Author: CaravanRamblings

Day three of our historical railway journeys and today its the turn of the High Peak trail – a 17 mile journey from Cromford to Dowtow, near Buxton.

 

Formerly, the Cromford and High Peak Railway, it was completed in 1831 to carry minerals and goods between the Cromford Canal wharf at High Peak Junction and the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.

 

 

We started the trail at Middleton Top to avoid the steep 2.5 mile incline from   Cromford. Stationery steam engines were required along this section to haul the trucks up the track. Horses were used on the flatter sections.

 

Upon leaving there is a short sharp incline of around a mile out of Middleton Top but then it’s all flat / slight incline beyond High Peak junction and on to Parsely Hay.

 

This time we didn’t stop at Parsely Hay but continued to then end of the trail where there is a pub, the Royal Oak. We had taken a picnic but the food looked good so would recommend this as a place to eat.

The return journey was as expected somewhat easier being predominantly flat / downhill – this is the best way to cycle this trail.

In the evening we cooked on the BBQ.

The old Ashbourne to Buxton railway was opened in 1899 but regular passenger services ceased in 1954 and in 1971 it became a cycle trail – The Tissington Trail. The trail is named after the village of Tissington which is on the route.

We drove to the car park close to the start of the trail at Ashbourne and cycled towards Buxton. Whilst we hadn’t planned which direction to take, we were pleased to have selected this way as the entire 13.5 miles was uphill – a steady grind for the entire length of the trail. Plenty of unspoilt scenery on the route to Parsley Hay.

We stopped for a coffee at Parsley Hay, which is just past the point where the Tissington Trail and High Peak trails converge.

The return journey was predominantly downhill and required little effort whatsoever to complete. Still the entire journey had taken some 4 or 5 hours.

In the evening, we ate at the Chinese restaurant in Ashbourne.

Everything around here is called Peak – and it’s not because of all the hills and dales of which there are a plenty. It’s because the area used to be inhabited by the Peak tribe.

In the heyday of steam, there was a whole array of railway lines crossing the Peak District from London to the East Midlands and then heading to Manchester and beyond. For the next few days, we’ll be exploring a number of these lines, none of which are part of the Railway Network anymore.

Today we would travel from Matlock to Rowsley on Peak Rail. Peak Rail is a preserved railway which operates a steam and heritage diesel service for visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales. Peak Rail is a part of the original Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway.

The heritage railway line is over three and a half miles in length and operates train services from Matlock station (shared with Derwent Valley Line services from Derby via Ambergate) via the site of Matlock Riverside and Darley Dale to Rowsley South.

At Rowsley South there is a 30 minute walk alongside the River Derwent to the village of Rowsley, where there is a small shopping village and a pub – the Grouse and Claret – where we would stop for a quick lunch.

The train was pulled by the 0-6-0ST Austerity loco No.3883, known as ‘Lord Phil’.

I just hadn’t appreciated how long it’s been since the last blog. This entry is covering a full five days, from Thursday until Monday.

In truth, there is little new to report as the Friday to Sunday was spent entertaining our daughter Sue, who arrived on Friday at Derby station from London.

We picked some of our previous walks and meal experiences, enjoying Sunday lunch at the Red Lion in Hognaston for the second Sunday in a row!

Today we cycled around Carsington Water, taking a break for lunch at the Miners Arms, the only pub directly on the circuit around the reservoir.

We covered around 10 miles on the bikes and it’s a considerably easier cycle than walk!

Rather chilly BBQ in the evening followed by Wales Portugal.

Stanton Moor and a circular walk was one of the recommendations from our visit to the Barley Mow the previous evening. The weather was bright but as it has been for the duration of our trip, quite chilly.

Stanton Moor is a small highland area of the Peak District and lies between Matlock and Bakewell. The moor has four Bronze Age stone circles, of which the best known is Nine Ladies.

Spread across the rest of the moor are a number of Cairns.

The circular walk we followed was also documented in our Ordnance Survey “Peak District Walks” book and despite this book being some thirty years old, it appears the stone circles and monuments haven’t moved during the intervening period!

Much of the day was spent attached to the computer catching up with various administrative tasks. Late afternoon we walked for some time around the campsite here at the Carsington Water Caravan Club location. There really is an extensive selection of woodland paths and walks – very popular with dog owners.

We ate early evening and after dinner walked to the Barley Mow in Kirk Ireton. The Barley Mow is another one of those wonderful, “time stood still” kind of watering holes (a bit like the Bell at Aldworth and the Fleece at Bretforton).

The Landlady is in her late 80s and the Landlord could be even older and one wonders just how long Tony and Mary Short can continue to run a pub and Bed & Breakfast. Still Tony and one of the locals were very friendly and helpful in recommending places to visit in the Peak District. There are many reviews of the Barley Mow on the internet and if you are ever in the area, it’s definitiely worth stopping off for a pint (no food though, possibly filled rolls at lunchtime) and chatting to the locals. The open fire burns all year round.

Our choice for Sunday lunch was a roast in the Red Lion at Hognaston.

 

Situated about an hours hike from the caravan site over some pretty muddy and overgrown fields and paths, Sunday roast was the choice between Beef or Lamb – myself selecting the beef whilst Mo tucked into Lamb.

 

It was a great choice for lunch and a nice hike too so we booked a table for next weekend when Sue, our daughter, will be visiting us.

We were a little later than usual to exit our bed this morning after the hectic move yesterday but by early afternoon, we had our picnic ready and set off to walk around Carsington Water.

The journey took most of the afternoon and we dodged a few showers on the way round. The circular walk (which is also suitable for bikes) is very well sign-posted and the paths are compacted hard-core.

Early evening and the heavens have opened up again creating the perfect opportunity to post a couple of blogs. I’m going to stop asking the question “Does it always rain in Little England” because I think I’ve finally worked out the answer.

Just need to decide where we shall eat tonight. Mo is on the case and she’s chosen the Knockerdown Inn.

An update later…

The travel time to the Peak District was just over 2 hours and 10 minutes according to the satnav and we had to cover some 80 odd miles. The route would take us directly west to Evesham and then north through Alcester before picking up the M42 all the way round to the M6 Toll.

We would stay on the M6 Toll for a couple of junctions, leaving the exit for Lichfield. Upon arriving at the Toll booth and prior to paying, we hit the “Assistance” button and told customer services we had a Caravan Club membership card. On holding the said card up to the camera, the fee was discounted to that of a regular motor car.

From Lichfield, we headed north to Ashbourne and then picked up the A517 Ashbourne to Belper route, finally following the directions to the Carsington Water Caravan Club Site posted on the club website.

The journey had taken 2.5 hours and we arrived just after 11:00am only to find the earliest check-in time was noon. One of the most competitive aspects of arriving at a Caravan Club site is the scramble to select a pitch. The normal protocol is to drive around the site and choose a pitch – and one can drive around several times to achieve this. It has been noted on occasions that guests have actually circuited a full three times before choosing that “perfect” pitch. But, remember, each circuit allows another van or two to enter the site behind you so that “almost perfect” pitch might not be there on circuit number 2 and 3.

Arriving at 11:00am seemed to sort out this problem and we now understand why when we arrive bang on noon, we are always at the back of a long line of caravans. We had a full hour to walk around the site and selected our top 3 pitches based upon distance from the services, how close other vans would be and most importantly, to ensure that the awning faced south / south west without too much shade.

This is to ensure we would enjoy the full sun for our evening BBQs. There is an issue with this last criteria – since in Little England, the sun never shines. So really the most important aspect is to make sure the van is located on higher ground – because it does rain a lot.

We are staying here in the Peak District for a couple of weeks so we have all the toys installed – including the awning and of course, the trusted Weber BBQ.

In the evening, we put the BBQ to good use and ate in the awning, blessed with the late evening sun and with temperatures almost reaching double figures. (Sorry, I lied. There was no sun but we kept warm in the awning with our trusted fan heater).

And of course we watched the Wales versus Belgium game.