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