and on this section of the route it is not very interesting. It leads to paths around Tissington Estate which may be of interest to some.

At the former Tissington station there is a cafe with seating, boldly stating on its boards that it sells excellent plum tart. The cafe owner was very friendly and offered my various suggestions as to where to walk, and suggestions for another day. Not being able to resist the offer of an excellent tart, I succumbed to tasting this delicacy and found it to be truly…. excellent.

The village of Tissington is delightful with housing centred around the village green and pond. I continued past the stately Tissington Hall, past the church with its stunted spire. I walked along this lane until the main road. I did have another plan, but decided it might make the walk too lengthy. The walk north in the road is only for a short distance before crossing over towards Sharplow Farm. The route is then uphill over farmland and then immediately downhill to Gaglane Farm. This is a really quiet part of the Peak District and I didn’t see a soul. A short walk up the road to Standlow and I took the angled path leading to Nabs View.

It blew a hooley at this point, all the time I was on higher ground, necessitating me donning my cagoule. Even so, it was delightful, with massive views in all directions. At one point, a Royal Mail van passed me leaving Hanson Farm and it so reminded me of Postman Pat. All it needed was for Jess to be hanging out of one of the windows. Be aware that at Hanson Farm the path skirts around it to the left beside the cattle grid. The footpath sign was pointing towards the farm so I followed it to my detriment, as the farmyard was full of slurry. But, I did see lots of cows and tractors which was a bonus. If you find yourself like me going the wrong way, there is a gate, and you will have to negotiate A LOT of mud.

Very soon past the quagmire, my path turned downhill to the right, into woodland, which was very beautiful. Autumn has mostly shed its leaves now, so there was little colour, but the contours and shapes were interesting. What was less so was the footpath, which was full of small stones covered with leaves and slime, making it very tricky to step safely. This continues for about a kilometre and was not very pleasant. It would be much easier walking that route uphill.

Having safely reached the basin beside the river at Dove Holes, it was lovely to walk on an even path, listening to the sound of the water as I walked along, admiring the stone structures and the caves that have formed in the limestone. The footpath kids you that it is about a mile to the stepping stones, when in reality it is closer to two, but well worth the wait. I had a brief stop here, before completing my walk up grassy Lin Dale, going past Thorpe Cloud on the right, Hampton Hill to the left and the HF house a little further on. I veered around the back of the house up to a lane leading directly to Thorpe and the station. Incidentally if going up Lin Dale the path is through the little gate by the stepping stones, not the Thorpe Cloud path.

Distance: 8.3 miles; Ascent 1119 ft; Descent 1296ft; Total time taken 3 hr 40 mins; walking time 2hrs 45 mins.

Matlock to Matlock Bath Circular

My intention was to have a gentle stroll in a southerly direction along the river Derwent as it was a lovely sunny day, with gloomy forecasts for the next few days. Those of you who know me won’t be surprised to learn that it became more of a hike, taking in paths I hadn’t been on before.

I began by walking down by the river into Matlock and doing a few chores. Then I had a pleasant stroll through Hall Leys Park and Knowleston Gardens. The autumn leaves are stunning right now and I stopped many times to admire the views. I couldn’t stop myself from trying out the odd footpath but these mostly ended at a dead end and a shaft entrance to the former lead workings. So, I carried on around the bends until I saw a footpath sign to High Tor. This hadn’t been on my agenda, but the thought of walking along the noisy A6 really was not appealing.

So, I headed off uphill towards Starkholmes and took a clear footpath to the right that I would follow all the way to High Tor, getting glimpses into the beautiful, if noisy valley every now and again. The views to the left of Riber Castle were excellent. Once at High Tor, I took a path marked ‘Caution’ and ‘Viewpoint’. The cautionary notice is that there is a significant drop off the cliff to the right and only a narrow path to walk along. Someone has very kindly fitted a handrail in certain parts to avoid obvious mishaps. This I realised is known as ‘Giddy Edge’. It is easily passable with care, but certainly care is needed for a short distance before the path enters the woods. From here, it is a steady descent all the way down to the cable car entrance for the Heights of Abraham.

I followed the path on the same side of the river as far as I could, as it petered out and I had to cross the bridge at the start of Matlock Bath and walk a little way down the awful A6 until I could cross back over. Unfortunately, Lover’s Walk was closed for tree repairs, so I went back on myself until I saw a notice saying the Nature Walks are taken at your own risk. The footpath lead upwards again right up to the very top of the woodland, providing wonderful views of the hills to the east and occasional snippets of views of Matlock Bath. I continued on this path as long as it would allow me to, but eventually I had to drop down into the woods and back to the river, where again access to the river is limited. I walked back to the Derwent Gardens bridge and through the gardens and up to the main road, intent on having a coffee and finding a bus back. So far, this was 4.5 miles.

Suitably refreshed after a bag of chips and a latte, I changed my mind and decided to walk back over the hills to Matlock. It is a stiff climb up a relentless hill until the point where the path goes underneath the cable cars. It is then a delightful walk, mostly contouring, all the way back to Matlock. Much of this is wooded until the final section where it enters fields where donkies and sheep munch side by side on the grass. A quick trip into Sainsbury’s and two ticks after that I was back at my apartment.

It was a really lovely walk, but it did tire me, more than I would expect of that kind of walk. Nevertheless, It is so good to make the most of the weather and to see the wonderful autumnal colours in all directions.

My stats are a bit different today as my Garmin battery had run out and I couldn’t find the charger, so I used Map My Walk to record the details of this walk.

Section A: 4.43 miles, with 435 ft ascent; walking time 2hr 11mins.

Section B: 2 miles, with 406 ft ascent, walking time, just under 1hr.

Hassop Station Short Walk

This was my first walk with Matlock U3A. They have a ‘short’ walk group and a ‘longer’ walk group. The short walks are up to about 5 miles, start at 10am and finish by lunchtime, but there is often the option of extending it with a lunch at the end of the walk.

The weather did not look promising as we started out, it having been raining cats and dogs in Matlock over night, with an equally unpromising forecast for the morning. Undaunted, but wrapped up in wet weather gear, I walked down to Sainsbury’s to meet my lift.

Parking at Hassop Station cafe involves paying for parking. If you prefer to avoid payment, many people had parked down a nearby lane. Hassop Station cafe is directly next to the Monsal Trail so it is a popular starting point, as it is a nice flat walk to Monsal Head, one of the highlights of this area in the Peak District.

Our walk was short, as expected, and indeed was only just over 3 miles altogether. Never disparage short walks – they have a place; for those short of time, for those exercising dogs, for those in less robust health. The views, even in inclement weather, as today, still offer something very exciting, and it’s good to see nature in all its moods and seasons.

Our group of 13 people started northwards along the Monsal trail, but only for a short distance. We then turned left onto a stony footpath leading uphill, and very soon we could see hills in the distance in all directions. There was a chill in the air and even the cattle seemed to be moaning about the weather, looking forlorn and bedraggled on the hillside. This footpath ultimately leads into Bakewell and as we went down the hill it looked quite mystical in the hazy mist that was covering everything.

Avoiding Bakewell, the next section of the walk turned right across beautiful meadows towards the top end of a wood. I loved the wood with its tall trees dripping leaves of autumnal colours. This was their land and their ownership of it was clear.; we were just passing through like millions of people over the centuries. I may be exaggerating here, but why not! We need a bit of imagination and am appreciation of beauty, and what’s a bit of hyperbole between friends. At the end of the wood, the path emerges at the top end of a short dale that goes down towards Bakewell. We went in the opposite direction and joined a small, but busy road, for a short distance before regaining the Monsal trail. It was then a direct walk back to Hassop station.

Hassop station had been busy at 9.30am and the cafe was even busier at 12 noon. There is a pleasant covered area to sit outside and some takeaway vans for coffees, pizzas and cakes, so we finished our time together with warm drinks and food. The inside cafe is excellent if you don’t mind queueing, and there are toilets both inside and out.

The others then made they way home, whereas I decided to walk into Bakewell as the weather was improving. I would mess around there for a short time, buy myself a nice apron and some stamps (way more expensive in England than the Isle of Man), and then it was time for ‘hunt the bus stop’, which was in a different place than all the other bus stops – but in a very sensible and I should say, very obvious place!

Stats for U3A Walk: Distance 3.09 miles; Total Ascent: 295ft; Total Descent: 262ft; Total time taken 1hr 55min; actual walking time 1hr 23 mins. Add on another mile + to go into Bakewell.

I’ve arrived..

Just look at those colours on the River Wye

My time up until now has largely been spent unpacking and carrying out the huge amount of admin involved with moving from one country to another. The Isle of Man, another country? Yes, it really is, and you really find out just what the differences are when you move back to England. For instance, I can’t drive the car until it is Mot’d (no Mot required on IOM) – done; then the car has to be re-registered with DVLA and Uk vehicle tax paid (pending); then I have to wait for the log book to be returned with the new registration number (pending); then I have reinsure the car (eventually) with new number plates (eventually); change IOM driving licence to UK driving licence (pending) – then I can finally drive my car. I am insured on my IOM insurance meanwhile, but technically it is illegal to drive until the process is complete.

Then there is the issue of getting a bank account – ideally, I wanted a bank with a branch in easy reach of Matlock and that means Nationwide, as everything else has either closed down or is about to close down. This seemed easy, until I tried to make my new current Nationwide account my nominated account for my NSandI account and my Skipton International account – and both refuse to verify Nationwide. NSandI can’t say why, or how long it might take for it to be verified. So, if IOM Bank decide to close my accounts, which they usually do when a person moves off-island, I shall have no direct access to the money in NSI or Skipton. And considering NSandI currently has my house sale money, this somewhat displeased me. The only way I could withdraw it in order to get a better interest rate in the short term was for them to send me a Banker’s Order, and indeed this is the only way I shall be able to withdraw money from NSandI until the Nationwide account is verified or I open a new (pointless) current account! If it’s good enough for the government to pay my pension into it, I can’t see what makes NSandI or Skipton any different.

Everything I have touched over the last two weeks seems to have had the same complications – and you can imagine the endless hours I have spent ‘on hold’ trying to sort out one issue or another.

Two mins from where I live

BUT…. I am almost there, except this nagging nominated account problem. So, on Friday, on a lovely sunny afternoon, I put all this on one side and walked along the valley bottom to Darley Bridge and back along the other side of the river. It is taking time to get used to the noise of traffic, but it’s not as bad as I expected it to be. I really like Matlock, as a small town, with quaint shops and streets, and the river winding through it. And the countryside is just beautiful, in every direction. There are some wonderful footpaths not too far away from my apartment, including this one and just 5-10 mins in the car opens up a huge range of options for walking.

Darley Bridge

The valley walk was a good tonic. I know I shall be happy here, and there will so many footpaths to explore when I need some calm or a pick-me-up. Even better was a lovely walk I did yesterday around Elton, which I shall write up tomorrow.