Wednesday – Dovedale

 

So, we have been staying at Dovedale Lodge, our delightful cottage, for close to a week now and have yet visited Dovedale.  It’s just three miles up a road that we had not yet been down.  We didn’t want to go on Saturday, Sunday, or the Monday bank holiday because we were warned it would be jammed.  Yesterday was cloudy and we wanted to visit on a sunny day, the more to enjoy the walk around Dovedale.

Wednesday broke sunny and clear as forecast, so today would be the day.  First off, though, we drove into Ashbourne to buy those elusive game pies at Mark’s Butcher Shop.  Alas, Mark doesn’t sell game pies.  We bought two other delicious pies for tonight’s dinner, and also visited Waitrose for more wine and some other groceries.

Then by 9:30 we headed down the road in Pierre Peugeot to Dovedale.  Dovedale is a valley in the Peak District of England.  The land is owned by, who else, the National Trust, and annually attracts a million visitors.  The valley was cut by the River Dove and runs for just over 3 miles.  In the wooded ravine, the most famous feature is a set of stepping stones that cross the river.

When we arrived, there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot (£3).  We decided to walk the trail from the parking lot to Ilam Rock and back – 1.75 miles each way.  Elaine started off as I was securing the car.  Problem!  The car wouldn’t lock.  There seemed to be no way to lock it, and locking was important as Elaine decided to leave her purse (and our passports) under her seat.  The solution to the immutable locking problem was simple.  I took Elaine’s purse out from under the seat, and the car locked up normally.  I put it in the back seat under some stuff – the car would not lock.  The answer: Elaine had the second key fob for the car in her purse.  Pierre will not let you lock the car if you leave the key fob in the car.  Who knew?

The stepping stones across the Dove River were just a ten minute walk from the lot, and when we arrived, we basically had the place to ourselves.  The walk on from there was pleasant, through the woods, over and down one hill, and finally we arrived at Ilam Rock.

Click on Pictures to Enlarge

As we headed back the other way, we encountered more and more walkers: serious hikers, families, and dogs galore.  The Stepping Stones had a long line of people waiting to cross.  We were so lucky to have arrived early and have the place to ourselves.  The parking lot was a madhouse, and there was a jam of cars waiting to get it.  Had we got here at noon, we would have u-turned and left.  We had a bit of bother negotiating the narrow entrance/exit road with all the incoming traffic, but Pierre made it through unscathed.

 

On the way back towards Blore, we stopped for a brief look at Blore Pastures, and then headed to Mappleton for lunch at the Okeover Arms.  We sat outside and enjoyed wine (E) and beer (J) with lunch:  fried chicken sandwich for Elaine (it was blah) and a Ploughman for me (it was OK).  It was enjoyable just for sitting outside and enjoying the warmer temperatures (upper 60’s).

 

Back at home, we went back down the road to St Bartholomew’s Church for a look inside.  There are services every Sunday with a congregation of 10-12.  The organ is very interesting – like an organ in a box.  Then we started cocktails on the lawn before joining Roger and Victoria, our landlords, and we met their lovely children, a daughter age 18 who will start Oxford in the fall and a son age 16.  Both attend boarding schools near London but are home for mid-term break.  Delightful polite kids!

Our pies for dinner were great, and we watched Britain’s Got Talent where the son of our friend from Dingle was competing in the semi-finals.  Alas, he didn’t make it through.  Bummer.  Last full day in Derby/Stafford shires tomorrow.