A warm day albeit mainly cloudy. One cleaner up early to turn cottage round for today’s arrivalsin our peak district cottages. Decided to go for our walk as Smudge wasn’t hobbling any more. Packed up rucksacks and headed for the picnic spot on the lane by Long Rake quarry near Youlgreave. Originally had planned to walk from home but worked out it would be an eight mile walk so by driving to a spot on the route we saved three miles. We set off down the lane then picked up the path to Meadow Grange Farm and down to Lathkill Dale. We stopped and chatted to the owner of the lodge house down by the river as Chris knows her from his Digital Camera Workshop sessions. The house actually does not get any sun for a few months of the year. We walked along the dale towards Monyash stopping to look at some of the relics of lead mining along the dale. At the end of the nature reserve we started to look for somewhere to eat. Smudge decided to investigate the edge of a weir but fell in the water, luckily on the still side but he was not impressed as he does not like water! Found a spot to eat lunch then carried on along the dale. At the footbridge we turned into Cales Dale. We have never walked along this dale before. It was quite narrow but we weren’t there for long as we picked up the Limestone Way back to the car. We didn’t meet as many walkers as we thought for a Bank Holiday but I guess that a lot of people will be making their way back home today. Got home just before our guests arrived. They have been here before. Actually sat down early – 7.30pm but disturbed by the phone. Never mind. Have got the latest Over Haddon Newsletter. The cinema club starts again at the end of September with some good films for the season and we have the annual visit from the Bakewell Silver Band for the Last Night of the Proms to look forward to in a couple of weeks. It’s all happening here!
Author: Shirley Swaap
Que Sera Sera Sunday 30 August
A wonderful warm sunny start…which did not last! Had planned a walk in Lathkill Dale but Smudge had been limping a little last night and there was still a bit of a hobble there this morning so we decided we would postpone it until tomorrow. As it did rain from mid afternoon perhaps it was just as well. Plan B was tax returns so the ‘probate office’ became the ‘tax office’. Firstly though we did a quick trip down to Bakewell for the Sunday paper and two dustbins of bottles for he bottle bank. Also today one cottage out and two back in to our Derbyshire cottages. Took the dogs out in the fields for a walk before the rain set in. Autumn seems to be in the air and the forecast for later in the week sounds more autumnal so fingers crossed that next weekend will be OK as it is the Chatsworth Country Fair and that always brings a lot of visitors to the area. Still they say we will have a nice day tomorrow…
A mixed week ahead Saturday 29 August
Arrived back late Thursday and Friday went on catching up. After a cold night woke up to a cold morning and a quick trip down to the Farmers Market. Today we had seven cottages out with five back in to our Peek District cottages between Bakewell and Monyash. One arrived last Monday and leaves tomorrow. For the rest of the week we have guests arriving and departing most days. Three cleaners up and apart from the usual minor repairs no problems were encountered. Even managed to finish with time to spare! First cottage arrived just after 3pm and final cottage arrived just after 5pm. Time to catch up on the days emails and post and a steak and kidney pie (from the market) for tea.
A day of changes Saturday 22 August
Another Saturday arrives and a steady departure of guests. Five cottages out and six back into our peak district cottages. One cottages is here for a second week and one cottage is here for a few more days. Two cleaners up today as one is away but no major problems encountered. Nevertheless there were a number of jobs to be done by Chris. An oven to change a shower head to replace and a rug to put in as well as cutting the lawns. Three cottages arrived at 3pm of which two have been before and both are celebrating special events. Two more cottages arrived within an hour and the final one about 8pm. They have also been here before. Fish and chips tonight. Last blog for a few days as I am going down to my dad’s.
Buxton & Buxton again! Thursday/Friday 20/21 August
Chris went to York again on Thursday afternoon and I went over to Buxton to get some bits but other than that a quiet day. One of our cottages left this afternoon as they also run a holiday business and have to be back for the morning. On Friday a cleaner came up and cleaned the vacated peak district cottage. In the morning I went down to Bakewell to get provisions for the weekend and got caught in a heavy down pour, as did the bride just as she turned up at the registry office! I spent some of the afternoon preparing for tomorrow and making some arrangements for next week as I plan to go down to my sisters for a few days next week. In the evening we went to the Buxton Opera House for a performance of The Pirates of Penzance. This was a part of the annual International Buxton Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, which follows on from the Buxton Festival, and we went with a group from the WI. Picked up my name sake, Shirley, from Monyash on the way and she was able to update us on Monyash gossip! A full house and a rousing performance.
Out and about Tuesday/Wednesday 18/19 August
Went to Sainsbury’s in Matlock on Tuesday morning and had a little wander around Matlock too. It was busy with holiday makers as expected. Chris came back in the afternoon and I had hoped we could have a BBQ but it was too breezy by the evening. On Wednesday it started off cloudy and it wasn’t until midday the sun finally came out and the temperature shot up. We needed a new oven for one of the cottages in time for the weekend and I was able to reserve one at Currys in Chesterfield so we zipped over there and collected it. Whilst in Chesterfield we called in at a furniture store and half an hour later had ordered two sofa suites for two cottages and to finish of our ‘shopping trip’ we bought a couple of rugs. So a few odd jobs to do at the weekend in our Derbyshire self catering cottages. As the weather stayed nice we decided on a picnic to Lathkill Dale in the evening. We parked at Over Haddon and walked down to the dale. For the time of year there was a lot of water in the dale. At Conksbury Bridge we took the path back up to Over Haddon but stopped at ‘our’ picnic place overlooking the dale. While we ate our picnic we also watched the hay making at Meadow Grange farm on the other side of the dale.
Good news and bad news Sunday/Monday 16/17 August
A day of catch up and tidy up. We have renamed the dining room the ‘probate room’ due to all the paper work from our respective dads. Whilst we were tidying up some old papers we found the ‘for sale’ details of Bolehill Farm from 1974. Andrew had lent us them, so we have scanned them. Back in 1974 it was a four bedroom house with over 90 acres of land. It belonged to the owner of Stanton Hall, a former High Sheriff of Derbyshire, but had a tenant farmer. We don,t know when it passed into the Stanton Estate or why it was sold. We also heard that Chris’s mums health had deteriorated again so Chris’s brother came up and stayed over night so that they could both go up to York on Monday. On Monday I heard that contacts have finally been exchanged on the sale of my dads bungalow. We had one cottage out and one back in our peak district cottages. Chris stayed overnight in York.
Another busy Saturday 15 August
Another bright and warm Saturday and with seven cottages out and eight back in to our Bakewell cottages it was nice to have another dry cleaning day. Most guests out by 10am and three cleaners up for cleaning. No problems encountered and despite a couple of freezer compartments to defrost I had time to get some odd jobs done. Finished with plenty of time to spare for a change. Five cottages in between 3 & 5 pm, of which two have been here before. Another cottage in at 7pm, one at 8pm just as we were about to eat our take away. Final one at 10pm but as they knew where they were staying as they had been before, they let themselves in. Phew, the end of another busy Saturday.
The heather is on its way Friday 14 August
Decided to go for a walk today as we haven’t had any real time off for two weeks now. Had thought about Froggatt Edge but it was a bit hazy so opted for a walk from the Longshaw Estate near Hathersage which included Padley Gorge. Although we have driven past the Longshaw Estate we have never stopped or walked from there. Longshaw Lodge now is private but it was a former hunting Lodge of the Duke of Rutland before it was sold to the National Trust. During the first world war it was used as a military hospital. The walk started at Woodcroft car park and we headed to White Edge Moor. From here we could make out Higger Tor and Carl Wark and in the haze Win and Lose hills. We were surprised to find that heather was starting to bloom and on closer inspection could make out swathes of purple covering the lower slopes of the moorland. This means the heather will be early this year. From White Edge we headed towards the Haywood car park and then down towards Grindleford skirting the edge of Nether Padley. At Grindleford station we stopped for lunch at the cafe, although we had brought sandwiches with us, but the bacon bap had four rashers of bacon and was very tasty. From here we walked up Padley Gorge and though the path was not always beside the gorge Chris found a number of spots to take some photos. I took some too. At the top of the gorge it was quite busy with families enjoying the warm day beside Burbage Brook. We headed back towards the Longshaw Estate and being a National Trust property stopped at the tea room for tea and cake with Higger Tor and Carl Wark as a backdrop. On the way back home we stopped at the Calver Garden Centre to get some bits. In the evening one of the cleaners came up and cleaned a cottage. The German family who had been with us for a fortnight went today and with a busy day tomorrow one cottage less to worry about at our Bakewell cottages is always helpful.
An update Thursday 13 August
Although Tuesday and Wednesday started damp both days developed into lovely summer days. On Tuesday afternoon we ventured to Chesterfield as there were a few things I needed to get before Saturday’s change over. On Wednesday we had planned to go to the Ashover Show as we hadn’t been for a few years. This is a ‘proper‘ agricultural show compared to Bakewell as there isn’t much scope for retail therapy. The guests who went enjoyed it. Chris went to York as his mum was not well leaving me with a day to myself. As this was unexpected I made the most of it by doing some odd jobs on my list and some extra cleaning around the house. By the afternoon I could hear the cutting machines out in the fields and I knew Andrew had started his second cut. Cutting went on till quite late but at least it all got done. The results of my hard labour today meant a number of bags of clothes and soft furnishings for recycling so I did a quick trip down to Bakewell. Thursday was a lovely day from start to finish so it meant the second cut was able to be completed today. Not as many fields get cut as in June and with three collectors working the job was finished late evening. I popped down to Bakewell in the afternoon to get provisions for the weekend. It was busy. When I took the dogs for a late walk to put the chicken and duck away there was a smell of cut grass in the air. In the twilight I enjoyed the smells and ambiance of living here as the lights came on in faraway village such as Stanton and Elton and once again I thought how lucky I was to live here at Bolehill with our peak district cottages.