The one where I went on a lovely weekend to the Peak District
If you've read The Start of Something Wonderful, you'll know it features two main characters – Autumn and Rosie – who have been close friends for twenty-four years after becoming penpals when they were eleven. Until Autumn accepts Rosie's invitation to stay with her in the Lake District, they've never actually met in person.
I didn't have to go far from home to understand what it's like to have a longstanding penpal you've never met because I 'met' my penpal, Liz, when I was fifteen, and we didn't actually meet in person until I was maybe 28/29.
With busy lives, demanding jobs and the convenience of social media, we don't write very often now but we have stayed in touch for all these years. We've also met in person several times but never for more than half a day. In the summer, Liz stopped off in Scarborough on her way to a family holiday in the Lake District and time flew by. We mooted the idea of meeting up for a weekend and that then grew to our husbands joining us as well as our dog, Ella. We've just had that weekend in the Peak District – chosen for being roughly halfway between me in the north and Liz in the south.
We were staying in Bakewell and arrived during Friday afternoon so had a little wander round the town, a drink and a delicious slice of cake in a local pub – The Wheatsheaf – and then booked to go back to the same pub for our evening meal which was also yummy.
There's a bridge over the river covered in love locks and there was a gorgeous shop selling scented candles, wax melts, natural soaps etc called Willow & Thyme. How fabulous is the autumnal hedgehog display and the needlefelted hare? My bestie, author Sharon Booth, adores hares so I had to take a photo to show her. Made a couple of purchases there.
The following day we went on a walk which Liz's husband, Ian, had found. It started in the nearby tiny village of Hollinsclough where we had some breakfast in the Chapel Tearooms to gear us up ready for the five-mile circular walk. Check out the sheep looking directly at the camera in that first photo!
The walk was to Chrome Hill which looks a bit like a sleeping dragon, and Parkhouse Hill. You can find a bit more about it here. Our plan was just to climb the Chrome Hill part but we'd see how we did and potentially take in Parkhouse Hill too.
The weather couldn't have been more ideal. Despite being a week into October, it was warm and bright. A bit of a breeze on the climb kept us nicely cool for a spot of exercise, and the sun only really properly came out on the descent which was great timing as it meant we weren't melting while climbing.
I'm working on my fitness at the moment and this didn't look too high or scary, but it was still a fair climb with some parts requiring a scramble. I have little legs (cos I'm only 5 foot 2) so scrambling up hills isn't very easy or dignified, but I managed it and really enjoyed that part. The descent was hard in parts. It was mainly grassy so not intimidating like the scary slate which had given me the fear when I summited Blencathra in the Lake District over Easter, but it was hard work on the knees. I should have taken my walking poles with me which would have given that bit of extra confidence to walk at a better pace.
As we were on the final descent, there was a discussion about whether we climbed up Parkhouse Hill as well or skipped it and went back to the Chapel Tearooms for cake. Hmm. Mountain or cake? Tricky one! (Yes, I know it's not really a mountain but mountain or cake sounds better than hill or cake). Anyway, as you probably won't be surprised to discover, I voted for cake, as did Liz. We were proud of ourselves for our climb but we'd done enough. Ian - who is super fit and amazing at this sort of thing - was keen to continue to Parkhouse Hill so both husbands went on ahead with Ella while Liz and I slowly continued down the slope.
In the photos above, Parkhouse Hill is the one with the very sharp-looking peak.
Ian had gone for a tough scramble climb to the right of Parkhouse Hill and Mark had opted for the steadier grassy slope to the left but, when it rounded a corner, it was ridiculously steep and he decided to call it a day. Ian aka the mountain goat, continued to the summit and was down again in a phenomenally short time. We waited at the bottom and all continued for cake together. As this was a very late lunch, I had a cheese scone followed by chocolate cake, all homemade by the women who ran the cafe and, my goodness, they were amazing. The cheese scone had pumpkin seeds baked in it and roasted ones on the top. I'd never have thought about including them in a cheese scone but they were absolutely delicious.
We were all a bit pooped after that. Well, Ian wasn't, but the rest of us were and I wasn't sure I'd manage to get up again once I sat down in the hotel room. All I wanted was to lie on the bed in front of Strictly so we suggested doing our own thing that evening. And I did lie on the bed watching Strictly … and The Wheel … and Blankety Blank while my aching muscles objected with every move! We were staying in a lovely place called Bagshaw Hall which was a short (but steep) walk into Bakewell, so perfectly situated. The rooms were lovely and the beds very comfortable.
Earlier in the week, I'd asked my lovely reader group, Redland's Readers, if anyone lived in/knew the area well and what they'd recommend. The historic village of Eyam (pronounced Eam like cream) came up a few times so we decided to check it out en route to Chatsworth. I'm so glad we did. What a beautiful and fascinating place.
When the great plague was rife in the mid-1660s, tragically believed to have been brought to the village in infected fleas on clothes shipped from London, the villagers – led by the Rev. William Mompesson and his predecessor Rev. Thomas Stanley – isolated themselves to prevent the plague spreading to other nearby villages and towns. It was an incredibly brave move but the tactic worked as none of the surrounding villages reported any cases of the plague.
Villagers would place coins dipped in vinegar (to sanitise them) in holes cut into a boundary stone outside the village where food and provisions could be dropped off for them. Sadly, Eyam was badly hit with 260 lives out of approx 800 residents lost to the black death. Entire families were wiped out with several cases of just one family member surviving. In one case, this was a three-year-old child. Heart-breaking.
We visited the Eyam Museum which was fascinating (only assistance dogs allowed so Mark and Ella went for a walk) and had a wander round the village where there are lots of plaques explaining the history.
Having been through a global pandemic and lockdown, personal experience made this visit all the more poignant. The volunteer in the museum said that, when schoolchildren visit, they can completely relate to what happened all those centuries ago whereas only a few years back, the idea of a highly contagious disease keeping people in their homes to prevent spreading would have seemed alien.
I highly recommend a visit to both the museum and the village. It doesn't feel eerie or sad as it's very much a thriving village with some beautiful properties.
You can read more about the village today here and the history here. There were several fabulous-looking cafes in the village centre. We chose Eyam Tea Rooms and sat outside to have a delicious breakfast.
Our final trip was to Chatsworth. Mark and I have been before but it was pre-pandemic so a few years back. We only bought tickets for the gardens as they are sizeable and there's so much to see in the whopping 105 acres.
Again, the weather was gorgeous for us – warm with some sunshine. We'd been looking forward to seeing the fabulous cascade fountain but the water had been shut off for a major repair project. Everything else was open though.
The weekend away was perfectly timed for me as it has been a tough couple of months with some big deadlines and a few non-work challenges thrown at us. I just met my latest deadline a couple of days earlier and it was great to go away and be able to completely switch off. Thank you, Liz and Ian, for your great company and to the Peak District for being so kind with the weather.
Have you visited the area before? Perhaps you live there. What are your favourite places? Please do share in the comments.
Big hugs
Jessica xx
Photo Credit to Mark Heslington for all the best, most colourful pics. The rest are taken by me!