daytime

23rd June 2024

Dear All,

We packed quite a lot of action into our week in Derbyshire with Kate’s sister Sue and husband Bill, after a shaky start. The journey up on Friday afternoon was not the smoothest with many stops and starts on the A 14 and M1. When we arrived Kate discovered that she had failed to load her luggage which contained all her clothes and medicines! The offending bag was still in the bedroom. She always travels light but this was going as bit far!

Offending luggage.

The clothes were not a great concern but the medicines were. Fortunately, the local hospital provided a temporary prescription and we were able to collect at Boots in Matlock on Saturday morning. Sue had loaned some clothes but we did a round of the Charity shops in Matlock to top up her trousseau for a bargain price. The heavens opened while we were shopping but we were fortunate in that this was our only rain during daylight hours although one night there was a violent downpour. In the afternoon we headed for Edensor, the village which a former Duke of Devonshire had moved over the hill from his sight at Chatsworth. They had an open gardens day and although the gardens were not spectacular the architecture is. The churchyard has famous graves including Sir Joseph Paxton and Kathleen Kennedy – sister of the President.

Edensor

Morris Dancers

Garden Gnomes

On Sunday we attended the Wellspring church in Wirksworth which is made up of two congregations – the Baptist where we were married and the Methodists. They raised a lot of cash selling the Baptist church and have created an excellent building at the Methodist site.

They have a restored Railway station site in the town and were holding an 80-year D-Day event with numerous military personnel and a Spitfire on site. After lunch in the Heritage Centre, we visited one of Kate’s old friends who has been struggling with cancer for some time. We then walked through Ash Farm to the house and met up with Natasha, Phil and Mandy. The farm depresses Kate as it looks run down and Phil is never the most optimistic soul and currently is waiting to have his heavy goods vehicle licence renewed following and eye test. Also, his current batch of cattle are Galloway X Angus and are very lively so that he has been kicked four times and is wishing he had never set eyes on them!

Wirksworth Well Dressing

Spitfire

Military hardware

Ash Farm

Over grown Farm House

Monday is always Bakewell Market Day via Chatsworth Farm Shop and restaurant. Kate and I sat and watched the cattle market for a while which is always interesting for the assembled characters as much as anything then walked round the street market. In the afternoon we drove up to the Plague village of Eyam via Monsal Head and after a walk round discovered an excellent tea shop hidden up a long green lane.

Chatsworth Pedigree Jerseys

Bakewell Cattle market

Padlocks on the Bridge over the River Wye

The Vintage Tea Room, Eyam

On Tuesday Kate and I started with a walk along the River Derwent from Darley Bridge to Oker then we met up with the Bolehill folks and Bill and Sue for lunch at The Gate, Tansley as recommended by Esther. In the afternoon Kate and I drove up to Froggatt Edge which is a spectacular millstone ridge and walked along the trail.

Darley Bridge & River Derwent

Phil, Mandy & Natasha enjoying themselves?

Froggatt Edge

We started each day with a swim in the heated Darwin Forest Pool. On Wednesday Kate and I visited Kedleston Hall ancestral home of the Curzon family – one of whom became Viceroy of India. It is a very interesting house built to show off the family’s wealth. The so-called Marble Pillar room is spectacular (although the pillars are actually alabaster). After touring the house, we walked round the park which has some excellent viewpoints.

Kedleston Hall (back door)

Front Entrance

Marble Hall

View from Circular Walk

On Thursday we all caught the bus in Matlock to Wirksworth and walked through Bolehill, Ash Farm, Breamfields and Gorsey Bank so that Kate and Sue could relive childhood memories and discover places on their doorstep that were new to them!