Monday morning and a prompt start to Bakewell with Paul and Andrea. It was market day and the town and car parks were heaving. So too were the cafes so having failed to find somewhere for a coffee and bite to eat, we headed to the supermarket and purchased our “picnic kit”.

We then found a wonderful spot alongside the River Wye to enjoy our ham and cheese rolls, followed by Bakewell tart.

After the impromptu picnic we headed up to the “All Saints Parish” church in Bakewell.

On our way back to the car, we couldn’t help but admire the multitude of large fish in the river. Apparently a mixture of Brown and Rainbow trout with many specimens looking to be around 20lbs in weight.

We had hoped to stop at a nice country pub on the way back but everywhere was closed. In the end, we headed into Ashbourne and sat outside an inn on the market square. Unusually the pub had a pool table free to use. Sadly my pool wasn’t quite up to the professional standards required to beat Paul…

Evening was a stir fry, chez P and A.

 

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:

Barley Mow, Kirk Ireton

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…