A short blog today … I think! Its short length doesn’t accurately reflect the quality of the day though. Time spent with good people and beautiful places is always time well spent!
I was meeting Mandy at 11am so no time for a cooked breakfast - just cereal. Frustratingly Tilly is doing that thing she often does when we’re out with Brunnehilda- she’s not eating breakfast and then is starving by the time it’s teatime! I think it’s because she’s so excited about walking but it just might be because she’s a fussy bugger!
Still on my own on site today but can’t help feeling I’m being overlooked?
I met Mandy and Ethel at Middleton Moor. We had a nice gentle hour walk around a disused quarry and back home along the Pennine Bridleway. The dogs pretty much ignored each other so that worked well. Tilly and Ben embarrassed me at the start of the walk though with their usual synchronised pooing but apart from that it was a lovely walk.
Afterwards we had a pint and a light lunch at Mandy’s local - The Boat at Cromford. It was great to catch up for a couple of hours. You can’t help but feel a little more ready for anything life throws at you after an hour or so in Mandy’s company!
I left Cromford at about 2.30 and was back in Brunnehilda for 3. I had to be at Helen and Karl’s at Ashbourne for 6.30 and I wanted to get in another short walk. So, after wasting a hour at Brunnehilda, I headed back towards Ashbourne and made my way to Dovedale.
An absolutely stunningly beautiful place but I have to say, it wasn’t a great visit for a number of reasons. It started off well though - free parking for National Trust members!
I had only allowed myself a couple of hours but I thought I would get in a quick circular walk. Which I would have done but for a number of minor annoyances that added up to a bigger one!
Firstly the place was not very dog friendly. I ignored the seemingly unreasonable reasons to keep dogs on the leads until, towards the end of the walk, I caught Tilly chasing some wee birds up the steep sides of the Dale - d’oh!
The biggest challenge was the stepping stones. Turns out these were the only way to continue the walk as the path crossed from one side to another at this stage. The river was like a torrent and very high. The dogs weren’t keen to go across but they followed me and both managed to fall in. After a lot of scrabbling about they got back on to the stones but it was a little stressful for both them and me. So much so, when on the other side, I missed the main river side path and headed up a steep hill. By the time I got 1/2 way up I realised I wasn’t following the river - don’t ask!! So I came back and walked along the river but conscious all the time that I’d probably got to get back across those bloody stones at some stage!
I found a circular walk on the map that would avoid the stones but I didn’t have enough time to complete it so we just had to make the crossing again. They were much better second time - although Ben did nearly knock me in in his anxiety to get across.
Helen had cooked a smashing lasagne made of goose mince - which of course she’d named Goosagne! It was great to catch up, reminisce and put the world to right. Karl gave me the guided tour of 2 of their 3 stunningly high quality holiday rentals - absolutely gorgeous. I managed to have a quick play with one of his toys too ..
Home to Brunnehilda for 11 and then I stupidly watched a film before blogging in bed - so a late ending to a smashing day.
NB. Another one of me but sorry there are no pictures of Mandy, Helen and Karl. It always feels a bit presumptuous putting pictures of others in the blog!
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