Walking through the heather on White Edge

After a lazy afternoon at Chatsworth, it was time to head off for something a little more energetic - but first a picnic. 

My intention had just been to vaguely head 'somewhere to see the heather' but thinking of good places to sit (yet again) and eat our sandwiches I thought the off-road pull-in just below Curbar Gap couldn't be bettered. I stumbled on this spot last time we came up to Derbyshire's moors, and it's an ideal place to take in the view if you don't want to move from the car. 

So, first a brief picnic on a bench in the lay-by, then back to the 'proper' car park at the top of the hill. 

I'd heard that an improved path makes it quite an easy walk from Curbar Gap to the trig point on White Edge. So that's where I decided to head. 

I had thought (even having looked at a map) that the path was fairly flat - much like walking along Baslow Edge - so I was surprised to go first downhill then back up - although the latter was via a set of nicely-laid steps, and there was a cute little bridge to look at before the uphill slog.

This stopping and nosing around habit of mine pays off. By the side of the steps I spotted small clumps of harebells were growing (though shaking too much in the wind to photographed well)  and gorse was trying to take root between the actual steps.

I'd already noticed heather growing on the moor over towards Baslow Edge, and as we got higher more and more appeared by the side of the path, and down the middle of it.

We'd already been overtaken by more enthusiastic, energetic walkers but I'd stopped again - this time to see if my eyes were deceiving me or if there really was a herd of deer not far away. There was!

For a short walk, this one involved a LOT of stopping. Partly to catch my breath and cool down (because although late in the day it was warm out of the wind) or make just I didn't damage my knees, but mainly to just stop and look at all the glorious heather.

Here I am, at last though, looking rather windswept by the trig point, obviously the highest point of this ridge and catching all the wind.

I've only recently discovered these moors, despite how close they are to home, and was a little surprised at how busy the car park was and the number of people we saw out and about - joggers, mountain bikers, walkers.

There are wonderful views from up there, but looking towards the west there were clouds and the threat of rain, so it seemed best to head back to the car just in case. 

 

A lazy afternoon in unexpected sunshine at Chatsworth

Last Monday morning was dull and drizzly, but we had tickets for Chatsworth garden that afternoon so we crossed our fingers and hoped for an improvement in the weather. 

Halfway there the clouds opened and I was near to suggesting we went home. Fortunately, I didn't as the rest of the day brightened considerably, and we had a lovely trip out - first at Chatsworth then up onto the moors to look for heather.

At Chatsworth we started by wandering round the vegetable and cutting garden. I think a lot of visitors give this area a miss, expecting it to be just dull vegetables, but the flowers there are lovely, though grown in rows like a cop, and even the vegetable beds prove that even practical gardening can be pretty.

Next we wandered along past the Cascade water feature, with a brief stop at the ice cream kiosk, and a short rest to eat it by the Strid, before continuing on towards the Maze, where at another refreshment stop we picked up cake and sandwiches. 

These were intended for a snack later but the sun was appearing now, and the day warming up so it seemed like an excellent idea to sit a while and eat cake.

I was beginning to think that with so much sitting we'd never see all of the gardens, but a definite advantage of having an annual 'Friends' pass is that I feel I can just potter gently round the gardens, sit in the sun for a while, and come back another day to see anything I may have missed. 

There are two smallish gardens either end of the Maze, and I feel they tend to be a little over-looked - families tend to run straight ahead and into the Maze, others tend to walk round the whole area (once the site of an enormous greenhouse). It makes this a pleasant, quiet space to sit and watch bees and butterflies flitting among the flowers.

In this space to the north of the maze the flowers are herbaceous perennials that are mostly familiar. At the opposite end, the garden has exotic palms and a  tropical 'jungle' feel, despite being high in the Derbyshire hills. 

I would have almost sat there for the rest of the afternoon, but eventually I had to move. 

Time was passing and I wanted to head, first to the Grotto pond, at almost the furthest end of the garden from the entrance, and then make my way slowly back along the new Arcadia glades.

Here the planting was a little 'between seasons'. The summer flowers have finished early, and the autumnal ones not really commenced yet, which is really just a good excuse to come back in a week or so.

No matter how many times I visit there always seems to be something to surprise me at Chatsworth - and this time it was the wild flower beds in the old rose garden. On my last visit at the end of July they were dominated by poppies, now these airy white flowers have taken over. I think they might be Queen Anne's Lace, but I've not sure as I find the various similar flowers like this confusing.

And round the corner was another bed of wonderful wild flowers, their informality contrasting with the straight lines of the camellia house behind.

It was now late afternoon, the shadows were lengthening, and preparations going on for an evening event. We had plans to go elsewhere - up among the heather on the moors.

 

Lazy-ish afternoon at Kedleston

For our second day out this week I decided I wasn't in the mood for much exercise, so we started our trip to Kedleston with a visit to the gardens. The flowers are going over a little now, certainly not as stunning as  at the end of July but still bright and cheerful.

Then it was time to decide where to walk. There are several connected walks through Kedleston's park but the one I chose this time was slightly different. The Long Walk forms a rough letter 'D' around the hall, and the Short Walk cuts through its widest point to form the lower half of a 'B'. I frequently take that one - it's short (as you might guess) and has good views over the countryside - but this time I picked the upper half of the 'B' - straight up the grassy hill behind the hall, then left following the markers along under the trees and down to the bottom of the lakes.

The views on this section are inwards towards the hall, sometimes clearly seen, sometimes glimpsed through the trees.

Mainly there are just trees to meet.

Having got the hill out of the way first, this is a roughly flat path till the descent to the lakes. Back on flat ground there's a choice of paths - through the Shady Oaks where you can build dens, off to the right to the Splash Pool, or straight forward to the lake. I decided on dead ahead, to where there's a convenient seat by the water.

Somewhere there's a heron sitting oh so still - about two-thirds down in the centre of the photo - and I spotted another higher up towards the weir. 

Now, I know I'm a slow walker. It takes me ages to cover any distance. In part this is due to my lack of speed, but mainly because I like to stop and look at things - like a view, flowers at the side of the path, or strange faces in trees - and to just sit somewhere peaceful, by this lake for instance, and let everyone else rush on. While I sat here, several people came down the hill behind us and headed off in the direction of the hall and car park. None of them seemed to notice the coots dabbling about near us, the heron on the opposite bank, or the family of swans  just off to the right. Sometimes it's good to sit and look around.

Not even I can sit forever, and the park closes at five-ish, so eventually I had to head up, past the next weir and second lake, which was full of noisy geese, to the hall and home.