Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
As the summer season approaches, and more prosaically, probably because half term and the next Bank Holiday weekend is coming up, there seems to be a lot of information about what’s on, so I will try to distill some of it, with links so you can find out more.
The Monsal Trail: There is exciting news abut the new stretch of the the Monsal Trail from Bakewell to Millers Dale which was due to be officially opened today by the Duke of Devonshire. Previously one hadn’t been able to go through the tunnels which have now been repaired. All our local trails are great for walkers, cyclists and people on horseback – and wheelchairs and mobility scooters; they are well maintained, reasonably level and completely free from cars; the Monsal Trail goes through spectacularly beautiful country and is well worth a trip – preferably on a weekday, possibly, as you may not be the only people there, particularly at the weekend…
There are various access points en route, but the first link we give is for the one nearest Bakewell, Hassop Sation, where one can park at the Hassop Bookshop and cafe, enjoy pleasant food, buy books and hire bikes, including the electric variety. (We’ve tried the cafe and the bookshop, not the bikes!) However, you could also start from Monsal Head – some pleasant decisions to be made!
Chatsworth: There is lots planned at Chatsworth this summer – best to look at this link which will tell you much more than I can. Do be prepared for the fact that Chatsworth House itself is shrouded in scaffolding so you don’t at present get that dramatic first view we all love so well, of thr house glinting in the sunshine as you descend through the park. If you’re interested in art you may like to see their first exhibition in their New Gallery (it opens May 27th) rather enticingly entitled ‘Britain’s Most Eligible Batchelor’ – the 6th Duke who sadly is no longer available. The 2011 Chatsworth Country Fair is on Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th September.
Sally Mosley Walks: If you rather like the idea of a guided walk, taken in a very relaxed, pleasant way by someone who knows and loves the area, it might be worth looking at this link for her forthcoming walks and contacting Sally. She will also arrange a personal walk exactly to suit your requirements if you ask her, which at least one guest recently has appreciated enormously.
The Heights of Abraham/cable cars: This is something that rather shamefully over the years we have never done but we happily pass on some info and yet another link, feeling we really must try the cable cars ourselves – manwhile we await some first hand reports from guests! Once up at the top there seems to be a lot to do, before you come down to earth again!
A bit of a cheeky title really, but we have been watching the BAFTA awards this evening, scouring every table for views of our daughter, Ruthie who we know was there and our nephew, Tim Cragg, who should have been there but we didn’t see him either… ! Not a glimpse of either of them did we spot but to our enormous pleasure and pride, Flying Monsters 3D with David Attenborough – the film ‘starirng’ Sir David Attenborough that they all at Atlantic Productions have been working on with Sky3 won the specialist factual award.
Ground breaking 3D technology and David Attenborough is an unbeatable combination, and we are very proud of nephew Tim Cragg, who as the Director of Photography had already won the Bafta Specialist Factual Award for this film. Did we know? Not until I discovered by accident a minute ago while looking at the clips of the film – Tim is such a quietly talented and lovely man, so refreshingly modest about his talents – unlike his aunt and uncle, whoi would shout them from the hilltops if only they knew about them. If you look at the awards on his website you’ll see what I mean.
You don’t have to be competing to enjoy the Horse Trials at Chatsworth, which take place in May every year; you don’t even have to be horsey although it probably helps.
There was a lot to watch but one impressive thing for us was a man riding four at once, bareback – see the photo. His name is Jean Francois Pignon, a French ‘horse whisperer’ who attracted great and admiring crowds; people were pretty impressed with his horses too, who seemed to know by instinct or empathy rather than shouted instructions. In my ignorance I had never heard of him but he seems to be well known for his amazing understanding of horses, and goes around the world giving demonstrations and teaching
We went to the Trials yesterday and are going again tomorrow. We were only too delighted to go, but the official reason was because we are part of a large team of cheerfully willing friends and supporters of the DRCS (Derwent Rural Counselling Service) who have a stand there this year, as Chatsworth’s charity of choice for the event. For those who may have missed any previous explanations about the DRCS, it is a truly remarkable local (Bakewell-based) charity that provides professional counselling help to anyone, young or old, that asks for it and for whom it is going to be the appropriate help (otherwise DRCS would know and suggest a more relevant source).
Friday is a more low-key day and it was relatively quiet; the weather was changeable and pretty windy and cold if one was essentially sitting still – probably quite warm on horseback… Fortunately there were three of us on duty at any one time so nearly always one of us was able to shoot off to watch the events and look at some of the other stalls.
We were stationed near the main ring which was good, next to a wonderful stall selling homemade fudge which was less good – in fact a serious and totally irresistible temptation that we only managed to resist for a very short while.
The National Trust and the National Brewery Centre… a heady mix for one day and John and I have just spent a most enjoyable- and useful – day sampling both. Our local tourism board, Visit Peak District & Derbyshire, runs familiarisation trips to local attractions for its members; the idea is to give people an enjoyable day out, whilst learning more about the area.
It also gives the the attractions an opportunity to show off their wares, so to speak, so that accommodation providers can speak at first hand about local places, and be able to recommend helpfully and appropriately to their guests. We have just been on their most recent one: a guided tour round Sudbury Hall, including its impressive Museum of Childhood followed by another tour, round the National Brewery Centre in Burton on Trent and would happily recommend both!
Quite illogically both feel slightly outside our radar, possibly because both are in Staffordshire and we tend to look towards Chatsworth and Haddon, and even Hardwick Hall and Lyme Park (Cheshire) which are both quite a bit further away. Sudbury is only about 30 minutes’ drive from here. It is a stunning red brick late 17th century house, built by the Vernon family, and lived in by them until it was given to the National Trust in lieu of crippling death duties. It remained more a family house than a grand or ostentatious one, although the grand staircase, cornices and ceilings and Grindling Gibbins wood carvings are hardly modest.
Incidentally, apparently it is a favourite destination of the so-called ‘set-jetters’ who like to visit the settings of films they have enjoyed. The Peak District really comes into its own for this and apparently Sudbury is a favourite haunt of all Pride and Prejudice fans. We were shown the exact settings for many scenes everyone remembered from the film, particularly d’Arcy/Colin Firth addicts.
The Museum of Childhood is wonderful. Such a lot of care and imaginative thought has gone into the design and the content; while we were there there were happy groups of children being introduced to old fashioned games, watching someone in an old-fashioned kitchen ironing with a flat iron, having the chance of going up a chimney and ‘enjoying’ a lesson in a Victorian schoolroom.
None of us were remotely of young school age, but there were constant whoops of delighted remembrance as people pounced on Hornby trains, books, games, toys and clothes they remembered from their own childhood. The Victorian school room with its rows of double wooden desk-with-lids-and -inkwells looked very familiar to a number of us who were educated long after the Victorian era I hasten to say but obviously went to schools which had seen no need to modernise!
There is a very pleasant cafe at Sudbury and a very different one also at the National Brewery Museum which provided us with a delicious buffet lunch. Much more scope for nostalgia here on this second lap of our trip, and plenty of opportunity to sample some draught beer. The only time I personally would think of drinking beer is as a reward after a long walk to a pub but it didn’t take much persuasion to try something called White Shield which slipped down very sweetly! The trouble was for the rest of the afternoon one felt rather dosy and inattentive (good thing this came after the Victorian classroom!).
A quick trip back to Carsington Water, our drop-off point, where John and I saw for the first time the brand new electric bikes which are being piloted in the Peak District and Devon (hilly counties both, where extra power uphill is a great asset!). Friends who use them say they are brilliant but we haven’t yet had a try. You can hire these at Carsington.
So, two very good recommendations at any time, but probably even more especially if the weather looks unpromising and you don’t feel like being outside; the electric bikes a fun thing to consider if the weather is good!
Just a few snippets to update you on Parwich news. Everywhere is looking very lush and green after the rain, and a large tree has fallen across our back lane, Monsdale Lane it is called officially but our children always used to jokingly call it our back drive when they were younger.
I have already metioned that Janet Gosling and Steve in the pub have had a daughter Rosie, who is all of two weeks now. An interesting meeting is due to take place next week. One of our local farmers is proposing to put up some wind turbines on Parwich Hill and everyone is invited to the village hall on the 17th to learn more about the proposal.
We have had a team of tennis players from Kenya staying briefly in the village with Rosey and Stuart Chambers before going on to play against various schools in England. John was asked to photograph them yesterday; as they practised on our soaking wet village courts the puddles and umbrellas did little to reflect the drought we have enjoyed for the past month!
Also there was Tom Chambers (Strictly Come Dancing winner of two years ago, previously of Holby City, Waterloo Road, White Christmas and much else besides) so we were able to catch up on his news. In the autumn he is to star in Top Hat which will be touring the large theatres in the provinces and we have no doubt – we are justly proudly of Tom in Parwich – will end up in the West End. He has always loved tap dancing so this should be a treat for all. You can also watch a video of an interview he had (I think with the BBC) in Norwich Tom Chambers’ video.
It is Chatsworth Horse Trials this coming weekend. The DRCS (Derwent Rural Counselling Service) the charity in Bakewell that I used to manage and which I am still very involved with as a ‘director’ and member of the fundraising team has been nominated Chatsworth’s ‘charity of choice’ for their Trials this year, which is wonderful. DRCS will have a stand, and anyone passing do please stop to say hello! Let’s hope the weather is kind this year.
While on the subject of horses, I’ll insert a lovely peaceful Sunday afternoon Parwich horsey picture John has just taken. And that pretty well brings us up to date with the Parwich news that I can think of.
This may be rather rushed. I have made a date with myself (and John of course) to watch ‘Three in a Bed’ at 8.30. Apparently it is quite funny, about B&B owners… I shall know more next time.
Anyway, I promised that I would write about books today, having started yesterday but ended up interrupting the flow as it were. (I never know when I sit at the computer to write a post what I will end up with – it’s quite exciting!)
I have always loved reading, and have read copiously ever since my mother first taught me at a youngish age in a remote outstation in Central Africa where we were hundreds of miles from the nearest nursery schools or even play groups (and doctors, but that’s another story…). I still have some of my first books, patiently and repeatedly mended by my mother. We were hundrreds of miles from the nearest shops, but in those days one didn’t buy things, even books, with abandon. Our book collection is enormous, because John also has lots.
Early on in our time in Parwich we made many good friends. Five of us, who discovered we all shared this love of reading decided to start up an informal book group. That was well over 20 years ago and we still meet and enjoy our sessions as much as we ever did, and of course by now have read literally hundreds of books. Many of mine have found their way into the barns to be pounced upon and enjoyed by many of our guests, to our great pleasure.
So as well as the risk of Tom’s Barn Blog turning into a cookery blog, or a bird photographers’ gallery, there is a strong risk it may turn ever so slightly into a book readers’ blog as well. It is now 8.30 so I promised i will actually write about our lst Book Club choice, which rather awkwardly I didn’t even really enjoy very much. More of that later.
A quick snap of Tom's Barn taken by John on 1st May 2011
I was trying yesterday to describe to someone what we used our Tom’s Barn Blog for, what in fact a blog actually was. I struggled slightly, and said that I found it a truly pleasurable way for me to keep in touch with our guests past and present and even possibly future; obviously one delights in telling good news but we don’t at all see it primarily as PR and will cheerfully admit the bad as well.
In many ways it is a luxurious chance to have a natter about whatever subject comes to mind, even if a rather one-sided natter, although we do like comments and would really like more suggestions and feedback…(please!).
As for what a blog is, for fun I looked it up on Wikipedia. “Regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events” it tells me, while “others function as more personal online diaries”. So it looks as if we’ve got it more or less right! Apparently there are approximately 156million blogs ‘alive’ at the moment, so there is nothing unique about this one but it is nice that it is read and enjoyed by some!
Which brings me neatly to what was going to be the subject of this post, reading and books, but on reflection I think that will have to wait until the next post because I am getting carried away on the subject of blogs and as I’m not being interviewed by Mr Humphreys on Today I am free to carry on, regardless.
The third and increasingly important part of our blog is John’s photos, in the Photo Gallery. As many of you know, John is a very keen amateur photographer, with a reputation locally as a rather good one. He is particularly keen on birds (feathered in this case) but also is very good at landscapes and people. He has a good eye, and a real ability to see an unusual slant, or a view no one else has spotted.
He has an enormous selection of photographs on his own computer, a large number on the Parwich blog and puts a selection onto our blog Photo Gallery gallery (link in green on the right hand at the top of each page). Our ‘Gallery Management’ is not yet of the highest order, and we haven’t learnt yet how to arrange the pictures so they look neater but they can be seen and enjoyed, for all that.
He is running a fun caption competition on the Parwich website at the moment, with a £5 prize which is attracting a lot of fun comments. If you want to enter, click here – Friday 6th is the last day!
Actually, that is hardly headline news. The main news from Parwich is that Janet Gosling and Steve from the pub have had a very beautiful daughter, Rosie. No sooner was Rosie born than it seemed Janet was back in the pub…
If they don’t mind we may ask if John may take a photo of her, but he hasn’t yet been busy doing that, yet.
However, John is nearly always busy with his camera or printing his photographs when not actually taking them or making CDs for friends. Did you see some of the pics he took at the Parwich Royal Wedding celebrations, but not yet I’m afraid (and there are too many for them all) uploaded into our Photo Gallery?
Here we have two rather pleasantly rural ones he took by the children’s playground opposite the pub in the village yesterday – note the free range chickens!
The weather continues to be bright and sunny (and dry!!) but for the last couple of days it has also been rather windy. You can’t really see wind in photos of buildings and John took a number of nice ones of the exterior of the barns yesterday.
We have put about a dozen up in the Photo Gallery, in the Tom’s and Douglas’s Barns gallery. There are other photos of the barns, inside and out in there as well and they do appear in a very random manner I’m afraid to say!
Finally, an amusing and quite rare view of Janet and Georgie sunning themselves during a well-earned break. What are we going to do when we actually have some rain and grey days again? It is nearly a month now since it last rained (on April 5th).
Rather late in the day with my report I’m afraid – I have been quite distracted from the desk and blog by all the fun activities and excitement surrounding the royal wedding, plus we have had the pleasure of friends staying (arranged long before we knew anything about the said wedding!).
The Orchard Farm sense of romance and excitement started on Wednesday when two of our guests announced their enagement! This is always a very special occasion, this time made even more or so with Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding already so much in everyone’s minds.
We celebrated the Royak Wedding two days later very happily here in Parwich, in a lovely extended family atmosphere. The wedding service and all the preamble was shown on the big screen in our new hall, with everyone sitting round at tables and little girls in wedding dresses flitting by at intervals.
The barbecue lunch was held at the British Legion which most conveniently backs onto the hall. Then Lou Matthews judged the brides and Mrs Rosemary Shields gave out souvenir mugs to all the children in the parish, the wedding cake was cut and slices of cake and sherry enjoyed by all too old to be given a mug! The sun shone and everyone milled around outside and in.
John took masses of photos, some of which he hopes to put in our photo gallery but meanwhile the best bet is to link in to the Parwich website where one can read a fuller description of the day, illustrated with John’s photos.
The Royal wedding will soon be upon us – let’s hope the wonderful weather continues for the day and that after the wedding the press displays great restraint and allows the young couple some peace and privacy.
Meanwhile, here in Parwich the day is being celebrated in style, although, Friday being changeover day it will be business as usual for us all here at Orchard Farm. We will do our best though! We will have our television on permanently and guests leaving and arriving on Friday are most welcome to arrive as early as they like/leave as late and watch the celebrations on our relatively small TV screen. Poor Janet and Georgie will be busy cleaning most of the day but no doubt they will have their respective tellies on upstairs and down in the two barns so won’t miss all the action and as always we’ll keep them and any guests well plied with coffee and cakes.
Our guests however may be more attracted by what the village can offer, and to see the wedding on a big screen. I have checked with the organisers who say they would be delighted to welcome any of our guests to join in as much as possible (although they would need to know in advance about barbecue numbers…).
I reproduce the programme below, courtesy of the village blog.
9.30am – Memorial Hall opens
11am – Royal Wedding on the big screen in the Memorial Hall
Refreshments served
12.45pm – Judging of Children’s Fancy Dress Competition
1pm – BBQ at Parwich Legion
2.30pm – Wedding Cake & Sherry
Evening Entertainment at Parwich Legion with Chris Houlihan
9pm – Fireworks on the hill
And then we all have another Bank Holiday weekend!
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