Paul Walters

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Taking a Peek at the Peak District.

Taking a Peek at the Peak District.


For the last three and a half months, my travels have taken me to some of some of Europe’s grandest cities, replete with majestic cathedrals, wide, bustling boulevards, museums and art galleries, bursting like overripe grapes with their priceless treasures.

It was brilliant!


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So, it was a complete about-face when, leaving Amsterdam and, within a couple of hours finding oneself in ‘rural’ Northern Derbyshire in the United Kingdom. The advent of low-cost airlines now allows one to seemingly dash about the continent like demented bumblebees.

An hours drive from Manchester airport and there it was, a 16th century stone house in the Peak district, replete with a quintessential English garden in full bloom.

Now, there were a few things that would ensure that the six days we were to stay in this dramatic countryside would be perfect. Number one on the list was that the U.K has been enjoying the best (and hottest) summer since 1976 ensuring that we would see the Southern Pennines in all their glory.


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To those not familiar with this part of rural England, the Peak District is an upland area at the southern end of the Pennines and covers most of Northern Derbyshire, including parts of the counties of Cheshire, Greater Manchester and West and South Yorkshire.

The entire area, now known as the Peak National Park was the first of its kind to be incorporated as a national treasure in 1951 and since its inception has attracted millions of visitors each year who descend on this piece of paradise to ‘ramble’ for days across its rolling hills.

The park itself is large, covering an area of some 555sq miles ( 1440 sq. Km)


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however, unlike most national parks around the world, this one is unique in that there are hundreds of tenant farmers who still work the land tending large flocks of sheep and cattle. Evidence of farming here stretches all the way back to the Bronze Age when the first of the hundreds of meandering dry stone walls were erected. Within the boundaries of the park is the sizeable 13C medieval market town of Bakewell notable for its five stone, arched bridges that span the river Wye.  Also included are the smaller villages of Edale, Leek, Hope and Eyam, which add a magical sense of history for any first time visitor.


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During the terrible ravages caused by the Black Death the tiny village of Eyam survived by quarantining itself, allowing no passers-by in or out of the village itself and cutting itself off completely until the threat of plague had disappeared. Consequently, no deaths were recorded in this tiny hamlet during the worst of the plague’s silent assault on the population of Europe and  Northern England.

The surrounding terrain of the park is pleasing to the eye replete as it is with rolling hills divided into neat squares and rectangles by ancient dry stone walls which mark the boundaries of each farm. I spent quite a bit of my time here examining these walls that have stood for thousands of years, snaking, as they do up steep hills and across the tops of peaks then meandering for miles in all directions.


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My companions, full of energy insisted that we remain ‘active ‘ during our stay and so ramble we did with my reward being that there are numerous quaint pubs along the way where food, beverage and wonderful hospitality ensuring that these long walks became a leisurely ‘ramble’.


Apart from the many historic sites within the park, one of the highlights was a cycle ride like no other I have ever done.

After tracking down the operators of the Blackwell Mill Cycle Hire  I was issued with a sturdy and perfectly maintained mountain bike after filling out the required forms, I mounted my trusty steed and was off on the famous Monsal Trail.


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The trail itself runs along the former Midland Railway line for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill, in Chee Dale and Coombs Road, at Bakewell. After the tracks were removed It became a traffic-free route for cyclists as well as walkers, through some of the Peak District's most spectacular limestone dales.

 Until the mid-1960’s this was a regional railway line which used to wend its way through the district via a spectacular viaduct and a series of long tunnels carved through the limestone. The four railway tunnels - Headstone Tunnel, Cressbrook Tunnel, Litton Tunnel, Chee Tor Tunnel and the Rusher Cutting have been opened to cyclists and walkers alike. Each tunnel is about 400 metres long, all lit during normal daylight hours.


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The public can now experience the full length of the former railway route at their own pace and see breathtaking views at places like Water-cum-Jolly Dale that have remained hidden since the railway closed in 1968.

The Monsal Trail tunnels offer one of the most spectacular leisure routes in Britain for cycling, walking and horse riding. It’s a gentle ride (thank God) means one can virtually coast all the way to Bakewell which is really my preferred way of cycling.

Along the way, one passes the sprawling 18C buildings that once housed the cotton mills owned by the industrialist Richard Arkwright who built his fortune on the backs of young children. The fast flowing soft water, so abundant in the district was perfect for powering the cotton gins that spun the raw cotton into commercial bales. A shortage of labour meant that Mr Arkwright looked to the orphanages of London from which he ‘recruited’ young children, some as young as four years old, to supposedly be housed in the country away from the appalling conditions in the city.


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The reality was that little fingers were perfect for separating the cotton threads and therefore his charges worked up to fourteen hours a day in conditions that were not much different from the orphanages that they were supposedly ‘rescued’ from! Today, the long-abandoned buildings have been converted into swanky and expensive apartments used as holiday bolt holes for the rich folk of the surrounding cities.

Ironic really.


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The six days in this wonderful corner of England here allowed me to explore a little of the countryside of my birth and perhaps even stirred the ‘Englishman’ buried deep inside me even though its been years since I have lived in the land of my birth.

It did, however, convince me to endeavour to revisit England on a more regular basis.

Paul v Walters is the best selling author of several novels and when he is not cocooned in sloth and procrastination in his house in Bali he also scribbles for numerous international travel and vox pop journals.


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Komentar

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #19

#18
Nicole Leigh West Time is looming to a trip together madam. We can be demented together! See you in October

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #18

#19
Nick Mlatchkov Thank you

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #17

#20
Don \ud83d\udc1d Kerr Thanks again for stopping by. Tis indeed a beautiful place

don kerr

5 tahun yang lalu #16

I had the real pleasure of living in Leeds for almost a year (on and off) and fell completely in love with Yorkshire. It is a remarkably beautiful place and I found the people to be so very genuine and engaging. Loved this read.

Louise Smith

5 tahun yang lalu #15

So Civilised Paul Walters !

Louise Smith

5 tahun yang lalu #14

#12
Sounds like another interesting tale If you fly El Al as a backpacker, be prepared to have every single tiny article taken out of your pack, yourself, your pack, your camera tripod, your everything X-rayed, staff who promised to put it all back abysmally failing resulting in a 9.58sec Bolt across the tarmac & up the stairs while they are pulling them away !

Ken Boddie

5 tahun yang lalu #13

Trust you were fully enlightened, Pak Paul, while travelling along the Monsal Trail and not just driven by the light at the end of the tunnel. 🤣 Didn’t realise there were red deer in the Peak District. That nine (or is it ten?) pointer stag brings back memories of student holidays working as a ponyman gillie in the Cairngorm Mountains.

CityVP Manjit

5 tahun yang lalu #12

First bit of learning for me is that the Peak District is different from the Lake District and I have only visited the Lake District, but now having seen the difference, makes me wonder when I can get an opportunity to view this magnificent landscape revealed in its full glory in this buzz.

Jerry Fletcher

5 tahun yang lalu #11

Paul, that low cost airlines comment was wonderful "demented bumblebees" indeed. I'm passing your post with that highlighted to my daughter who flew into Madrid aboard one of those bees. Incidentally, If you switch from between say Icelandic and Ryan Air that make no provisions for transferring luggage! And so it goes.

Randall Burns

5 tahun yang lalu #10

Another great adventure post Paul Walters Fabulous pictures!

Ian Weinberg

5 tahun yang lalu #9

Thanks for sharing an authentic slice of rural England Paul Walters It's got it all - inspiring bike rides, strategic pubs, garnished with a roll in the hay!

Neil Smith

5 tahun yang lalu #8

It's a lovely area @Paul Walters and you certainly picked you time well.

Debasish Majumder

5 tahun yang lalu #7

always fascinating to read your buzz Paul Walters! enjoyed read and shared. thank you for the buzz.

Lisa Vanderburg

5 tahun yang lalu #6

Even though I was not called, I came :) Shamefully, I've never been to the Peak District. I probably never will. Yet now I can say I've had a good glimpse - thanks Paul Walters!

Pascal Derrien

5 tahun yang lalu #5

Your article is another reminder of how much I don't know about our ''next door'' neighbour. I have been to UK so often for business but have actually never explored the country per se :-( Another great one Paul Walters :-)

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #4

Javier \ud83d\udc1d beBee

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #3

Jerry Fletcher

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #2

CityVP \ud83d\udc1d Manjit

Paul Walters

5 tahun yang lalu #1

Lisa Gallagher

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