Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Derbyshire

  • Camping – Day 2 (Kinder and Jacob’s Ladder)

    Camping – Day 2 (Kinder and Jacob’s Ladder)

    This post is just photos, and quite a lot of them, of our circular walk starting and ending in Edale. It was a relatively short walk, just seven miles, of moderate difficulty although there was some minor scrambling involved. We started the walk at the official beginning of the Pennine Way and then up via Jacob’s Ladder, then going around near to Kinder Scout before dropping back down to Edale. The GPX of the route we took is at https://www.thinkadventure.co.uk/a-guide-to-climbing-kinder-scout-via-jacobs-ladder/.

    Anyway, the photos…

     

  • Camping – Day 3 (Alfreton – 0 Miles Milepost)

    Camping – Day 3 (Alfreton – 0 Miles Milepost)

    In the late eighteenth-century and the early nineteenth-century, Alfreton became an important stop-over for stagecoaches and numerous coaching inns were set-up to supply food, drink and accommodation to travellers. Turnpikes were opening up at a pace, with Alfreton seeing the quality of its roads improving in the late eighteenth-century, which also gave an obligation to the trustees of these operations to install milestones.

    This cast-iron milestone is listed as being from the early nineteenth century, although might perhaps be just a little older, and it has a rather unusual format. Usually, the top of the milestone would have the name of the current city or town, which it does have, but on the sides would be the distances to the nearest settlements. Obviously the local residents didn’t feel the need to advertise the next town on the route, instead just adding that Alfreton was 0 miles away. Very helpful to travellers, although I suppose if they had too much ale, it might be useful the next morning.

    Alfreton did well out of all the turnpikes, it connected the town to Derby, High Peak, Nottingham and Mansfield amongst others. This milestone was originally placed outside of the Old George Hotel, which was where the Turnpike Trust held their official meetings.

  • Camping – Day 2 (Castleton – Swiss Tap Free House)

    Camping – Day 2 (Castleton – Swiss Tap Free House)

    Our initial plan after walking Kinder was to pop into a Good Beer Guide listed pub in Castleton, but unfortunately, the centre of the town was so busy that we couldn’t park and there were queues coming out of the pubs. So, we thought we’d move on until Steve handily noted this little outlet as were driving out of the town, it’s an extension of the Swiss House B&B. All that I can say about this is that the bar opened in late 2019 and if this doesn’t appear in the next issue of the Good Beer Guide, then something has gone wrong.

    Most of the real ale range is from Jolly Boys’ Brewery, but this pleased me as it meant that there was a porter available. Refreshing and well-kept, this was a credit to the brewery which is based in Barnsley. Also pleasing was that the owners have thought about the beer selection and have a range of different styles, rather than that damn habit some places have of offering four IPAs.

    I have a habit of not holding back from effusive praise when I find a pub where customer service just flows. It would be unfair to expect every pub to manage to match the Hop & Vine in Hull, but just getting close excites me. And the service here was excellent, absolutely faultless. They had the disadvantage that we were in a group of four and went into a separate room, so perhaps they would have engaged even more if I was on my own, but the welcome seemed genuine and authentic. There was also a relaxed atmosphere in the pub, I like that element of calmness.

    We weren’t quite ready for food, as I hadn’t long forced my way through a family-sized pork-pie, but this looked like a very moderately priced menu for hot food. I suspect they’re doing the thing of offering food at low prices to encourage people to visit for drinks, or at least to stay longer for another drink. Also, there was an attempt to offer some different bar snacks, and Richard took quite a fancy to the Snyder’s Pretzel Pieces. So much so that about an hour later he ordered a large boxful of the things to arrive with him when he got home.

    Whatpub aren’t over-selling the location at the moment, the description of “a family run B&B with a bar open to non-residents offering a range of four real ales” doesn’t really inspire and delight. This place is much better than this text suggests, but perhaps it’ll get lengthened in time. I might be entirely wrong about this, but I got the impression that the B&B set up this bar because someone there likes beer, they didn’t just do it to try and be on-trend. The reviews for the B&B are also high, I got the impression that the owners want to do things properly, that was certainly evident with their bar.

    So, along with Hoppiness in Warsaw, Pułapka in Gdansk and the George & Dragon in Acton, I now have my fourth entrant into my entirely pointless and self-serving pub of the year award for 2020…. Very lovely.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Over Haddon – Lathkil Hotel)

    Camping – Day 1 (Over Haddon – Lathkil Hotel)

    This was one of the nearest Good Beer Guide pubs to Bakewell, so that in its own right justified a visit here in my eyes. I’m on the hunt for a pub that’s as good as the Hop & Vine in Hull, although I suspect that it might take me some time to find it.

    The pub certainly has an excellent view over the Derbyshire hills and it’s no doubt a real treat for walkers plodding up the hill in the rain or cold, a little bastion of heat, alcohol and comfort. Not that there was any need of that comfort when we were there, as it was too hot…. There were some tables and chairs on the road, but it was a quiet area and nearly all the traffic here was likely coming to the pub, so it was a more peaceful setting that might appear in the photo. I can think of many worse spots for a drink as well than here, what a lovely place to enjoy a stout whilst peering over the fence at the hills.

    The eclectic range of food was more orientated to pub meals, which was fine, but it didn’t quite seem to fit the surroundings. We stayed outside and so I didn’t really see inside, but it seemed clean although in need of a refurbishment.

    There was a table available for us outside and the pub was a little quieter than I expected given its location and that it was a warm Saturday evening.

    There were only two beer options, which was a moderate disappointment from a Good Beer Guide pub. Although what was more of a disappointment, without sounding just a little snobbish, was the big sign for a 4-pint jug of Carling for £15. It does show the priorities of the pub and might explain the complete absence of most style of beers, so my hope for a decent stout was out of the window. Anyway, the real ale choices were the Infinity IPA from Blue Monkey brewery and the Brainstorm from Storm Brewing, the latter of which was poorly reviewed on Untappd. The IPA was fine and at the appropriate temperature, but that’s about as far as I would go. I liked the nod towards local ales though, at least they didn’t have a Greene King IPA as one of their two beers.

    I opted for the curry, which wasn’t particularly well presented and was overflowing. The portion of naan bread was pointlessly small, they might as well have left that off. The curry tasted fine, nothing exceptional, but it was hot in terms of the temperature and the chicken was tender. As a comparison, it was perhaps on the wrong side of the quality of a JD Wetherspoon curry, so I was expecting more from this venue. But, these are challenging times, perhaps the kitchen was struggling for whatever reason as the reviews are normally better.

    The service wasn’t quite there either, the request to split the bill was met with horror and I overheard the staff member talking to a colleague about what she thought of the request. She was perhaps more irritated that she had to go back to the main part of the pub for each transaction due to the limitations of the card machine, but I’m not entirely sure that this was our fault. The pub doesn’t respond to on-line reviews, so it’s hard to get a measure of what things are meant to be like or how seriously the owners take feedback. It was the sort of pub where the staff were polite, but they weren’t going to offer farewells or go beyond the minimum. But, I accept these are challenging times.

    All told, there was nothing particularly wrong with the pub, but there was nothing particularly inspirational either. I can’t really compare it to a craft beer bar or many independent pubs in the Good Beer Guide, as it was nowhere near the quality of experience, it was more like a visit to a Marston’s pub. Not a disaster by any means, but I don’t feel the need to hurry back. Based just on this experience, I’m not entirely sure why they’re in the Good Beer Guide, but perhaps our visit was a slight aberration.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Original Bakewell Pudding Shop)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Original Bakewell Pudding Shop)

    There seemed little point visiting Bakewell and not partaking in a Bakewell pudding, which is seen as rather more authentic than a Bakewell tart. One of the traditional places to buy them is the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop and there was a relatively long queue on arrival, which was solely for takeaway as the restaurant area was just closing.

    The queueing situation was all well managed by the staff, who were remaining friendly even though they were near to the end of their working day. It must be hard to maintain customer service in what is a bit of a production line selling primarily just one or two different products, but everything seemed well managed.

    The quaint exterior of the shop, which was quite hard to photograph without people getting in the way.

    The other side, which is where the takeaway counter section is located. I managed to take a photo without people in the shot, although their shadows remain.

    Below is how the shop looked in the 1950s.


    The former baking area has been turned into a shop, although there’s still a bakery operation on site.

    The shop element, there’s a dining area behind it, one of three separate areas for those who want to eat-in.

    Some delicacies such as chocolate brownie slices, a Mars Bar slice, a chocolate Toblerone tiffin and white chocolate caramel slice amongst others. I’m more savoury than sweet, although I’m sure I can manage any of these.

    The cake selection on the lower shelf, with the Bakewell tarts and Bakewell puddings on the top shelf. The Bakewell tarts are iced with a cherry shoved on the top, but it was the pudding that we were here for. There are three sizes of the pudding, large (£6.60), medium (£5.95) and small (£3.15), with quite a hefty uplift for those wanting to eat-in. The tart is a more recent innovation, driven by companies such as Mr. Kipling, one of those fake branding exercises as there was no such person…. The pudding is more traditional and probably dates to around the beginning of the nineteenth century, but there are many stories and legends and no-one is sure which is right.

    And here it is, the result of thirty minutes of queueing, my first Bakewell pudding. I only went for the small one as I’m not made of money. The flaky pastry was slightly greasier than I had expected, which was evident from the state of the bag, but the sweet topping had a suitable jam and almond taste. Jonathan had acquired some cheap bread from the Co-op, but Richard and Steve I understand enjoyed their pudding moment…. All rather lovely.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Bakewell Bridge)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – Bakewell Bridge)

    Bakewell Bridge is one of the iconic structures of the town, Grade I listed and dating to the thirteenth century. It was widened by necessity in the nineteenth century, but it retains its medieval feel.

    The bridge has five arches, with a total span of 36 metres, and is made from Ashlar sandstone.

    The view from the bridge. The pier offers a handy place to wait for people to walk by coming the other way, making it a little easier to socially distance.

    All rather peaceful, and little has changed from the below photo taken in around 1955.


  • Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – The Manners Pub)

    Camping – Day 1 (Bakewell – The Manners Pub)

    There are no Good Beer Guide pubs in Bakewell, but The Manners looked the most interesting of the options that were listed on CAMRA’s app.

    The current health situation means that there is no standing at the bar, so this was something of a fly-by photo opportunity. The pub is part of the Robinson’s Brewery estate and there were four different beer options from them available.

    The staff member recommended the Robinson’s mild as the best dark option and this was perfectly agreeable, I like seeing milds as an option. As an aside, I’m not sure that it’s the most useful word to describe a drink and a few breweries have renamed their beers to reflect better what it is, such as Brains Brewery renaming their mild as Brains Dark. It’s quite a change from fifty years ago when a mild was one of the most popular drinks served in pubs.

    Motivational quotes were dotted around the sizeable beer garden.

    The interior of the pub, with a couple of guest rooms upstairs and numerous smaller areas for drinkers and diners. The pub was serving food which looked of a decent quality, but Richard had suggested that we go for a Bakewell Pudding, so our culinary delights were on this occasion coming from a shop down the road. More on this in another post.

    The staff here were notably friendly and engaging, offering us the opportunity to pay separately and they were knowledgeable about the drinks options. For a pub in a touristy town, it didn’t feel overly commercialised and it’s one of the better-rated hospitality businesses in Bakewell judging by the reviews.

    On which point, looking at the reviews, there was an angry customer who wanted to know whether the salami they had been served was gluten-free. I didn’t quite get the customer’s argument, they said that the pub refused to provide the packaging and that the chef didn’t seem to know whether there was gluten in the product. That seems to be a moderately unfortunate situation for the kitchen, but I’m puzzled why then the customer ate the salami anyway and then complained they got ill. The pub noted in their response:

    “You were not refused the packaging, but it was not clear on the labelling, whether there was gluten in the product. The waitress advised you that the chef was calling the supplier for clarification and not to eat the salami. You then proceeded to eat a small amount of the salami, which you had raised concerns about. I do not understand why you would eat something that you were worried about. You then walked out, without giving us any further opportunity for discussion or apology.”

    Perhaps I’ve misunderstood the original complaint as well…

    Anyway, I digress. I liked the pub, a comfortable and relaxing environment.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Eyam – Caves)

    Camping – Day 1 (Eyam – Caves)

    And, just photos in this post. These are the caves located just off the A623, between Eyam and Stoney Middleton. There were numerous climbers in the area with ropes and I considered myself exceptionally brave to climb a few rocks to go and examine a cave.

     

  • Eyam – Name Origin

    Eyam – Name Origin

    When we were in Eyam this weekend, we were debating whether it’s pronounced Eee-am or I-am. Fortunately, we checked on-line before trying either of these words on the locals, as it’s pronounced Eeem. This is what The Concise Oxford Dictionary Of English Placenames has to say about the origins of the village name:

    Eyam, Derbyshire. Aiune in Domesday Book, Eyum in 1236. From Old English egum, the plural of eg, or island.

    The origins of the word are likely that Eyam was an island area in between moors or marsh, with the word island in Old English being ‘īeg’.

  • Camping – Day 1 (Eyam – Cucklet Church)

    Camping – Day 1 (Eyam – Cucklet Church)

    We saw a map in Eyam which mentioned the Cucklet Church, an outdoor rock formation that was used for religious services when it was felt wise not to use the church to avoid the spread of the plague. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, although a family picnicking pointed us towards the rocks where the services were held.

    Families could socially distance within the rocks, and also on the open ground amphitheatre type arrangement on the edge of the valley (known as the delph), which helpfully enabled social distancing. Everything in history comes around in circles….

    William Mompesson, the local priest, was one of the key figures who managed to stop some of the villagers fleeing to Sheffield to avoid the plague in Eyam, which would have only caused the disease to spread. He led the services at these rocks, apparently designed to try and inspire the residents during some trying times.

    Some photos of the rocks….

     

    And a photo from 1896.