Calke Abbey

Thursday saw us visiting Calke Abbey, one of my favourite places. Not visited in over a year so it was time to go back! Left the pooches at home so we could wander round the house and gardens - you can take dogs in the estate grounds.

Had a lovely time, this year its all about Hidden Calke, so from 11 - 1215 each morning, they open the 'rooms' in which the last occupants lived in after abandoning the rest of the House, mainly 4 rooms - dining room, study, kitchen and a lounge. These are on the ground floor, the bedrooms and the bathrooms being at the top of the house so they still had a way too walk to go to bed! It was lovely to see how it 'was' lived in before turning it over to National Trust is n 1985 (I think).

After the 'apartments' we had a lovely walk round the estate to Staunton Herald Resevoir and back, took lunch then walked round the rest of the House and the gardens. Wonderful day out even if it rained for most of it.

Some people say its sad to see that state of it and why don't the NT do it up, but I think its hauntingly beautiful in all its decay, a life once lived allowed to rest for evermore.

Middleton top - middleton moor circular

This walk was again lovely, the weather looked iffy, but the dark clouds just looked menancing and when it was time to picnic, the sun came out. It was only 4 miles, and we picniced back at Middleton Top before we got back to the car. We didn't seem to be walking very long, but looking at the map, it was quite a way! the instructions can be found HERE and its walk 1.
It was quite easy to follow till it got to the buildings of Middleton Mine - they'd all been demolished but it was common sense to which was the 'main' entrance road onto the site which we had to head towards.
Lovely views which you don't get too see if you stay Carsington side/on middleton top trail.

 

the moor was covered in Cowslips, I have never seen sooooooo many.

 

 

 

looking back to the engine house at Middleton Top

 

 

experimental test site....... for fences. Yes, seriously!

 

 

Middleton mine.

 

 

last but not least, we were being watched!

 

 

Crich - South Wingfield circular walk

Last weekend (when it was summer!) we went for a 6 mile walk with the 2 doggies, Quinn (collie) and Murtle (beagle).

 

trying to catch Murtle looking towards the camera is impossible!

 

 

loads of BlueBells in the ancient hedgerows, normally flowered and withered by now

 

 

 

 

 

where the first half of the walk takes you to - the ruins of Wingfield Manor & the old farm

 

 

 

a corner of the Manor

 

 

 

walking away from Wingfield Manor

 

Wingfield Manor is now run by English Heritage and in its previous life was the 'prison' of Mary queen of Scots for at least three times.

 

Lovely walk over some previously unexplored countryside, great views and we ended the day with a lovely coffee at Crich tearooms.

 

(walk available from derbyshire peakdistrict  and its the crich walk)

change of plan for our week off - decided it would be a tad cold at night for camping in Norfolk, lovely days but cold nights.

Today us and the 3 dogs went to Hardwick Hall for a walk round the Estate, its about 15 minutes in the car from our doorstep so we left about 11am so we could nicpic in the Park. We walked from the Park car park, up to the Halls and through the newly revamped StableYards (now a lovely restaurant, gift and plant shop) and continued along Lady Spencer's walk and then back towards the halls and car parks.

    Hardwick Old Hall peeping over the

 treeline as we walked up the estate 

    on the left is Hardwick New Hall and

on the right is the Old Hall

Hardwick Old Hall is the original family home of Bess of Hardwick, she was one of the richest and most remarkable women of Elizabethan England. she had the Hardwick New Hall built later in the 1590s, literally a few hundred yards away.
I think English Heritage owns the Old Hall, you can still go in and have a look around, but you can also see some of the upstairs decorative panels from the outside.

two stags over an upstairs hearth.

 

One day we will go in both halls.

Murtle, my Beagle sticking her tongue out at the ball *g*

 

Spent a lovely couple of hours there and even managed to get some great photos for my Fungi collection. Obsessed much!

no idea what these are but there was a lot of clumps on this tree, and there was a lovely fragrant smell around them.

 

 

 

 

       this one is a Piptoporus betulinus -

 Birch Polypore.