Eyam, the River Derwent and the Calver Marshes Wildlife Project ...

In mid January, there was still some ice and snow about as I parked in Eyam and walked to the churchyard.

I was looking at the Celtic cross in the churchyard and thinking how we probably give these ancient features little more than a glance. When you think of the size of these stones and the work involved in getting the stone, cutting it and then putting it in place ... it must have been a heck of a job.

A simpler and slightly more modern tombstone also caught my eye ...



 I left Eyam by the Lydgate Graves and walked towards Stoney Middleton ...



It was one of those cold, grey days, which I rather like.

I walked past the Boundary Stone ...



 On the way down the hill into Stoney Middleton I passed one of the many old mineshafts that are everywhere in this limestone area and that we tend to ignore ...



  The main thing to remember is never to get too close to the edge of these shafts.

St. Martin's Church in Stoney Middleton, according to the Parish Council, is one of only two octagonal churches in the country.

I sat by the front door and had my coffee ...



On the way eastward from Stoney Middleton I noticed the first of a number of panels erected by the Stoke and Calver Marshes Project ...



... and a closer view ...



[The large image on Flickr is worth looking at, too.]

Further along came a panel about the dragonfly ...



The panels are "largely the work of children from Stoney Middleton School". They should be proud of them.

Then the old willow tree ...



Then the water shrew ...



... and harvest mice ...



By now I had got to the point where Stoke Brook runs into the River Derwent ... where brook lampreys spawn ...



For such an attractive area there were very few walkers about.

I continued up the western side of the Derwent until I reached Froggatt Bridge ... 
   








Near Froggatt Bridge the last of the information panels. This one related to the water vole ...



I walked up the road towards Toll Bar Cottage and noticed someone had been cutting the ivy growing up a tree over the wall.



The walk back to Eyam was uneventful ...

Date of walk ~ 17th January 2010

Length of walk ~ 6 1/4 miles

Total walked [so far] in 2010 ~ 11 miles 

Total walked since 1st September 2009 ~ 141 miles

2 of 2010

Eyam and me ...

I was in Eyam on the 21st October 2009, looking at my teashop walk from there.

Never use a house name as a marker, as in "turn right immediately beyond 'Fairholme' ". A new owner may change its name to Scrumpy Acres ... or something.

It was midweek and autumn and the usual horde of walkers were nowhere to be seen.

The route of the walk crosses the fields towards Foolow. On its way the path dips into Linen Dale ...

I always thought 'Eyam' was pronounced 'ee-um' but no ... it's 'eem' ...



Entering Foolow along the lane I hoped I might see the homemade sign warning motorists to beware of the duckpond ducks but no, there's an official sign now ...



  The Victorian postbox is no longer available for the collection of letters but has been retained for posterity.



No photos of the village pond [I need to get a wider angle lens] but St. Hugh's Church caught my eye. According to the interpretation panel the church was originally a smithy but in the late 19th century it held its first service. St Hugh was born in the 12th century [not around here I hasten to add] and pictures of him usually show him accompanied by a swan ~ you can nip along to Foolow to read the panel to learn more about him.



I took the footpath to Grindlow. Once, when we were writing the book, there were paving stones along the side of this green lane ... a real feature. Now, unless they're buried under the grass, they appear to hae gone. Have they been taken up ?



I didn't go right into Grindlow but swung left towards Silly Dale. At the entrance to the dale [if I could call it that] there's a warning for our friends who like to explore these old green lanes using things mechanical ...



Although it may look as though you're going to end up in someone's garden, the bridleway actually passes to the left of this bungalow ...



Silly Dale, like Linen Dale, is dry and rather featureless. Looking back you can see the bungalow recently passsed with the buildings of Grindlow in the background.



Once I had reached Stanley House I turned left. Three or four fields later I met a man taking his fifteen stone Bull Mastiff for a walk. He assured me that the dog was friendly and when I offered the back of my hand for him [the dog] to have a sniff, he wiped his slobber right across the sleeve of my fleece ...



... lovely.

Brosterfield Farm is being improved, developed. The farm buildings are being renovated and rebuilt. Is someone going to be selling them off as  desirable country homes ?  Another farm  broken up ? 

It appears not ... a couple of holiday lets have resulted from the renovations ... http://www.brosterfieldfarm.co.uk/index.html

At Housley I started to follow Tideswell Lane back to Eyam. A few yards along it this caught my eye ...



I wonder if everyone will take note ?

Walking along Tideswell Lane [it's basically a walled track] I heard a call from a chap in a barn to my left. He was asking if I could lend him a hand for a minute or two ...

It turned out that his hay baler had got a bit of a problem and he wanted me to hold the baler twine whilst he [by hand] turned over the mechanism. The job was soon done and he thanked me. I said it was good that a walker could help a farmer and he replied [with a smirk] "Ad a asked any bugger that were passin' ".

I met another man, a local dog walker, who stood and talked with me for the best part of twenty minutes. Then we bid farewell and I walked back into Eyam ...



 Date of walk ~ 21st October 2009

Length of walk ~ 6 1/4 miles.


Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 68 3/4 miles