Derbyshire 127 - Ashover Rock/ a walk up to the top - the sheep was happy too /the connection between the Rock and a US president

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Couldnt sleep again last night . It was 25 degrees at 11 pm . In a house I probably would have opened the windows . In a bungalow not a good idea . I even thought of going out and sleeping in Gabby . It might have been cooler in her with her skylights open. Sion did not sleep well either - the mention of Ashover Rock last night set him off . The last things anyone should do is mention a plan to a sheep or a mammoth . They get ideas .He had his plan and it involved rock and pocket money but no walking.

"Me not sleeping - of course I slept . I don't know what Jen moans about . She does not have to wear all this wool that I wear every day. In this weather it makes me very hot . I heard Glenn and Jen talking about Ashover Rock last night . I tab hanged and it sounded good to me . I like rock . I like it because it has words written through the middle . It doesnt matter how much I eat of it I can still see the words right at the other end . "


I swear overnight I heard money rattling too. Sion has a purse where he keeps his cents ready to use in Europe. A supply he has failed to use this year . He also has a supply of our money to take out with him so that if we won't buy him cakes he can buy his own.

We got up at silly o'clock with the sun streaming through the windows . It was 24.5 degrees at 5.30 . Phew I was going to be hot on my walk this morning . Even hotter walking up to Ashover Rock . After a quick gulp of tea off I set for my morning constitutional with the words of Sion ringing in my ears . " Hurry up back " he told me . " I want to go and buy some Ashover Rocks " . I think he is going to be disappointed today on both counts as there is neither rock up there nor does it rock . I think he is expecting some kind of rock concert where he can purchase all sorts of things . He will surely be disappointed . Still its a day out and we are all grateful for that .

I walked quickly down to the main A61 and was shocked at how much traffic was on the road even at this time of the morning . By the time I arrived on the A61 it was almost back to normal. Cars , Lorries and anything that moved sailed past me . Over the last few weeks there have been long periods of silence punctuated by the sound of a few cars . Today it was reversed . The sound of cars continually driving by was punctuated by seconds of birdsong and silence . Hated it . I have got used to the peace and solitude .

The plan today was to get out early - quick cup of coffee , hit the road and head for the rock known as Ashover Rock . A gritstone block that stands high up isolated in a area covered in heather. It overlooks the village of Ashover and is famous .

So into Ziggy we piled . Glenn , me and the Sheep.

"Hurry up , I want to get there for my rock " I tried to explain no rock and he laughed . He said he really knew that and he was just kidding . He then proceeded to tell us all about the Rock . As we drove we could hear the little voice in the back . " Do you know we are climbing 299m above sea levle and if its a nice day we will see Lincoln Cathedral " -Well the rock does sit on a protected heathland at 299m above sea level which has the right to ramble applied to it. . As a result there are excellent panoramic views of the surrounding countryside - on a really clear day and it is possible to see Lincoln Cathedral but we would need a telescope. I had not got the heart to tell Sion that he needed to buy a telescope with his money.

We parked at the small car park at the bottom and Sion of course had to carry on talking as he does. "Where is the rock stall? Surely it must be here somewhere " He looked everywhere for it , peeking round corners until we suggested it was time to climb .

"Climb , climb " he mumbled . "If I dont do walking then I certainly dont do climbing " We were going to the top of the peak where we could see the rock . it stands amongst the heather which has been trimmed back to encourage critters as Sion would call them . Slow worms and hares. Grass snakes all love this habitat amongst the whinberry bushes . There were a few walkers out early taking advantage of the cooler part of the morning . Even a mountain biker was riding the paths . Each disappeared very quickly - one minute there and the next one they had gone out of sight.

The rock is pretty impressive . Probably more so because it stands alone in a empty landscape . "I am getting hot in here you know " we could hear the voice of our companion who was feeling the heat in the bag . He poked his head out and announced "Its gritstone you know - and I know its called the Fabrick. " Why the Fabrick with a K? One version of the name relates to property given to the church . The second is more fanciful as Leonard Wheatcroft a jack-of-all-trades, a one time soldier tailor inkeeper , gardener , parish clerk and amateur poet wrote his autobiography. He said that in the year 1591 he built a fabrick on the top of the hill and in the year 1689 he lit a bonfire up there to celebrate the coronation of William of Orange and Mary. Given the dates he would have been dead by the time they came to the throne of England. As we we stopped on the top we tried to see Chesterfield with his crooked spire , Bolsover and its castle and Hardwick Hall . Failed on all three as the morning although hot was not clear .

The little voice came out loud and clear again as we stood trying to see Sheffield to the north of us, Nottinghamshire , Leicestershire and Staffordshire .



We walked next to the disused Royal Observer Monitoring station . "Whats that green thing ? Is that where they sell rock ? No Sion sorry its a room underground . You never would imagine anything could be underground in this hard and solid terrain . Abandoned when the Cold War officially came to an end in 1991 the monitoring station was locked up but can be viewed if you are not claustrophobic when it is opened up by enthusiasts . The observers must have been very cramped down there . The ventilation shafts were still there . My foray into the world of the Royal Observer Corps came in the 1960's when I manned a HQ where hundreds of these feeder stations gave us information to plot a nuclear fall out .s

Our next stop along the ridge was to walk to the orientation table with its dedication to the Bassett sisters descendants of the family known for creating "Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts" Now that cheered Sion up. "Am I getting sweets finally ?" he piped up. We had to disappoint him and tell him no he was not getting any of those black chewy sweets he loves . They family lived at Ashover , owned the rock and land and were visited by Ullysses S Grant the American president who stayed at their home when Mr Bassett was Lord Mayor of Sheffield .

Our last stop before taking a very disappointed sheep home was to stand at the Triangulation point on the highest point of the hill . I find myself collecting these interesting small stone structures . I had never given them the time of day for years. In fact , the last time I thought about them was in Geography lessons at school . Now here they are and I come across them. Photograph them and feel some kind of affection for them .

We walked down from the trig point to Ziggy , loaded a less than happy sheep in the car . "Bah humbug !!! I never did get my rock!!!!!!"

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