Sunday started bright and sunny at our peak district cottages but it soon clouded over.  Took dogs for their morning walk before fetching paper and doing recycling.  After coffee we headed to Hopton Hall near Carsington Water to have a look at the snowdrops.  We go most years and although they don’t allow dogs in the gardens it doesn’t take to long to walk round the estate and have a light lunch.  From here we drove round to the Sheepwash car park at Carsington Water as by now the sun had come out and we thought the dogs would enjoy a short walk.  From the car park we took the footpath to the Visitor Centre and as it was a nice afternoon the path and Centre was busy.  The walk was about three miles there and back and on the way there we passed an old WW11 viewing tower and a couple of bird hides.  The footpath and cycle way that goes round the reservoir is about eight miles long.  At the main viewing gallery there were a number of families bird watching and there was a whiteboard for anyone to list any birds they have seen.  The visitor centre was busy with families but I found a place to buy an ice cream and enjoy it before the walk back to the car.  Strange to think that last Sunday we were worried about icy paths on the walk and this Sunday I enjoyed an ice cream on the walk.