Off to Derbyshire for a Saturday stroll that ended up a) being in Staffordshire and b) 5 miles long. Anyhow it was a great day – we started off heading for Dovedale where it seemed the rest of the world were also heading. Exact change for the car parking machine meant we were scuppered so headed for Ilam Park where we were luckily able to pay via their bookshop – note to self take change next trip.
A walk around the grounds with the river Manifold and the most beautifully serene wooded area with a calming welcoming spirit and picnic on a felled tree – we were serenaded momentarily by an owl.
To complete our stroll we decided to walk into the village and then it was only ‘a little bit further ‘ to Dovedale so we ended up there anyway.
I appreciate there will be some who snort at a 5 mile walk but we are fat and unfit and have COVID lungs so this was only going to be a gentle stroll.
Now I have great faith in mankind despite the state of the world today – but a grown man chasing pregnant sheep around a field is seriously f**ked up – especially as all gates had posters asking peeps to keep dogs on leads because of pregnant sheep!! I watched parents laughing at their kids traumatise ducks while trying to catch the poor things – not wishing bird flu on the ducks but it would be a shame if little Jonny did catch something!! Oh and discarded coffee cups along the way – when did it become a thing to drink coffee everywhere we go!! Mankind is literally doomed and the lovely beautiful Mother Earth will carry on regardless without us twats trying to ruin everything on sight!!
Rant over!!
A lovely moment with someone’s toddler – he looks me in the eye and says “You’ve got orange hair!” in wonder!
Now that we have a good walk under our belts I popped to my local wood Sunday to keep up the good work. The moorhens look well fed and the pool full. Squirrels were running around chasing each other up and down trees and the woodpeckers were pecking wood. I saw the sparrow hawk do a flyover and could hear the jays chatting – or should that be rasping – but they remained illusive. I sat awhile in my spot until some weirdo decided to hang around – mate if I wanted human company I would have dragged my beloved along! It’s not wood etiquette to hang around while someone converses with woodland spirit! And FYI the head to toe camouflage look wasn’t working – on so many levels.
I did the full perimeter and rattled off another 2 miles. Before heading home to watch Spurs batter West Ham – result! and back in the top four!
And weekend food? I hear you ask – obviously there was some – can’t get fat and unfit on fresh air alone readers. Friday night we squeezed in a lovely Indian at Pickles Indian & Grill Cuisine – we drive passed on many occasions but popped in to give it a whirl. Chicken and mushroom biryani for moi and murgha keema masala for my love – delish – great service – lovely staff – defo recommended!
Tuesday of course was pancake day – yay! So after another 1.5 miles around the local park – we tucked into ice cream covered/ sugar and lemon covered pancakes – energy levels are important too folks!
Links to places mentioned above:
Ilam Park & Dovedale both National Trust properties
Link to Pickles FB page:
The Pondering Pagan 