Saturday 8 September 2012

The Ship Loads in Matlock ...

This walk was the third walk on the trot and still I hadn't ventured very far from home. I only travelled the three miles down to Matlock.

I had walked down Dale Road to the railway bridge. I looked over the railings into the Derwent ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

I had no intention of jumping in ...

I was standing in a small paved area between Dale Road and the river.

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010  

I noticed a couple of plaques at the other end which I had never seen before ... and that's how I learnt about the Ship Loads ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

I do think fieldnames were much more interesting than the numbers that were given to them subsequently.

Further along Dale Road, past the Boat House, a bridge takes you over the river and, if you're so inclined, you can turn right and follow a path beside the river ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

Be warned though ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

I have never trespassed [I winked as I typed this] so I turned left instead and followed the path towards Pic Tor ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010
 
At the bottom of the tor just beyond the seat there's a memorial to a climber who died here a few years ago ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

According to an information panel hereabouts it seems that leadmining had taken place though there is nothing to see of it now.

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

The path runs between the river and Pic Tor ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

A hundred yards or so beyond the light there's a small park beside Knowleston Place. As it got darker [and with a dash of mist] the park looked rather charming ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

I walked into Hall Leys Park, heading back towards my car, and reached the memorial to Police Constable Arthur Wright who died on the 27th March 1911 trying to save "another" from drowning.

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

I see that his name is in the National Police Officers Roll of Honour.


It appears he had joined Matlock Police from Buxton only weeks
previously. He lost his life in attempting to save a young woman he was
escorting to the Police Station who, fearing the consequences of her
actions, ran and jumped into the river. It would be interesting to know more, for example, who was the young woman. What had she done ?


I walked down the park with the river to my left ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

... and Matlock Bank away to my right ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

A very fine drizzle had started to fall by the time I got back to Crown Square ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010


... and then an ambulance came tazzing through town ...

The Ship Loads and elsewhere ... December 2010

... perhaps I wasn't so unfortunate after all.

The walk featured above was followed on the 30th December 2010

Length of walk ~ 1.1 miles *

Total mileage walked so far in 2010 ~ 389.6 miles

Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 30th December 2010 ~ 523.35 miles

82 of 2010


* distance calculated by OS Getamap.

17 comments:

  1. Interesting blog Charlie didn't know any of this,some of it quite sad.Surprised ship load is sheep crossing.Ann

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    1. It's surprising what is under our nose sometimes. I have seen 'sheep' mispelled 'ship' before somewhere, just can't remember where.

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  2. You make walking in the mist and rain seem like an enchanting thing to do. I need to change my mind about that. I don't know why I like to walk in snow and cold but if it is raining I stay inside. Maybe because I am so sweet, made of sugar, afraid I might melt.

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    1. I find it difficult to get outside when it's raining but if it starts to rain when I'm out there I cope with it ok. Mist and fog is no problem as it isn't that wet. Mist and fog add a certain beauty to a walk especially in September in England. The last bit about you being sweet, made of sugar and afraid you might melt is undoubtedly correct ~ you must take care.

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  3. We pronounce sheep with a very long ee sound in Canada but I have heard rustic folk and cowboys say ship for sheep.

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    1. There are a number of places in the UK where 'ship' stands for 'sheep' in a place name ... such as Shipley in Yorkshire.

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  4. Although not as picturesque as Summer/Spring walks, it still has it's own charm nevertheless. Particularly as the natural light wanes, the artificial ones come on, and the mist descends.

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    1. I agree the colours are more subdued in winter Mitchy [though perhaps not autumn with the autumn leaves] but I still enjoy winter for the variety it brings to life and the countryside. I would hate to always be walking in spring and summer ...

      Street lights and wet pavements certainly provide interesting reflections though ideally I should carry a tripod for those photo opportunities. As I've mentioned before I regard myself as a walker who carries a camera rather than a photographer who walks ... though I love both.

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  5. The photographs are wonderful, Charlie. Some of them have a "Narnian" quality to them ... in the nicest possible way.

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    1. Thank you Pet ~ I think the mist and the damp weather adds a great deal to them.

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  6. Well you learn something new every day - I never knew about the ship/sheep thing until today. :)

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    1. I vaguely knew about it Jenny but it's the sort of thing that I can easily forget.

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  7. Good post. I was amazed at the pictures and how you described about the ship loads.

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  8. Fascinating. And I like the last pic with all the artificial lights.

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  9. It's always worth trying to take a photo or two with artificial lights and wet pavements, as long as you can keep your camera steady.

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  10. It made me amaze, the pic with bench and light is just stunning, I wish I could go there to see all these places in pictures real.
    Regards; Stephny
    Reliable Auto Transport

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