ThamesMog

Derbyshire May 2011

Following the MSCC MOG 2010, held in Buxton, some of us (Affiliates of the Thames Valley Centre) had such a good weekend exploring Buxton and the surrounding countryside, by means of the scenic run maps, that we all decided to return in 2011 to continue to enjoy the region. Carol and Howard Rose were brought up in that area and offered to organise a trip for the second May Bank Holiday weekend.

They found a wonderful hotel in Biggin, (the Biggin Hall, www.bigginhall.co.uk), close to Hartington (between Ashbourne and Buxton). The hall is an historic 17th century house standing in its own grounds of eight acres. They have 20 rooms and we were a party of seven cars, so we were a major group for them. The food was good, the rooms very comfortable and the staff very helpful.

We arrived on the Friday 27th May and all met for drinks at 6.30pm to be ready for dinner at 7.30pm (one sitting, which meant the food was freshly cooked and served hot). After the sit down dinner we retired to the lounge for unlimited coffee and an ‘open’ plate of cheese and biscuits.

Howard and Carol had prepared three suggested scenic runs with a fully detailed folder including maps and directions as well as interesting topics to be found ‘en route’. Brian and Jean Lee (former MSCC chairman) live not too far away and had agreed to join us for our ‘gala’ dinner on the Saturday. Brian had also offered another scenic run.

Fortunately, the weather held up for the Friday, Saturday and Sunday with tops down to make the most of the stunning scenery, Monday turned out to be wet all day, but did not dampen our spirits for another scenic run in the morning before heading for home.

On the Saturday we all met for breakfast at 08.00. This was a very good spread of cereals, porridge, toast, jams etc and a wide selection of cooked food, including fried, scrambled and poached eggs as well as fried bread!! This all tasted very good as it was probably sourced locally.

Once replete we met up outside and finalised our selected scenic run. Although not compulsory we generally stayed together with Howard and Carol leading, but the lead was shared through the different runs.

On the Saturday we chose the ‘blue’ route and stopped off at Monyash as they were having a ‘well dressing’. This seems to be a Derby Dales tradition to give thanks for the continued flowing of the village wells. Not seeing a ‘well dressing’ Howard asked a local only to be told that he was about to set it up!! A tractor and trailer came past us and pulled in ahead of the Morgans. So we parked up and watched a group of locals, who had been party to the design and preparation of the ‘well dressing’, set up their work of art. This was made of a frame which holds wet clay into which are pressed petals and leaves of a wide range of plants to form pictures to create a ‘theme’. The theme is created by one or two people and sketched out to the size of the frame. Then the design is pricked through the drawing into the clay with tooth picks. The team then apply leaves or flowers pressing them into the damp clay. Depending on the weather the completed ‘well dressing’ could remain on display for a week or more. Different villages hold their ‘well dressings’ at different times and so one can spend some time visiting local villages viewing these amazing creations. Just around the corner the local school had two well dressings, one by the junior pupils, and another by the more senior pupils. From Monyash we headed off along some wonderful lanes and rolling countryside.

We stopped off at Tideswell for a coffee break and visited their ‘Cathedral of the Peaks’. This is a very sizeable church with a wonderful interior and well worth a visit if you are in the area. Always with our stomachs in mind, we checked out the local bakers for various speciality biscuits. We then continued on our scenic run and, when stomachs rumbled, we stopped off at Castleton and the Bulls Head for lunchtime refreshments. The Ladies of our group had a quick escape for some retail therapy and a look at the Blue John semi-precious stones found only in this area.

On regrouping in the car park we headed off for Mam Tor via the Winnats Pass.  Biggin Hall offered a good selection of sandwiches, fruit and drinks for us every morning for picnics and so we stopped off at Mam Tor National Trust car park to consume our packed lunch. From there we continued on the scenic run and visited the David Mellor designer cutlery showrooms (not to be confused with the other David Mellor!!). David has designed many other items (including traffic lights) in his long career and it is worth taking time to study the displays of his work. Once again a retail opportunity for those with compulsive kitchen utensil purchasing disorder.

From here we generally headed back to the hotel, with some of us stopping off in Bakewell to browse the shops. It seems we know Bakewell for its tarts, but here they are called puddings!! Back at the hotel it was freshen up and meet for evening complimentary drinks and choose our dinner from the daily menu, and a complimentary half carafe of wine (per couple !). For those who found the carafe too small, there were plenty of wines to choose from on the menu.

On Sunday we met in the dining room for breakfast and to finalise our route for the day. This day we chose the ‘greenroute’ to take in Sir Richard Arkwright’s historical mill buildings at Cromford, the Crich Tram Museum and the Middleton Top Engine House. We had a casual stroll around Arkwright’s Mill, watched the ducks, and had some retail therapy (again!) and then headed off for the trams. Here we wandered round the extensive displays then sought out a suitable tram for a ride on the short track. They seemed to be having a real workout of the trams with some dozen or more running at any one time! With our entry tickets we were given an old penny with which to buy our tram ticket, which then gets clipped in the old fashioned way.

With so much going on, our stomachs called time once more. We had taken our picnic lunch in with us and we set off for some distant tables, passing a display of tractors and stationary engines. The weather looked a bit menacing but generally the rain held off, there may have been just a few spots.. After a relaxed break we set off again strolling through the wooded pathways. As we were about half way along the tram track we set off for the intermediate station and caught another tram back to the start. From Crich we headed off for the Middleton Top Engine House. This is a beam engine driving winding wheels and was used up to the 1960’s to haul wagons up the long incline, from here a steam locomotive would take the trucks to the next incline where there would be another engine house, and so on until the crossing was complete. This was a cost effective route from Derbyshire through to the Manchester side of the country, and the docks of Liverpool, and the industries around Manchester.

Today the engine is driven by compressed air as the two Lancashire boilers are out of service. The two guides inside took their time to show us all the workings and details around the building. The operation of the engine was intermittent (compared to beam engines used to pump water continuously) as the trucks only came up the incline in separate lots, it was therefor designed to be operated in a more simple method based on steam locomotive mechanisms.

The enthusiasm of the two guides (one was over seventy and had been a ranger for the local walkways) was such that we spent an enjoyable hour or so looking around. From Middleton we headed off back to the hotel via our scenic route.  After another good dinner we then retired to the lounge where Carol had arranged for us to enjoy a quiz based on the area, and the sights we had seen over the previous two days. Some of the quiz questions resulted in very imaginative answer.

On Monday we looked out of the window to see that the rain, which had been threatening for some time, had arrived. Still, we all decided to continue on the last scenic run before departing for home. The hotel agreed to let us leave our bags with them until we returned.  This time we chose the red route and enjoyed some real countryside and small roads. Seeing a string of Morgans rolling through the countryside often received complimentary remarks from those we met along the way. We passed the Ramshaw Rocks and the Roaches, into the Manifold Valley and the lower end of Dovedale. After a quick stop-off for a coffee and comfort break we headed back to the hotel to enjoy our picnic in the dry, as we could not eat outside due to the rain. After lunch we all headed back towards home, or to the (wet) Peter Morgan race meeting at Donnington Park.

These May bank holiday weekend breaks have become something of a regular event for us in the Thames Valley Centre. This trip was very enjoyable and we offer many thanks to Carol and Howard for the careful planning and selection of scenic runs.

The task now turns to 2012 to consider the next May bank holiday breaks.

Written by Geoff Giles and Gill Smith