Taking a break

The Peak District was lovely. We stayed in an old, stone cottage in the village of Bradwell in the Hope Valley, the perfect centre for exploring.

We passed the Whaley Bridge Basin on our way there. It's at the end of the Peak Forest Canal, and on our list of 'cruises to do'. And it's more than just a canal basin.

We conserve Whaley Bridge basin, the Transhipment Warehouse and the towpath up to bridge 32. We run a book shop, a craft centre and a food bank, and act as a local hub and community centre. Our aim is to bring people together to help rejuvenate and maintain one of the town's great assets and links to the past. We want to create a village green type space for the town, bringing a range of events and activities that not only bring something that enriches the community, but puts them at the heart of it.

The weather on the first few days was rather dull, but not cold or wet, so walking was the order of the day. First, Buxton. It was Sunday, and the whole of the town population were out enjoying the park, shops, pubs and eateries. Some people were even enjoying the band; we weren't, and we hurried away to the excellent Gallery in the Gardens.

Neither of us took photos; the pictures here were taken the last time we visited - February 2007. There were far fewer people about then. 

Monday; Castleton and Peveril Castle.  Locally mined Blue John stones were for sale in every other shop, alongside the manifold other souvenirs.

Tourists were out in force in the town, spilling off the narrow pavements onto the busy roads. Crowded is an understatement. Fortunately for us, the castle was less popular.

The imposing ruins of Peveril Castle stand high above the pretty village of Castleton in the heart of Derbyshire's Peak District. Mentioned in the Domesday survey, Peveril Castle is one of England's earliest Norman fortresses. The keep was built by Henry II in 1176.

From there, we moved on to Hathersage. Apart from a pub, a café and two shops, it was closed for the day. That didn't stop us climbing to the beautiful hilltop Church of St Michael and All Angels. It is claimed that John Little - Little John of Robing Hood fame - is buried there.

Situated in the spectacular Hope Valley and surrounded on all sides by wooded hillsides and magnificent gritstone edges, the pretty village of Hathersage is an absolute gem! With beautiful old stone buildings lining the streets, and a collection of vibrant shops, cafés, pubs and restaurants, it’s no wonder that Hathersage is one of the most popular villages in this part of the Peak District National Park.

Particularly popular with lovers of outdoor activities. It’s a great base for exploring Stanage Edge, a gritstone escarpment just north of the village that stretches for almost 4 miles and is famous as a location for climbing. The many moorland and fell trails that start from the edge of the village also offer wonderful routes for running, cycling and hiking.

The glorious stained-glass window was installed there after being removed from Derwent Chapel before it was submerged, along with the rest of the village, under the Ladybower Reservoir.

The following day, we visited the wonderful 16th century Lyme House and gardens.

Nestling on the edge of the Peak District, Lyme was once home to the Legh family and, in its heyday a great sporting estate. The 1,400 acre estate with its medieval herd of red deer offers fantastic walks and stunning views. For a more tranquil walk explore the elegant Rose Garden, Ravine Garden or the luxurious herbaceous borders next to the reflecting lake where a certain Mr Darcy met Miss Bennet in the BBC production of 'Pride and Prejudice'. Head in to the house to step back in time to the Regency era - a time which saw great rejuvenation for Lyme.

There was far too much for us to see in the one afternoon, so we went back the next morning, just to finish viewing the extensive gardens.

On our way back to the cottage, we drove down Snake Pass, an aptly-named, winding country road engineered by Thomas Telford, the builder of the phenomenal Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal, and several other canals besides.

Thursday was a day of quirky art and craft shops, and a visit to a sculpture garden in the village of Eyam.

Eyam became famous after the Black Death of 1665 and 1666. An outbreak of the plague was contained when the villagers decided to isolate themselves from the surrounding communities. Many people in the village died. It is also known that some of the village population were genetically unique and naturally immune to this very deadly disease. There are still descendants of this line in Eyam.

We didn't buy any of the sculptures; we wanted to be able to feed ourselves for the rest of the year.

From Eyam we drove to Longshaw Country Park for another stroll. 

A wonderful place to discover spectacular views of the Peak District. You can take a glimpse into the history of the landscape with the remains of the prehistoric burial cairns, 17th century plague graves and recent quarrying activities. A haven for woodland wildlife with unusual hairy wood ant nests, nationally important populations of pied flycatchers and ancient oak trees and rare mosses and ferns clinging to the rocky waterfalls and springs.

We were flagging a bit by now; the weather had turned quite warm. Our cameras were largely untouched.

On Friday, our last day in the peaks, we wanted to see as much of the Hope Valley as we could. We started at the Ladybower Dam.

The reservoir is famous for its use during the second world war by 617 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, later called the Dam Busters, who practised there for their attack on German dams carried out on the night of 16th May 1943 using special "bouncing bombs".

We set out enthusiastically to walk around the reservoir, but it was getting quite hot by now, and we stopped just a quarter of the way round. But then, we had to walk back, so we actually achieved a walk half  the total distance.

Water levels were very low indeed; we'd seen that a lot over the past days.

On Saturday, we had to be out of the cottage by 10:00am so, in our hurry, we skipped breakfast and set off towards Hardwick Hall, half-way back to the marina. After our delayed breakfast in the café there, we visited the Hall. It is breath-taking!

It was the formidable 'Bess of Hardwick' who first built the house and developed the surrounding estate in the late 1500s. Her descendants, the Dukes of Devonshire, treasured Hardwick, while lavishing much of their attention and money on nearby Chatsworth. Their success – intimately associated with empire over 400 years and across the globe – preserved Hardwick, and their interests elsewhere saved it from significant alternation.

In the 20th century, keenly aware of Hardwick’s great significance and unique appeal, the Devonshires ensured that this remarkable building was passed on to the National Trust with its Elizabethan splendour intact.

We failed to take many photos of the interior because the light was very poor.

After enjoying several hours there, we continued on our way home, stopping off first to see Steve, Karolina and Nina, whom we hadn't seen for a long time.

After a very welcome and greatly satisfying break, we're back on Kantara now, waiting for our new cratch cover to be fitted. Then? Who knows?

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