The Rowthorne Trail and Lady Spencer's Wood ...

I think I was out on my fourth walk in four days ... back in April 2011 !

So, who was I out with ? Who's this ?

 It's my grandson ... with his mother !



 I had told Katy that it would only be a stroll so we parked on the Rowthorne Trail not so very far from Hardwick Hall ... and set off in the sunshine ...



 We left the Trail and headed across a field of oil seed rape towards Norwood ...



 The ground was very dry ...



 We entered Norwood ...



 The bluebells were in flower ...

 

They grow quite a lot of oil seed rape in this area but at least the footpath across the large field leading to Norwood Lodge was clear ...

 

There are three or four properties at Norwood Lodge but the path is easy enough to follow between the gardens ...



 We turned right along Newbound Lane and after a few hundred yards entered Lady Spencer's Wood owned by the National Trust ...





 

As you can imagine, with eleven year old Benjamin with us [as he was then] the walk was far from dull ...

 

The next wood we passed through was Park Piece where there was a wonderful display of Dryad's Saddle ...



  



 After leaving the wood and crossing a field we reached the driveway which led us away from the Hardwick Estate ... and back to the car.



This walk was followed on the 28th April 2011
 
Length of stroll ~ 2.84 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 149.93 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 28th April 2011 ~ 677.98 miles

  34 of 2011 [which means in 2011 I was averaging just over 4.40 miles a walk.]
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap

After the walk we went to Hardwick Hall ...





 This lady was dressed as a gardener of the time ...



 I often go to Hardwick just to look around the garden [as I did yesterday !] though all these photographs were taken a couple of years ago ...



 It is a marvellous place, well worth a visit.



 We finish as we started with a photograph of Benjamin. I think he was just about to take flight off the mounting block ...

 

Farley Moor and more ...

On Farley Moor, above Matlock, you can wander through the Forestry Commission plantation ... and lose yourself, metaphorically I mean.

Park along the road from Sydnope Stand, pass through the gate and head straight away from the road ...

In this woodland, we found a Chinese Lantern that had run its course. There has been talk about these being fire starters ... it makes you wonder.



Keep straight on ...



 ... until you see a wall in the distance ahead of you ...





Benjamin stood at the wall as I explained that my father, his great grandfather, had reclaimed the fields beyond the wall from the surrounding moorland. Dad's hard work still fills me with awe as well as pride ...

It's not the best of land but Dad grew crops on this ground and kept sheep and cattle. I used to be able to wander these fields until he died and the farm was sold.

The only livestock we could see were some Highland Cattle ...



 We left the past behind us and headed into the future ...



 Farley Moor is still a working environment and we took due note of this sign ...



 A largish area had been cleared ... ready for replanting ? If so what with ? Broadleaf trees ?



 We were soon back into the trees. You can almost feel the warmth in these photos ...




  
We reached the boundary of the access land ...



 We looked across the ugly barbed wire fence towards Darley Dale where I live ...



 We had a coffee at this point sheltering under the trees rather than in the glare of the sun. We headed back towards the start though the path was vague ...
 
   

Once we'd found the path it was plain sailing all the way back ...





  This walk was followed on the 23rd April 2011
 
Length of stroll ~ 1.93 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 131.05 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 23rd April 2011 ~ 659.10 miles

  29 of 2011 [which means in 2011 I was averaging just over 4.5 miles a walk.]
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap 

A reminder of what the weather should be like at this time of year ...

A couple of years ago on the 1st April 2011 my grandson Benjamin and I did a short walk beside the River Derwent ten miles or so north of Darley Dale. The 1st April is just eight days away and two years ago this is what we saw. Note: there was no snow.

When I park near Curbar School and head north the first thing that invariably catches my eye is this 1930s roadsign ... 

  
How do I know it's a 1930s roadsign ? Am I an expert on roadsigns I hear you say ... well, no, the date is on the post ...

 

The River Derwent is always interesting hereabouts ...

 

Benjamin was fascinated ...

 

No, really ... he was.

One of the rewarding aspects of walking in this area is seeing the work that has been done on Calver Mill Weir during the last few years ...




  



The view downstream from New Bridge towards Curbar and Baslow Edges ...

  

After carefully crossing the road at New Bridge we continued up the eastern side of the River Derwent ...



... where the daffodils were in flower ...

 

We reached Froggatt Bridge with its distinctive arch ...

 

 Froggatt Edge rises above the village of Froggatt.



  We stopped for a coffee here ... me and my cool grandson ...



  Duly satisfied we started walking back to New Bridge and Calver ...



  The steps down off the bridge have had a lot of use over the years.



  We were now on the western side of the River Derwent ...



  On this side of the river there are open fields rather than a series of long gardens leading up to the pricey houses of Curbar ...



 Then we encountered a mystery, a small mystery, but a mystery all the same. It looks like some sort of fungus on a tree ...



  Any ideas what it is anyone ?

A Canada Goose swam towards us ...



  The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust had been cutting willow and creating a number of habitat piles ...




  Having done a bit of voluntary work in the countryside over the years it gives me quite a thrill to see a habitat pile.

As we walked alongside the Derwent on our left a sign brought us back to earth ... "Better watch ourselves in this field Benjamin ..."



This walk was followed on the 1st April 2011
 
Length of stroll ~ 2.60 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 93.09 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 21st March 2011 ~ 621.14 miles

  21 of 2011 [which means in 2011 I was averaging just 4.43 miles a walk.]
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap