Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
Romantic cottages for two in the Peak District
The sun blazes away, day after day, the snow sparkles and the sky is blue but the temperature remains well below zero – one hears of -14’C and even lower at night.
The height of the snow is reducing, but almost imperceptibly. Our guests today managed to leave OK with baby (Douglas’s Barn) and cello (Tom’s Barn). Philip K from next door had most kindly offered to ferry them down in his Landrover but our intrepid guests insisted on making the journey to their cars on foot as did the incoming guests, having tried and failed to make that final slope by car.
John has been out taking more photos – we thought this view of the garden in the late afternoon was rather attractive, with the sun casting shadows through the trees.
There is no dramatic news of thaws, or indeed even more snow. The last two days have seen blue skies and apparently warm, bright sunshine but not either warm or bright enough to melt much of the snow although the level is down on its previous highs. I thought the photo of the wallflowers gamely peeping through the snow might give us encouragement! Maybe the snow can’t last for ever.
Life below our final slope has more or less returned to normal although getting in and out of the village still needs care; apparently once on the main roads everything is pretty well all right. Our guests are parked below the snow line, and those coming tomorrow plan to do the same.
Meanwhile, our bad weather contingency plans worked well and as so often happens when conditions are different/difficult it creates a rather exciting sense of fun, of everyone appreciating and enjoying the unusual even if that unusual means wielding shovels and spades to clear the drive and dig each others’ cars out. And we are extremely grateful to our good neighbours, without whom we would still be virtually marooned up here!
The way everybody rallies round and offers help – and most of it sheer physical flog – is very moving. It is a cliche, but this sort of situation does seem to bring out the best in us all (as long as it doesn’t last too long…).
A quite beautiful day today and an action filled one, by any account. (Photos to come, tomorrow.) With an enormous lot of help and generous good will we managed to get two cars off the premises and safely parked at the bottom of the slope, dig out and push both the ‘milk girl’ and her van to safety and also James the Riverford Organic Veg man, both wonderful people having braved the frozen heights to deliver to us at Orchard Farm, risking in the process having to stay here until the thaw sets in.
The sun shone, the snow sparkled in a dazzling fashion all day, our amazing neighbour John K ploughed a track from one of our gates to the other, David G shoveled an impressive amount of snow and we suddenly feel almost civilized again, helped by a tot of whiskey thoroughly enjoyed in the sunshine after all their exertions by the Orchard Farm team of guests, neighbours and good friends.
Our new guests arrived safely later, wisely parking in the village and now all is peaceful and settled for the weekend.And hardly a snowflake has fallen all day but apparently, more is due…
Some of our guests who have booked winter breaks and are concerned about the weather may find the following links and information helpful:
Local weather conditions for BBC reports for Ashbourne – they do a five day visual report and an all-singing/all-dancing one which is worth just watching for its entertainment value!
Local road conditions for BBC Travel News for the area
Very local reports from the Parwich website (locals email in with reports on local roads and conditions)
Conditions in and around Buxton for those coming from the north and north west
You may find the Wintery Fun photos in the Gallery amusing but disregard the first page which were taken in Jan/Feb this year (2010).
Our responsibility is to have everything ready for you when you arrive and we will do our best to ensure the barns are ready warm and waiting for you, beds made (those Hungarian goose-down duvets…), fires on, relaxing music playing quietly in the back ground and freshly made cake on the table.
If the final stretch up the slope to Orchard Farm is perilous, park your car safely down at the bottom somewhere below the Road Narrows sign and let us know you have arrived; we’ll come down on foot with borrowed sledge to ferry your belongings up, perhaps with the help of a hot drink or even a nip or two of something stronger.
Getting here is your responsibility. Obviously, if it became quite impossible to get to Parwich we would let you know but decisions about all other aspects of your journey are up to you; where you are coming from and in what sort of vehicle all make a big difference and we cannot possibly advise.
It’s hard to believe, and the sun did try to shine for a while; we just have to hope that things will start improving.
John has been out and about, taking masses of photos. Just to cheer you up, have a look at the gallery on our blog. The first lot of snowy pictures disregard as they were taken earlier this year (what is it about 2010?!!)
The snow has fallen steadily all day – not violently but determinedly. Our guests seem to be really enjoying it, but needed reassuring about Friday if the fall continues; no doubt future guests will be wondering too…
In spite of all the bad weather last winter it never happened that guests when the time came couldn’t get here or leave, but there might always be a first time and we have given it some thought.
1. If on Friday the conditions are so bad Parwich is cut off, there is no decision to be made so in a way it is simple:
Firstly we give our incoming guests good warning of the situation and tell them not to set out and let our current guests know that they can stay on for the time being, until conditions improve. We will make sure we all have enough food and drink, if necessary pooling resources so we all live well!
2. If on Friday things are difficult up here but OK once the main village roads are reached, our lovely next door neighbour has offered to help with his tractor to tow our present guests to the gritted roads in the village.
We will warn our incoming guests to leave their cars at the bottom of the hill and we will help them up with their luggage.
3. If the situation arises that our current guests are really unable to leave but the incoming ones are able to reach Parwich, our outgoing guests will have to move out of their barns and into our house; we will entertain them here in Orchard Farm, as personal guests, until they are able to leave. Be warned, it is not 5 star next door and everybody will have to muck in but we do have lots of room and it is friendly, warm and hospitable!
By the way, John took these pictures tonight; in case you were wondering, it may have been snowing but it hasn’t been dark all day.
SNOW!
That’s almost all one need say. This is serious stuff! John took these photos yesterday – the blue skies and sunshine have gone today and we have had another several inches of snow. Everything is white, and quite silent.
The postman has delivered letters (on foot) but he must have been able to get his van to the village and people have gone to work but not reporting very favourable road conditions.
And it’s still only November…
Since the hacking we lost the Met Office weather forecast for Ashbourne on our website home page but we will continue, when relevant, to report from Tom’s and Douglas’s Barns so you know what it is actually like right here. If you have any worries about roads or weather before coming here do check with us first, and also for up to the minute reports during adverse conditions on our village blog.
Do also look at these sites:
Local weather conditions for BBC reports for Ashbourne.
Local road conditions for BBC Travel News
10.30am Disregard all below: we are back in email contact with a mass of delayed emails thronging in. How we do rely on technology these days, and how vulnerable when it breaks down.
What us more it has stopped snowing and the sun is shining. (The snow we love, it’s just a worry on changeover day.)
8.30am After all the excitements of the past few days, reality bites. We are out of email contact and the sun is not shining!
Firstly, we have an email crisis: our system has been down since just after 4pm yesterday, Sunday 28/11/2010.
Last night Demon was ‘working on the problem’ and this morning they still are. The Help Desk assured John a few minutes ago that they are near to success. How near is near? we wonder with some anxiety.
Please still use the telephone 01335 390 519 or my mobile which I will try to leave on a windowsill most likely to receive a signal, 07813 68 68 99. OR try emailing johnfullersessions745@googlemail.com
Now for a weather update: A few minutes ago snow was falling but it didn’t last long so we think/hope it was a flurry rather than the beginning of another proper snowfall. Today’s guests should be fine, and don’t forget, if you don’t fancy the last slope we will come down and help you cart up your belongings and ensure you are safely and happily installed in your barn.
We thought at first we might miss the snow as the weather people forecasted with barely concealed excitement heavy snow falls for the east coast on the one side and Wales and the south west on the other but remained strangely silent about the middle.
However, we woke on Saturday morning to bright sunshine in a clear blue sky and several sparkling inches of snow. As usual Parwich looks quite beautiful. John has taken masses of photos which he has tried to email to me from his desk across the study but our internet is offline…technology…so none of our pictures to show you yet. However, in the meantime have a look the Parwich website for a good selection.
Our guests in the barns have loved the snow, as have our family who have been here to help celebrate John’s birthday yesterday and also to watch John and me perform on the stage on Friday night. (A success, I am relieved to report but possibly more of that later.)
For future guests wondering about their holidays, please always feel happy about ringing to find out the situation but be reassured that if conditions were bad we would always do our best to warn you. Keep an eye on the BBC weather reports for Ashbourne. At the moment, as usual it is the first/last couple of hundred yards or so from the house which is the worst but cars have been using the lane, carefully and quite successfully today, and our house-guests – two car loads – reached London/Devon safely from here this afternoon.
Obviously, we can’t account for road conditions between us and you, but even during the freeze-up last winter Parwich itself was never cut off. All our guests throughout the winter managed to get here and all managed to leave. Several did decide to leave their car at the bottom of the hill and walk up the final one to two hundred yards.
IF you decide you would rather do this, give us a ring on your mobile if you get a signal, or walk up yourselves and we’ll come down with you to help cart your luggage up. We can’t find the sledges at the moment but will do our best to find a substitute if all else fails; whatever happens we’ll between us get your belongings safely into the warmth and comfort of your barn.
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