Or Never Arrived ????? .................
Thursday 21st June (Day 1)
So away we go. By 11.00am we are loaded and off 'up north'. The first issue was the spare satnav will not work. Fortunately the route is quite straight forward. The key point of this trip was to stop on Friday at a pub which had an 'Elton John Tribute Act' that sounded good. A good three hour run saw us pulling into the National Trust site at Hardwick Hall. This is a place steeped in history going back to the 1590's when 'Bess of Hardwick' outlived four husbands, became a Court favourite, and saw Kings reign from Henry VIII to James I. Also she was involved on the detention of Mary Queen of Scots for around 14 years. A grand house that, in the sunshine caused the stones to glow a welcome. All but one room is draped in tapestries which are still very vibrant. For the princely sum of one pound the attic could be accessed which houses many items to be restored or stored due to lack of room. Part of the attic was like 'Carpet Right' with rolls of tapestries and rugs. Indeed it is claimed that more tapestries are housed in this house than any other in the British Isles. Some of the furniture was also amazing with the intricate work involved like the games / instrument table. Bess of Hardwick was also a resident of nearby Chatsworth House and involved in much of that development. Three hours wandering was enough and we then drove the remaining half hour to Su and Alan's just outside of Rotherham. A chat and drink was followed by a nice dinner and more chat until about 11.00pm we went to bed, not in Billina2, but in their house.
Friday 22nd June (Day 2)
A fairly prompt rise this morning as our amiable host gets up when he wakes up! So by just after 7.00am we were sitting down in the in the kitchen having a cup of tea, waiting for the hosts wife. By around 11.00am we were off to the pub we were stopping for the night, with a brief stop for supplies at Morrisons (and diesel at 1.27/l). Many on FB sites deride those sitting in a car park but for us it can be (a) good value (b) a useful place to stop; and (c) we do not need to pay money for a toilet and shower when we have already paid a small fortune to have it on board. Although we should say we do use campsites it is an 'as and when' occasion. So after Morrisons it was a pleasant drive across the Derbyshire Moors to Calver where we were stopping at the Eyre Arms. We were warmly welcomed and settled in and then a sign 'Up to 70% off' drew the OH's attention. A pair of shoes and shorts later, and fifty pound lighter,(for me I might add) and we were then off for a walk along the River Derwent. Sue (especially) and Alan are not great walkers but joined us anyway. It was a pleasant walk with the river rushing alongside us. The halfway point found us at 'The Bridge Inn'. With the 23+ degree heat little excuse was needed for a quick (?) refreshment. Then the walk back. However, we overshot by half a mile resulting in almost a mile extra. Back at the Eyre Arms we again needed to sort our thirst out. We then all returned to our motorhomes and got scones and jam and, together with a drink, sat in the pub garden. We were surrounded by many types of chicken, parrots and sheep. One of the owners came and asked if we minded a sheep and some chickens roaming where we were sat. So soon we were sharing our space with a hand reared sheep and twenty plus chicken of a variety of breeds. He then appeared with two chicks less than a day old. Gradually the chickens lost interest in us and we started to discuss where to go tomorrow - reaching the decision of 'don't know'. A bit of relief from the sun followed and we changed for dinner and 'Elton John'. While waiting to go for the meal we had 'an issue'. The owner informed us that 'Elton' who was coming from Scotland was in heavy traffic due to a motorhome crashing. He would not be here until gone 11.00pm! (Motorhomers are the pits! Well I hope they are OK.) So it would seem a meal and 'Elvis' are now the order of events. (Fecking Hell!) Before we left home yesterday Chris had been bitten three times on the leg. She is now experiencing problems walking as it has swollen. Hopefully the antihistamine tablets will work some magic or tomorrow we might visit a Pharmacy / Doctor / Hospital. So we walked (some hobbled) to the pub for a really nice three course set meal (with a choice of starters / main / desert). All geared up for Elton now Elvis. We then, while waiting for the desert, were informed that Elvis (a) had not arrived and (b) was not answering his phone. So Elton now Elvis is now Nothing! I felt a bit sorry for the owners as they had put a lot of effort and around four hundred pounds in advertising. Around 10.00pm we left the pub to return to the MH's. Chris by now was in considerable discomfort so we retired to bed.
Saturday 23rd (Day 3)
A reasonably quiet night (no cockerels giving it wellie early in the morning)! The only drawback was we had two trailers next to us and both owners arrived early (before 7.00am) to take them, noisily, away. We were still so full from yesterday that the breakfast in the pub we 'promised' ourselves we decided to miss. Chris' insect bites were still causing her problems but, despite being swollen, she was 'feeling better'. We left just after 10.00am for Bakewell which was only a 20-25 minute trip. We parked up in the 'large bays' in a local car park. A short walk into town followed. It was a pleasant small town which, probably, warranted a longer visit. Bakewell, famous for tarts and puddings, had a variety of unique shops and not many 'high street' shops. We tried a sample of a Bakewell pudding. Revolting like syrupy sugar! Chris visited a pharmacy for her leg and what we were doing was correct although one suggestion was to drink tonic - well she drinks gallons of that albeit with gin. She didn't need that encouragement! Many councils make it difficult for motorhomes to park but having been able to here we spent around fifty pounds in the local economy. Something motorhome disliking councils should take into account. We had a coffee and moved off to Ashbourne a 25 mile jaunt. Arriving here we found parking to be the first issue not because they made it difficult for motorhomes but it was the start of the week long Ashbourne Festival. Eventually, well quite quickly, we parked and strolled into town. Famous for, among other things, the five arches bridge which we crossed into the main high street. The town had bunting up and a market and lots of street performers. A bag of chips augmented our visit until around 3.00pm when we moved off to 'The Winking Man' pub at Leek. The pub was actually in the middle of nowhere some 5 miles from Leek itself with great views. A lovely drive again across the Peak District with both woods and moorland as the vista. Having parked up a pint was in order to settle in and then we returned to our motorhomes to await the arrival of Chris and Graham friends of the four of us who live local (sort of). After a while we went and had a pleasant, but not exceptional, meal in the pub. Typical traditIonal pub fare. Around 9.00pm Chris and Graham left for home (Sheffield) and we chatted and played cards until almost midnight. Plans for tomorrow are still unmade.
Sunday 24th (Day 4)
A lovely sunny hot day is promised and a very quiet restful night. We dithered about where to go next and settled for a Tescos Extra In Buxton! While here we sorted a site about 25 miles away near Matlock. Meanwhile another site we left a phone message with came back to us with spaces. So a slight divert to just outside Bakewell, completing a circuit. A bit of an issue with our lead vehicles satnav taking us a bit wrong and involving us going through a village with well dressing and very narrow streets - twice - as we had to come back through to get onto the correct route. We were soon setup and all sorted in time for the England v Panama kick off with a good signal to watch the match. The weather was in the mid 20's and it was too hot in the sun..... Glorious. During the late afternoon we played with the Satnav's (three of them) to see if we could make one at least work In our motorhome. All worked until the ignition was turned on - not even the engine had to be started - and then 40 seconds after the GPS signal was lost, very baffling to say the least. Something to resolve for the future. By early evening it had cooled enough to have a BBQ and sit around chatting, however, as the sun set the temperatures dropped and we retreated to the MH's to play a game of Rummikub and then sleep.
Monday 25th (Day 5)
A pleasant quiet night and lovely blue skies to wake us up. The forecast is 30 degrees. We had a cooked breakfast with the eggs from the Eyre Arms chickens and then sat around for a while. Around 11.00am we left Sue and Alan to go for a walk, having enquired at the farmhouse where we could walk. A short walk brought us to the river and a shady river walk followed. Partway we went up the hill to Youlgrave where there were three pubs and some well dressing! five in all. This is a tradition that goes back centuries. Indeed it is thought to originate by pagans worshipping the gods for clean water. Around the 17th century the church 'took' over the tradition as they have many other things. Tissington village was allegedly first to do so giving thanks to God that they did not suffer like Eyam (Illam) which had the plague and a self imposed quarantine to prevent it spreading. Eyam is a place we have been to and an interesting place to visit. All Derbyshire villages slowly joined in well dressing and now try to 'out do' each other. The boards are soaked for a week in the river, then the villagers cover them in mud and over the following week petals and seeds are individually fixed to the mud to make the design / picture. We saw five main examples in Youlgrave plus a couple by the school / girl guides. We then walked down to the river for a further stroll before returning to one of the pubs for a pint before getting back to Sue and Alan about 3.00pm. The weather was so hot that we sat in the shade until a BBQ at around 7.30pm. After the meal we invited a couple from next door and for an hour so so chatted. A pleasant time but it was chilling down so by 10.00pm we said our goodnights.
Tuesday 26th (Day 6)
A good nights sleep as, despite the 30 degrees yesterday, it cooled down nicely at night. Another 25+ degree day in the offing. We then both packed and Sue and Alan left about 15 minutes before us. An easy four hour drive saw us at Braintree and the motorhome site. A good few days despite the disappointment of 'Not Elton, Not Elvis but Nothing'!