Derbyshire 7 - a redirection service going wrong/backing out of a house and a Bakewell pudding

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Week 4 has arrived.

We never thought that we would still be in Suzy and only moving a few hundred yards up the campsite. We were unceremoniously woken from our beauty sleep by the opening and closing of the doors on a Volkswagon camper van parked next door to us. It started at 10.30 at night and continued through to 11.30. What he was doing in the dark we could not fathom. Much peering out of Suzy's windows gave us little clue to his nocturnal wanderings. Cannot understand why people in caravans or small motorhomes seem to forget that noise carries in the quiet of the night. With the idea fixed in our heads he would do much the same the next night we asked to move further up the campsite. Something that was possible as the campsite was not too full. As usual it filled up on a Friday but by Sunday afternoon or Monday it had emptied again. The showers are still a joy and very welcome. We have had a number of frosts which have left us colder in Suzy so the warmth of the shower block is very homely.

The weather has turned colder and with frost to clear off the car windows in the morning its been a cold old start to the day. The snow that was predicted by the weathermen for this week hasnt materialised. In the distance if the wind is in the right or wrong direction depending how you view it we could hear the drone of the vehicles on the nearby M1 trundling their way to either London or Sheffield and the north .

The drive to work takes me out Nottinghamshire and into Derbyshire. The border lies just a few miles up the road from our campsite. I pass the site of what was the first inland oil well in Britain. This well at Tibshelf was sunk around the First World war when oil production was halted. Americans were drafted in with their machinery to sink the well and raise oil for the home economy. This they did and the nodding donkey in the field was still there through to the early 1950's. It may not have nodded for a while but Glenn remembers it as a child. It is still possible to see the sink hole and the area where the donkey was situated if you ask nicely at the garden centre. The mineral rights for the oil are still owned by the Chatsworth Estate and the Dukes of Devonshire .

Tibshelf also had the title of the industrial heart of England. A claim which would be difficult to prove but an interesting thought nevertheless.

Anyone following the blog will realise that we have been having second thoughts on the house we were going to buy. The sale had been going on and on and getting nowhere. Our redirection service wasnt working. Too many Jones's in Wales meant we were getting the mail belonging to the new owners of our old house and not getting our own. The unadopted road issue was dragging on and on and we were still tracking the original bungalow we had been interested in but were not able to put an offer in as we had not sold our own house. At the 12 week stage the bungalow was still sold subject to contract and I had put an offer in trying to gazump but had been turned down. It seemed to me that there must be a problem or the contract would have been exchanged long before now. It was now 14 weeks and still it had not exchanged. Much to our surprise on Tuesday we received a phone call saying that the buyers had pulled out and were we interested in buying it. Interested - thats not quite how we felt. Elation that it had come on the market and a feeling of de ja vu. A sense of it being the right thing for us. Having checked that we would not be charged for the solicitors work so far we withdrew our offer and agreed to purchase our original choice. It seems that we can buy the searches for half price, we are not bothering with surveys and could be in it within two weeks. Which means another two weeks in Suzy. We had thought to move to the coast next week to Bridlington or Skegness but will probably stay here as it is such a lovely site. We dont think we will find another site so good so why move.

Our trip out yesterday was to the small and pretty town of Bakewell. I had travelled through Bakewell many times on our travels between Wales and Chesterfield but had never actually been around the town. Parking is a bit difficult again but we managed to park on the roadside just outside of the town. Cost £1.10 for 2 hours. The walk back would be pleasant in the summer but as it was so chilly gloves, heavy coats and scarves were required. We walked past the local football pitch, some pleasant grey stoned houses and chapels.

Apparently the town derives its name from Beadecas Well and is famous for its Bakewell Puddings or Pies as they are known. It lies on the River Wye and we had plans to walk along the river bank which is quite pretty but the weather defeated us slightly. There has been evidence of early settlements but apparently the town itself was founded by the Anglo Saxons.

There was evidence of this in the church a beautiful Grade I listed building sitting on a mound above the town. It houses an impressive collection of ancient moss covered stone coffins, medieval carved stonework plus Norse crosses and stonework and early Christian 9th century crosses. Some inside and some out. The church was in the main constructed in the 12th and 13th century and showed signs of Norman Romanesque arches both inside and outside the church. Inside was a lovely reminder of ancient worship where the red painted walls showed through in parts despite the ravages of time and the reformations. Much whitewashing and paint scraping had done little to remove the ghost like traces on the walls.

There was some reshaping of the building and it possessed a very pretty chancel floor designed I think by Gilbert Scott in the Victorian Gothic tradition. We spent quite a while walking round the building stopping to admire the ancient stonework. Inside was a cafe which opens Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We didnt have any food there so cannot say what it was like but it did look clean and tidy inside and seemed to be a good way for the church to raise important funds for the building. . The church sits on a lovely hillside above the town with views across the neighbouring hills which were coloured heavily with the colour and hues of Autumn. It reminded us of Wales. I wish we could see it in summer and plan a visit again.

The graveyard was interesting with many older tombstones some of which were difficult to read due to weathering. Some of the stones were heavily carved on the back as if chiseled out of the local stone itself. Very rugged stones quite different in style to those in Wales.

The town itself boasts a lovely range of shops without the feel of most town centres. None of the large shops that you see on every High Street in Britain. There were the odd shops with names we recognised but in the main small independent shops lined the main street and the small courtyards dotted around the town. Hairdressers with different names from usual , small alleyways full of little coffee shops,Jewellers selling Whitby Jet and Blue John necklaces. The traditional Clarkes shoe shop and one selling jigsaws,another an independent bookshop. And postcards and presents galore.. And without doubt the most famous Bakewell Pudding shop. Also an Edinburgh Mill shop with a wonderful display of Harris Tweed tartan mens and ladies suits, some in the most vibrant purple. Bags and purses, ties and jackets. Other shops sold outdoor equipment and clothing which gave a clue to just how important walking in the Peak District is to the area. Not just Bakewell but for miles around.

Our last port of call the hairdressers for a much needed trim to Glenns hair which needed attention. Whilst he sat in the warmth of the shop I wandered through the small but perfectly formed park with its seats, pigeons and gardens laid out neatly.

My first visit but it wont be my last. What a lovely way to spend half a day.

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Photos

Bakewell
An interesting alleyway

Bakewell
Bakewell Church

Bakewell
A cross in the churchyard

Bakewell
A selection of Old English and Saxon stones

Bakewell
Woolly Woolly I couldnt find Latrines but how about these. Stone coffins completed with drain holes

Bakewell church
the pretty Gilbert Scott floor

Bakewell
One of the small courtyards

Comments

[Home and Away]

Great to hear that you will finally have a home...
and it was your first choice. I love to read about your local travels, too.

[JenGog]

Local places
There are some lovely places here . It is the same for me when I read your American trips. Today we did Gainsborough and the rather lovely old hall. Might have got done by a speed camera on the way back. Hopefully we were within the speed limit. Has your son settled in Bangor..?

[Home and Away]

Yes, my son has settled in well in Bangor...
he loves everything except the weather, but was expecting that to be bad. He just emailed asking for Linda's Thanksgiving recipes. He and his roommates are going to prepare a Thanksgiving feast. In case it doesn't go well, he has the opportunity to observe his mother cook Christmas dinner when he gets here on 22 December. He returns to Wales on 10 January.

[JenGog]

Weather
The weather is awful at the moment cold damp and miserable. I am sure he will do very well with the feast . Christ mass will soon arrive. Where has the time gone. It hardly seems five mins since he arrived in Bangor.