Sunday 2nd February 2014
Glorious day & just right for a spot of geocaching in places with views!
Particularly wanted to visit Riber to pick up one of the 'Little Quest' series - just heard about these & it seems that there is one LQ cache in each of 46 English Counties. The challenge is to collect them all & then to add up a series of numbers to locate the 'Bonus' which, I suppose, could be anywhere!
Were then going to walk between Cromford & Wirksworth but got lazy & did 2 separate 'circulars' with the car to help in the middle!
The Heights of Abraham & its cable car above Matlock Bath
A tourist attraction since 1780, the cable car was installed in 1984 so you can miss out on the exhilarating climb!
View over Matlock from Riber Castle with Beeley & Longstone Moors in the distance
Not much choice, I'm afraid, no cable car here!
There was once a wildlife park at the castle but it's now in the long & rather dull process of being turned into apartments
Cromford is best known as the home of water-powered cotton-spinning, the site of Richard Arkwright's 1771 mill - well worth a visit at any time but particularly busy on a fine Sunday after all the poor weather!
Mills, cottages, the canal & High Peak Trail (see last Postcscript!), an old market-place & Arkwright's Mill Pond, built in 1885 to store water & maintain power
The crocodiles, I suspect, were released from Riber Wildlife Park... & there's a story to research there if you're interested!
Rather fewer sunny Sunday walkers in Wirksworth's quarries... but I know which I preferred!
Wirksworth developed around lead-mining & stone-quarrying, also sitting beside the High Peak Railway at Middleton Top
This is a spectacular view of part of Middlepeak Quarry which closed as recently as 1991
Another footpath sign for my collection! This one recognising the Ecclesbourne Valley Line, the modern name for the old Midland Branch line from Duffield which terminated at Wirksworth
Primarily used for shifting stone from Dale Quarry, via a tunnel cut beneath the village, the line finally closed in 1949
Reopened in 2002 as yet another Heritage Railway which seem so popular around here!
Their website says they should have been open today... but there was no sign of life! Think they missed a trick!
Actually followed a geocaching trail around 'Historic Wirksworth', not the railway walk at all, & ended up at Stoney Woods, a fascinating millennium woodland planted on the site of the old Stonecroft Quarry
Interesting sculptures, a maze, a fire-pit &, best of all, Stardisc, 'a 21st century stone circle'!
Need to come back & photograph that at night!
Finished off at New Pub No.5 - an establishment over-looking Wirksworth's market-place that I'd never really noticed before
Built in 1839, this is a Listed Building which has endured a lot of argument over its name & sign in recent years
The sign was initially removed before returning in 2010 - a further campaign led to its final relegation to a wall in the bar
Personally, I'd like to see it reinstated as a constant reminder of how pompous, stupid & condescending we were.... though I can see the problems with that
Arguments aside, this is an excellent little pub with Real Ales & a roaring fire - we'll be back!
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