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

New Year's Day 2010

The 1st day of January 2010 was a cool, clear, sunny day and the drive across to Bradfield was enjoyable despite the ice on the roads ...

There was just enough room to park in Low Bradfield as people were getting out to start the New Year with a walk ... and probably sober up too.

My Beloved stayed at home which was a pity.

I walked along the icy path on the southern side of Damflask Reservoir.

As you may know I have an interest in memorial plaques. It may be morbid but there it is. I found three or four on this walk. Here's the first ...



... and here's the frosted wreath on the seat ...



 Just beyond the seat a couple of barking dogs were bounding towards me ...

Their elderly owner was sat having a cigarette on a bench further on, not really bothered that his dogs were in danger of legging me up. As though the ice wasn't bad enough.

 Then I found the second seat ...



Just before I took the path rising steeply up Rickett Bank a number of ducks swam towards me, expecting some food I suppose.



 Up the hill from Damflask Reservoir is the village of Dungworth. As you enter the village, there's a stone carved stone and I'm not quite sure what it rpresents ...



On the right hand side of the stone some words have been carved ...



They read ... 

"2000 AD
My life
My love
My Children"
 
I have found out that this work was undertaken by Stoneface and you can learn a little bit more about this carving, and some others, at http://www.stonefacesculpture.com/stoneface-commissions.htm
 
On the northern side of the reservoir I spotted a third plaque which caught my eye ...



 
Then I walked back into the valley and after a little while I was strolling, in the sunshine, along the path on the northern side of Damflask Reservoir ...



back towards Low Bradfield ...



 A young woman sat admiring the view ...



It was such a lovely picture that I took quite a few photos, but I've limited myself to just showing a couple on here. Thank goodness she didn't see me snapping away ...



I was nearly back in Low Bradfield ~ just time for one more shot ...



 Date of walk ~ 1st January 2010

Length of walk ~ 4 3/4 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 134 3/4 miles.

1 of 2010

Walking from Wheatcroft's Wharf

Last day of the year and the sorting out of walks for a revamp of Teashop Walks in the Peak District continued ...

Parking at the Cromford Wharf car park, which should perhaps be renamed Wheatcrofts Wharf, I walked back onto the road and passed the church nearby. On the right just beyond the church is a fishing temple with the words 'Piscatoribus Sacrum' [sanctuary for fishermen] above the door ...

 What I didn't know is that just over the wall to the left of the temple in the photo are the remains of an earlier fishing chapel ...



One of the stones in the wall of the old road bridge here commemorates the leap of one Benjamin Heywood [or is it Hayward ?] on his mare in 1697 ...



Walking across the hillside I reached Castle Top Farm and beside that Sunnybank where Ron and Elizabeth live ...



 Beyond Sunnybank the path enters Bow Wood.

In the cool air the shadows of the trees cut across the path.





 I followed a convoluted course to Cromford Canal and had a coffee at High Peak Junction hoping I might see a water vole but today I wasn't so lucky.

Then it was along the canal back towards Wheatcrofts Wharf ...





Wheatcrofts Wharf is now a tearoom and shop run by the Arkwright Society. It's a good place for a stop ...



Date of walk ~ 31st December 2009

Length of walk ~ 3 1/2 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 130 miles.

What is it with some dog owners ?

All I wanted was a nice, quiet walk.

I just wanted to rid myself of some of the stress that had accumulated during the week.

Instead there were two Alsatians running around me, barking ... and baring their teeth.

Then the woman who was [allegedly] in control of them was telling me that "they ARE playing ...".

Now, not having studied the behavioural peculiarities of our canine friends, I had obviously, totally misread the situation. I thought they were trying to work out how best to rip off one of my legs whilst trying to avoid me knocking out their front teeth with a quick kick in the head. [I realise that this have may have been foolhardy but if a dog's going to come for me I am obviously going to resist attack rather than go under with a whimpering "I thought you were playing ..."].

Once she had informed me that her dogs were just joshing with me, I felt within my rights to point out to her that "I didn't know that !" ... and off she tootled up the field ... where I took this photograph ...

Now what annoyed me was that there was no apology from her, whatsoever.

Lyme Park and the Macclesfield Canal

The Christmas holiday and, yes, it does seem a long time ago, involved me in driving around the Peak District and re-walking some of the routes in my Teashop Walks book.

The day I went to Lyme Park was wet, cold and icy.

From Lyme Park itself I walked west for a few hundred yards before taking the path out of the park and heading towards Platt Wood Farm.

Once I'd clambered over the tall, slippery ladder stile I was greeted by this ...



So ... I was prepared ... but as I walked through the next few fields there were no cows or calves to be seen.

Just east of Platt Wood Farm stands Peak & Northern Footpath Society signpost number 266, where two paths cross each other ...



 The canal was frozen in part when I reached it.

I passed one of the stone mileposts beside the canal ...



Then a warning for all dog walkers though from what I saw it was being ignored by some ...



I wonder how many fines have been paid so far ?

I've always wondered about living on a canal but I'd be too far away from the place where I want to live ...





As I mentioned quite a lot of the canal was frozen ...



The photo below shows a view that's actually in my book but the one in the book was taken on a sunny day in spring or summer ...



It's only a short walk and I was soon climbing over another ladder stile to get back into Lyme Park.

This photo also gives some idea of how much standing water there was ~ the ground must have been really sodden.

The park boundaries are so high to keep the deer in of course.



I had a steep climb from this point. Perhaps I'd had too much Christmas cake because I was puffing and panting by the time I'd completed the climb.

Alternatively it may be that I'm not as fit as once I was ...

Date of walk ~ 30th December 2009

Length of walk ~ 4 1/2 miles

Total since 1st September 2009 ~ 126 1/2 miles.