It’s been a considerable time since mining was a core activity in this part of the world but maybe a couple of icons remain. One seems to be a local estate agent – Scargill and co – any relation perhaps?
The other is the Miners Arms at Carsington village and Wednesday night is steak night. The steak was magnificent – we all had the filet – and very keenly priced.
If you are in this part of the world on a Wednesday evening, pay the Miners Arms a visit.
It might seem a little extreme to cycle a 37 mile round trip to the pub for lunch but whilst the Ploughmans lunch at the Royal Oak was exceptional, the bike ride was truly spectacular.
Leaving the CMC site at Carsington Water, we headed clockwise around Britain’s newest reservoir, Carsington Water, opened by the Queen in 1992.
At the village of Carsington we left the cycle path and headed north to the HIgh Peak trail.
The High Peak Railway line first opened in 1831 and was mainly designed to carry minerals and goods between Cromford Canal and the Peak Forest Canal. Following the closure of the line, the Peak District National Park bought the route in 1971 and turned it into a traffic free trail for walkers and cyclists.
The High Peak Trail runs for 17 miles from Dowlow (53.2059°N 1.8349°W) near Buxton to High Peak Junction at Cromford (53.1004°N 1.5354°W).
The evening was spent at the Barley Mow pub, Kirk Ireton. It is still owned by the same elderly couple but much of the day-to-day operations are carried out by their daughter. We chatted to both Jen and her father Tony, who’s still as bright as a button!
See our previous visit here:
Another trip to the Red Lion at Hognaston – this time on foot – to sample their Sunday lunch and watch the World Cup final between France and Croatia.
Lunch was excellent, the game good but the “wrong” team won!
Bacon and egg rolls for brunch courtesy of Paul and Andrea were followed by a cycle ride around Carsington Water.
A detour then took us to the Red Lion at Hognaston for our second visit and the 3rd place play-off between England and Belgium.
A visit to Ashbourne and the local DIY store. Very much not a B&Q but a rambling old shop with nooks and crannies everywhere, we managed to purchase everything we needed.
This included a solar lighting addition for the awning.
Paul and Andrea arrived in the afternoon and we headed to the Knockerdown Inn for pre-dinner drinks.
Dinner was take-away pizza from the visiting Pizza truck! Actually, it is highly recommended.
Joe’s birthday today and a cycle ride around Carsington water with refreshements at the Miners Inn, Carsington village.
The weather fine, hot and sunny – perfect conditions to round the day off with a BBQ, washed down with some pseudo Champagne left over from our recent French travels.
An early start and we were on the road to the Caravan and Motorhome clubsite at Carsington Water, near Ashbourne and the Peak District. We left North Hampshire just before 09:00, arriving at Carsington Water just after 12:30 – covering the 150 miles in just about 3.5 hours.
The site is around half full at the moment but looks like being a sell-out at the weekend. We have a West facing pitch and erected our Isabella Sunshine awning – only the second time it has been used and the first time we have tried out the front panels (an optional add-on).
This site is very peaceful and beautifully laid out within the pine forest. Some of the pitches have views across Carsington water.
In the evening it was the second World Cup semi-final between England and Croatia. We de-camped to the Red Lion at Hognaston and found a table and seats with a good view of the TV. Food was excellent and at half-time, we reserved the same table for Sunday in order to watch England in the final.
We all know what happened next…
The trip map will evolve as we progress during the trip.
| Date | Location | Grid Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 28th January 2018 | Bishops Green | 51.3641987, -1.2799287 |
| 30th January 2018 | Camping Caceres, Caceres | 39.4892, -6.41221 |
| 01st February 2018 | Camping La Rosaldea, Conil de la Frontera | 36.2932, -6.0953 |
| 15th March 2018 | Camping Valle Niza | 36.72032, -4.16487 |
| 23rd March 2018 | Camping Despenaperros | 38.343113, -3.535522 |
| 24th March 2018 | Camping Madrid Arco Iris | 40.3825, -3.90978 |
| 25th March 2018 | Camping Fuentas Blancas, Burgos | 42.34138, -3.657499 |
| 26th March 2018 | Bilbao | 43.351742, -3.069903 |
| 28th March 2018 | Bishops Green | 51.3641987, -1.2799287 |
Mileage chart…
| Start | End | Mileage | Time (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bishops Green | Portsmouth Harbour | 60 | 1.5 hours |
| Puerto de Bilbao | Camping Caceres | 389 | 7 hours |
| Camping Caceres | Camping Rosaleda | 250 | 6 hours |
| Camping Rosaleda | Camping Valle Niza | 160 | 3.5 hours |
| Camping Valle Niza | Camping Despenaperros | 180 | 4 hours |
| Camping Despenaperros | Camping Madrid Arco Iris | 165 | 3.75 hours |
| Camping Madrid Arco Iris | Camping Fuentas Blancas | 165 | |
| Camping Fuentas Blancas | Bilbao Port | 97 | 3.0 hours |
| Portsmouth Harbour | Bishops Green | 60 | 1.5 hours |
We woke to a rather grey day just as the ferry from England was docking. Grabbed a breakfast roll at the cafe and waited to board. We weren’t sure where to empty the chemical toilet but it appeared to be common practice to just use the regular toilets, so we followed suite,
The Civil Guardia thoroughly checked every outfit for migrant activity and we finally boarded Cap Finistere at 10:15am.
The campsite at Burgos was fine with us checking out later in the day so we took the opportunity to travel by bus into Burgos old town in order to visit the Cathedral of Burgos, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of Burgos is a Catholic church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, its official name being Santa Iglesia Catedral Basílica Metropolitana de Santa María de Burgos. Its construction began in 1221, following French Gothic patterns. It went through major changes in the 15th and 16th centuries: the spires of the main facade, the Chapel of the Constable and dome of the transept, elements of the advanced Gothic which give the temple its unmistakable profile. The last works of importance (the Sacristy or the Chapel of Saint Thecla) were constructed in the 18th century, in which the Gothic portals of the main facade were also modified. The style of the cathedral is the Gothic, although it has several decorative Renaissance and Baroque elements as well. The construction and renovations were made with limestone extracted from the quarrys of the nearby town of Hontoria de la Cantera.
In the cathedral are preserved works of extraordinary artists, such as architects and sculptors of the Colonia family (Juan, Simón and Francisco), the architect Juan de Vallejo, sculptors Gil de Siloé, Felipe Bigarny, Rodrigo de la Haya, Martín de la Haya, Juan de Ancheta and Juan Pascual de Mena, the sculptor and architect Diego de Siloé, the fencer Cristóbal de Andino, the glazier Arnao de Flandes or painters Alonso de Sedano, Mateo Cerezo, Sebastiano del Piombo or Juan Ricci, among others.
A series of photographs from this stunning church.
We finally hit the road to the port of Bilbao around 2:00pm, arriving at 16:40, including a stop for lunch. The port is open for check-in from 4:00pm to 7:00pm and there were many outfits parked up for the night.
A cafe opens in the evenings for drinks and snacks.