A relaxing weeks holiday

Last week we were away on holiday. We like to holiday in the UK and this week our destination was Derbyshire. We wanted to do some walking but also have some visits. The only down side was that we didn't have internet access all week so no blog posts or keeping up with the blogs I follow. We all have smartphones but at times and in quite a lot of places the network coverage was dire. It was fun being unplugged for the week.

The main map shows Derbyshire and the surrounding counties whilst the little insert shows where Derbyshire is on the map of England. We stayed in Buxton which meant we were in the peak district but not in the National park. 

The weather at the beginning of the week wasn't very good, with rain on and off for all of our journey north. The traffic was also heavy since it was the Easter weekend and we had to stop several times for Scamp to have comfort breaks and a little walk. Whilst driving Scamp slept in the back of the car with Richard. Kathryn and Olly joined us much later in the evening as they had been working all day.

Easter Sunday started cold and damp with hail showers every so often. We went out for a short walk but we had already decided that Sunday was a rest day. Kathryn went out to photograph the hail.

The great part of the cottage we stayed in was the deep window ledges in the main room They  were perfect for sitting and stitching during the morning. Normally I have a daylight bulb for stitching as it makes it so much easier to see what I'm doing but the light was perfect and I got a fair amount done.. 

Monday was a day for exploring close to home which was a good decision since it had snowed and there was more forecast. 

The snow cleared very quickly in the town and most of it fell up on the hills.

Later that evening when John and I walked to the top of Grin Low there was still some snow around but mostly the ground was very boggy from the melt water.

Tuesday was a shopping morning in Buxton and in the afternoon we visited the tram museum at Crich. We loved the old pub which had been taken apart and boxed up for a number of years before moving to its location in the museum. It also served good ale and the tea I had was great

I realised as I started writing this that most of the pictures of the trams are on John's camera but here's one I took. The trams and trolleybuses all work and you get to ride on them. The rails don't go that far but it makes for a fun experience. It shows how old I am that I can remember the trolley buses in Wolverhampton when I was young.

The view up the line with the overhead cables. and the rails.

Over the course of Tuesday Scamp got wet three times and although we dried him well and kept him warm he wasn't well overnight. With lots of care and attention he perked up quite quickly but I carried him a fair amount on Wednesday to rest him.

On Wednesday we visited Peveril castle and Castleton and we had planned lots more walking. Scamp went with us to the castle and enjoyed the exercise but later in the day he and I stayed home whilst the rest went walking. This was a good opportunity to catch up on a little stitching, reading and lots of cuddles with Scamp.

Scamp is really funny when you take him out as he is constantly checking everyone is there. You can see him doing the head count and if someone is missing he starts his search. If the party is splitting into smaller groups you have to tell him or he gets stressed.

The keep of the castle is one of the smallest in England but the view was good.

Being so open much of the stone has been damaged by the weather.  This picture is weird because at times it looks like the stone is sticking up but in fact it has holes in it.

The church in the village had these lovely boxed pews

and this really effective Easter garden. 

Thursday was our trip to Lyme Park. For those of you who enjoyed the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (all 6 hours) Lyme Park was used for the exterior of Pemberley. 

Because we didn't have internet access we hadn't checked opening times and unfortunately the house isn't open on a Thursday at this time of year so Kathryn was disappointed. They were doing a behind the scenes tour which she went on instead. Whilst Richard, Kathryn and Olly went on the tour and looked round the garden John and I took Scamp for a walk in the park. The weather was gloriously sunny and warm so we had a lovely time. Scamp enjoyed running off his lead and getting lots of strokes from other visitors.

Kathryn and Olly had to head back to London in the early evening as they were both working on Friday. It made me, John and Richard sad to wave them goodbye and Thursday evening was rather quiet.

On Friday we went hunting waterfalls, viaducts and tunnels. We also enjoyed a pub lunch, with John and Richard enjoying the ale. As the driver I was on soft drinks. The waterfalls weren't huge but they were delightful

The water was used by a cotton mill for the various stages of the process. There was a lots of ruined building still standing and the pounds where the water was held back or released as needed. 

We climbed up and then followed the water downhill.

Later we stopped at Monsal Head and looked down on the old viaduct before walking down to it.

I took this shot from the viaduct looking down.

There are also disused tunnels you can walk through

The tunnel was lit although the light go out at dusk A path had been laid where the trains would have run.

Coming out the tunnel at the other end the rock had brickwork in it giving it a strange appearance.

Scamp had a great day especially as he was back to his happy healthy self. In the evening he was all ears and ready to go as we discussed where we would go on our next holiday. We also took some time out to remember my mother whose birthday fell on April 1st. We had a glass of wine and toasted her memory, talking about the fun times we'd all shared. She would have loved Scamp.

All too soon our week away was over and yesterday we packed up and travelled home. Today has been a catch up day with washing and ironing and tomorrow is back to work for me and John. Richard had to work today. Scamp has been reunited with Picasso who was cared for by Lucy for the week. He's been demanding attention all day. Lucy had been very stressed one day in the week as he wouldn't come in when she let him out so he had to stay out whilst she was at work. Today I've been doing a little slow knitting but I'll tell you about that tomorrow.

Thank you all for the lovely comments from the blog hop last week and I will reply over the next few days.  I also hope you all had a peaceful Easter. I'm going to knit another couple of rows before bed time.

Lyndsey