Shady walk at Chatsworth

Keeping up with my latest exercise plan, I wanted to go out walking again but the weather was heating up again. I decided on a two-part afternoon - Chatsworth garden first, keeping under the trees, followed by a walk among the heather on Baslow Edge, at a time when temperatures would be dropping.

Chatsworth's huge Emperor Fountain isn't running constantly at the moment, because of the drought, but we were lucky enough to arrive during its afternoon 'performance slot'. With a light breeze blowing, the water drifted one direction, then another - even catching me standing on the bank, just out of tree cover. For a few seconds it was lovely and refreshing.

Then we walked on, up the beech avenue

to the urn which marks almost the limit of the garden in this direction.

From here there are views south over the wider estate, and back over the calm water of the Canal pond.

With 105 acres to play with, there's plenty of space for trees and shady spots in Chatsworth's garden. A path lined by different varieties of bamboo leads towards the Maze whose walls are currently lined by glorious agapanthus, like a blue wave crashing against the stonework.

I nipped out into the sunshine very quickly to take this close-up shot but then retreated to the shade, 

along a sunken path, 

then along the hillside, through the series of linked flowering spaces that make up Arcadia

Again, following this path it's possible to walk almost back to the exit while staying under the cover of the trees.

Outside though, it was hot. The flying horse sculpture reminded me that one day soon I must go back and discover the rest of the exhibits of the Burning Man exhibition out in the parkland. But that's for another, cooler, day! 

 

Too hot!

 You've probably noticed (at least if you're a UK reader you will have done) that it's been hot. Not cute nip-out-and-get-a-tan warm but alarmingly hot.

At Coningsby in Lincolnshire a record high temperature was recorded of 40.3. From seemingly all parts of the country there were reports of wild fires. Not just the expected moorland fires but in London, Sherwood Forest, and the North Norfolk coast, with fields, woodland and houses going up in smoke. Rail tracks melted. In Buxton, Derbyshire, where they're more used to coping with snow, the road surface started to melt. But the Mail ran with a headline that read 'Sunny day snowflake Britain had a meltdown' as if we were all just making a fuss over nothing, and that global warming isn't anything to worry about.

I'm not used to this sort of weather. I've never really embraced foreign travel, and Mediterranean temperatures. Most years I'd spend my summer holidays in Scotland where it can be relied on to be cool. With some sunshine 16 degrees is perfectly warm enough to swim in the sea. So anything above the mid-20s mark is too hot for me.

Over on Twitter I stumbled on a thread of people responding to the question 'where is the hottest place you've been?' Dubai. Laos. Turkey. Another mention for Dubai. Death Valley. Singapore. Perth WA. Dubai, again. Well, for me the answer was simple - my own back garden, yesterday. My tiny indoor/outdoor thermometer showed over 40 degrees outside. It's not an expensive piece of kit, and was probably getting over-excited but it was certainly warmer than I've ever known it.

Today it's cooler. Back to 25 degrees or so. Just a little above my comfort zone but with a pleasant breeze to add a little wind chill. Lets hope it stays that way for a while.

Summer festivals - 2022

 The last couple of days have turned warm and sunny, a(nother) heatwave is forecast for the coming week, summer is here. And that means festival time! I suppose it really kicked off at Hay with the Book Festival and How The Light Gets In taking place at the end of May/first week of June, but now I'm seeing setlists and ticket warnings popping up everywhere over social media - and I'm beginning to think I've dithered too long trying to decide where to go. Should it be somewhere familiar, or break out and go for somewhere new? Just one event, or as many as I have the energy for?

You'll notice that there's a similarity to the festivals I've chosen to talk about. Not Glastonbury or Download. There are obviously plenty of music festivals around to choose from but I'm looking for something a little different.- something that's like a microcosm of how I feel life should be. There should be talks and discussions to stretch the mind and inspire me, music or drama to entertain (comedy if you must, although it's not really my thing), good food, and something to perhaps help me step out of my comfort zone - the mere thought of camping was challenging enough at first, but I survived; now I'm thinking of wild swimming or fire walking.

First chronologically comes a new festival - Kite, at Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire which I've discovered too late as it's on this weekend. One to note for next year, it promises a mix of music and ideas, so seems like my kind of event.

 

At the beginning of July, it's time for Timber Festival to return to Feanedock in the National Forest. promising three days of  'music, forests. art, ideas', a chance to unplug and recharge among the tree. This is a special place of regenerated woodland on old industrial sites, and the area just goes to show what can be achieved when nature's allowed to flourish. I've attended on two occasions (before the pandemic) and enjoyed it immensely; so much that when 2020's event was cancelled, I watched on line and took part at a distance.  

The smaller Eerie stage, hidden among the trees

At its heart, Timber holds the belief that we should all slow down and pay attention to the natural world around us - for our own good, and for that of the planet - and the acts and activities reflect this. 

There are two music stages, with The Orielles, Holy Moly and the Crackers, and Penguin Cafe headlining,  and one given over more to discussions. 

 Oral historians, organic food growers, environmentalists and poets will be talking about the importance for them of working with rather than against nature. There's a special feature on slow food, 'clean, and fair for both people and planet' which is something which interests me greatly, from my standpoint of back-garden vegetable grower. throughout the three days there'll be wellbeing walks, a light trail inspired by nature, yoga and tai chi sessions, opportunities to try your hand at woodwork, forest bathing or circus skills - whatever takes your fancy.

 

Having been I can say it's definitely a family-friendly festival with activities and entertainment aimed for both young and old (although I have joined in some of the 'young' activities too) Oh, and, yes, there's firewalking. It's said to be empowering, but to me just seems terrifying. I'd probably miss that.  

The following weekend, 8- 10 July, it's the turn of ALSO festival, held in 50 acres of lakeside parkland at Compton Verney in Warwick. 'Where ideas run wild' is its motto, so you can see why it appeals to me. 

To get your mind unfurling psychologists and authors discuss what makes you 'you', unveil gendered emotions, the hidden culture of bi-sexuality or the universe around you. Sort of like TED talks in a field, that might leave you with your opinions changed or at least challenged.

It's not all sitting around listening though. There are plenty of practical things to occupy you for much longer than three days - cookery and craft workshops, a foraging walk, double dutch skipping or dance as new exercise routines, and guided wild swims.  

 

 And, of course, there's music - it wouldn't be a festival without it - and with everything from DJ sets to a Gospel Choir via rock n roll and folk there's surely something for everyone.

 Camp Good Life in September (16th-18th) promises 'bonfires, harvest. mellow mist, apples, lingering wood smoke, foraging, strong booze and giant feasts'. Honestly what could be a better way to round off summer? Held in the shadow of two castles at Hawarden in North Wales, it's obviously about the things in life which make us feel good.

There's a music tent, another for speakers with talks that cover anything and everything - the history of Wales from the 60s, confessions of a whale scavenger, rockclimbing, and the birth of pop'. A marquee adjacent to the bar provides a space for evening DJs. There are craft areas, campfire cooking sessions,  and this year weekend campers are being offered a free meal each day. You can go wild swimming or paddle boarding in the lake, or take your canine friend along for the dog diving competition - because this is a family festival that believes dogs are an integral part of the family.

They claim to have the best festival loos, incredible showers and the best on site farm shop (possibly the only one)

It sounds like a celebration of the best things of life - food, music, family; quality not quantity. With this in mind numbers are limited, and possibly even sold out by now. But, all is not lost, as the Good Life team are also putting together a series of Summer Camps in July. Described as micro-festivals they'll have speakers, workshops and good food. And during August you can stay at the small campsite, join guided wild swims in the lake, a tour of the older castle dating back to the 12th century, or time your camping trip to coincide with an evening of music or an all-day feast (some of these things are just at planning stage, and whie I've seen mention of them in e-mails, I can't find details on the Good Life Society website but I'm sure they'll be there soon)

I realised putting this post together that these festivals are broadly similar. They all have beautiful locations where you could just relax and take in the peace and quiet .You could try a new craft or activity. You could listen to speakers challenge and inspire you, then dance all night. Inspiring. Relaxing. Joyous.A wonderful way to spend a weekend.

photo accreditation; Timber - Andrew Allcock,   Also - Diccon Towns, Good Life - Department Two

Calke Gardens on an unexpectedly hot day

Summer has somewhat unexpectedly returned this week, so it seemed like a good time to visit Calke's walled garden with its palm trees looking suitably exotic in the heat.

The formal beds around the trees are looking a bit ragged as summer draws to an end but there are still flowers here and in the herbaceous borders attracting bees and butterflies 

And just over the wall, dahlias line the path with flowers of almost all shapes, sizes and colours.

Through another gateway lies the kitchen garden but before dashing into it, stop and admire (and smell, because the roses are heavily scented) the flower beds which curve on either side away from the gate.

In the vegetable beds, scarecrows are hard at work supervising all that goes on, keeping birds away, and watching the pumpkins and apples swell.

I'd thought my apple trees at home had a lot of fruit this year but nothing like this abundance!

Our route to the exit took us by the deer enclosure. 'Let;s just go and see if any are nearby', I said. And they were. Right by the fence again, more interested in grass than me trying to peer over and take photos.

 

Midsummer Flowers at Shardlow

 I'm not sure how six months has passed since Christmas, but here we are at (just after) the longest day - it feels like time has flown by. The actual longest day was wet, so this trip out was a couple of days later.

 Shardlow is one of those places that it's easy to drive through without really paying attention, even though its main road is now classified as a 'B' road and most traffic whizzes past on the A50. My previous explorations have been along the Trent and Mersey canal but I'd recently seen a post about poppies in nearby fields and wanted to track them down.

Our route started at the car park on Wilne Lane, and followed the canal back towards the main road, walking between wild flowers at the canal's edge on one side and gardens on the other. 

  

At the main road we turned right (west), over the canal, and followed the pavement past the village church, to the junction with Aston Lane where we took a footpath heading more or less north, signposted for Great Wilne. 

After a short distance threading its way behind houses, the path led to suddenly open countryside which felt miles away from the bustle of the village. The cows were curious about us - and what we were doing taking photos - but fortunately were in another field :)

Shardlow lies between the Trent and Derwent rivers and the countryside is very flat, with the path actually raised up on a bank rather like an east coast sea defence bank.

 Soon we came across the first sighting of poppies, along with ox eye daisies and cornflowers. It wasn't possible to get really close because we were standing on the raised bank with a ditch and fence between the path and field, but the flowers were stunning, particularly at the edge of the field where the three flowers grew in blue, red and white stripes.

At this point I thought we'd maybe seen all the poppies - after all it's easy to make a few look like lots on a social media post, but as we continued we found another field with flowers growing at its edges. I guess most of these were deliberately sown rather than actually 'wild' but they look lovely and are excellent for bees.

Mixed in with them were small blue-flowered plants which I think are flax.

We'd now definitely walked past all the poppies, but as the path continued towards Great Wilne it turned through a field where flax was being grown as a crop.

You can already see a haze of blue above green stems but in a week or so I think it will be amazing, so I'm hoping to return

The path was now mostly following the edge of fields with wild roses and blackberry bushes flowering in the hedges, and grasses and wild wildflowers alongside them. 

This section seemed very popular with butterflies - I spotted a couple of  tortoiseshells, cabbage whites, a brown butterfly which darted away but which I'd guess to have been a speckled wood, and a cinnabar moth. Not back for a short section of path. 

I'm always unduly excited to find a brook or ditch with actual water that needs crossing by a bridge - so was delighted to find we had to do just that. It's childish no doubt but life's about  enjoying the simple things.

Walking alongside the brook took us to the road at Great Wilne, which led back to the car. As with the previous walk at Shardlow there's one aspect that's not visible in photos - traffic noise on the A50. It's not loud at this distance but it's definitely there as a rumble in the background. Also this day there seemed to be a lot of air traffic out of Castle Donnington - most of them taking off and turning straight towards us on the last section. A lot of places in this area suffer from noise from the A50 and airport, and while they aren't major disruptions but it's as well to expect them.