373 – Sunday 16th May 2016:  Foolow (not low) to Eyam Walk

Trundling our way through Foolow, we inclined steeply to a ridge – with a wing and a prayer – the prayer was answered at the top – a PH!  Resting on our laurels briefly – a glass of cold lager for J – and ginger wine for K. Fortified, we inclined a bit more and then declined to Eyam village via the well. The museum taught us lots about fleas, flies, rats and the Bubonic plague – Eyam sacrificed 280 of it’s 800+ inhabitants so that the rest of Derbyshire could survive – “no greater sacrifice than this…”. Lunch included chips – and a modicum of wine. We inclined back to our CL – and rested…..

We’re heading up to that ridge…

… fabulous rolling views from the top …

… now that’s a good view …

… ginger wine for me 🙂

The heather clad moors looking north.

Eyam is known as the plague village due to their self imposed quarantine when a bale of cloth brought the bubonic plague with it.  Neighbours would leave food and supplies by the well.

Would that be Mr C with a glass of red whilst waiting for chips (which we shared!)

Tractor procession as we left the pub.

Eyam Hall is let to the National Trust.  The poor owners can no longer afford to live in it as it needs too much work and they only inherited in 1990!  The line died so the inheritance line went back to 1731!!!  It’s on a 20 lease to the NT, but the NT will not take it on fully without a £1m behest!

 

374 – Monday 16th May 2016:  Monsal Trail Bike Ride

Parking in Bakewell for Chard proved impossible – we just found a space at Hatton Station. Bikes readied cyclelogically, pedal power commenced. But – there was a clear and present problem!   My bike was silent!  Neither the brakes nor gears would speak to me!  Young Nigel in Matlock had silenced the blighters!  Smooth or what?  I was ready to be indeclined – up or down… It was brass monkey weather – arctic wind and it just seemed like freezing – we had all our layers on including my wooly hat – a long way from Punta Braccetto,  Dan…  If it was cold in the open – the 6 tunnels were littered with deceased brass monkeys!   But, after about 5 miles, a sight for cold eyes – not a PH – a “Tuck Shop”!  Hot coffee, a scone and flapjack of the chocolate variety…  The indeclines were flattened and the brass monkeys danced around the tunnels – we Charded back to Eyam CL – and rested…..

 

 

View across the Wye Valley

K:  Why shouldn’t we touch the sides?

J:  Because you’d fall off!

End of trail coffee and cake stop.  So cold, J sporting a hat under his helmet.

Litton Mill where Ellis Needham infamously ‘indentured’ (enslaved) children from the overflowing London workhouses until they were 21.  Conditions were truly appalling and some campaigners stated that there was opposition to the black slave trade, but little was done for the English slaves.

Young Jade – almost 1 year old…..

 375 – Tuesday 17th May 2016:  Longshaw Estate and Padley Gorge to Grindlesham Walk

More full car parks – lots of Derbyshireans looking for Paddy Gorge…. But we succeeded at the Longshaw House – free for us as National Trust members. The walk declineated steeply passing Paddy G and lots of twitchers – some with very big ones!  Lenses – for those with doubting minds… At the bottom – The Cafe – highly recommended by a ‘Bongo’ owner we had met yesterday at Hatton Station. For the uninitiated, a Bongo is a VW-sized camper van – grey import from Japan – we had one for 2 years and loved it!   It led us ultimately – to Chard.  Sausage, bacon, hash browns, beans, chips – and tea fuelled us for the last incline of the day. A lovely shorter walk – and we journeyed to Hope village for our CL overnighter.  Thanks to K’s brilliant idea, we will travel to Doncaster tomorrow to see Bristol Rugby hopefully complete leg 1 of the Final – and return to the top table of English rugby – go Brizzle !  

Amazing views across the National Trust Longshaw Estate.  This is now the Dark Peaks – moorland and rockier.

Yes that is a cuppa tea.  Lunch was bacon, sausage, hash browns and the biggest place of chips ever!  Why is it the chips up here are so good?!?

The National Trust do a lot for children here. I wonder who lives here?

So excited … just need to find somewhere to park our 8m+ van!  have checked with the farm owners, they don’t mind us arriving back late.