Mercia Marina

I've had Mercia Marina on my 'must visit' list for quite a while. It's relatively on my doorstep, friends are always surprised that I haven't been, but somehow I've never got round to it. 

So in the spirit of trying something new I thought it would be a good place for looking at boats and a short walk along the Trent and Mersey canal. Unfortunately it wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped.

Unlike Shardlow, which was once a busy inland port, or Cromford with its industrial heritage, it has no history. The marina is relatively new and purpose-built for boat storage. It's huge but the public can't really wander round it - just long a small section with boats for sale and some housing businesses. I suppose it makes sense from a boat-owners point of view - you don't want anybody and everybody coming poking round the outside of your boat when you're not around - but I had expected to see more than glimpses in the distance. 

There are shops if you're in the mood for spending, and cafes and restaurants for eating. But as for the marina itself, that seemed to be it.

There are various bits of sculpture dotted about here and there - from a stylised swan to a willow troll - but they seem rather randomly picked and sited, and some could easily be missed competely.

Anyway, not having found anything to really interest me so far, I decided to go in search of the nearby canal for a short walk (after which I might have had tea and cake at one of the cafes)

The route didn't appear to be clearly marked so we wandered through a carpark, alongside a short stretch of canal which led into the marina, and across a field. Then I discovered that to reach the canal towpath I needed to cross over to the other side, which entailed going up and down some quite steep open-tread steps. Fine, maybe, if I were as fit as I once was, but since the whole falling down the stairs episode I'm neither as agile nor as confident about steps. And so I decided to give up. 

Overall, I'd mark it as a disappointing destination. Good for eating or shopping but not that's about all.

Something that struck me was that whereas it's quite easy to take, and post, photos that make the marina look attractive you only need to turn around to see that the location is dominated by Willington power station. It's disused now but 1950s cooling towers are still an eyesore, without the visual/industrial heritage appeal of Cromford's old mills

 

Cool Breezes - and reaching 10k again - at Carsington Water

Summer's surprise return return (after a lack-lustre August) stopped me in my tracks. Hot weather is fine if you're by the seaside, and can easily chill down in the water; not such fun if you're inland, and hiding from the heat behind drawn curtains.

It did seem a shame though to stay home, so off we went to Carsington Water. No swimming here as it's a Severn Trent reservoir but there are seats and picnic tables overlooking the water, and often a breeze (or howling gale) blowing across the dam. 

My intent had been to sit a while, take a short walk under the shade of trees, sit some more, then head home for a late lunch. BUT ... that reliable breeze was blowing and walking along the dam a little way seemed so tempting; then a little further, and a little further. 

People were out in yachts or windsurfing trying to catch that breeze, and after days of oppressive heat it was so pleasant that I walked a little more, with lots of stops on seats, till it seemed more sensible to go forwards than back and to carry on to the visitor centre for lunch.

The Mainsail restaurant has a balcony with marvelous views over the water, but wasps soon forced us inside.

Being midweek and out of holiday season we had a choice of tables so picked one with as glorious a view, although reflections in the glass look like UFO lights signalling beyond the far hills.

I'd hoped to try the scrumptious looking cakes, but my chosen salad wasn't the light meal I'd expected, so cake must wait for another visit.

After a leisurely meal it was time to head back. It's 2 km across the dam from visitor centre to Millfields car park, so the round (or, at least, there-and-back) walk was twice the distance I've managed since my last accident, but the route is well surfaced and virtually flat, with plenty of seats for a short rest. 

Actually the return trip proved easier and less daunting than the outward one, probably because the end was in sight. I was delighted to have reached that magical total of 10,000 steps for the first time since the beginning of June, and I'm hoping it's onward and upward (with lots of stops for lunch and cake) from now on

 

Lakeside Walk at Kedleston

The weather forecast for this week was looking pretty dire - rain interspersed with thunder and lightning - so when Monday looked unexpectedly dry we seized the day and headed to Kedleston. 

It turned out to be a lovely day. The sun came out, blue sky reflected in the lakes, and a gentle breeze blew. I thought it was just right, but the sheep still found it best to hide under trees in an attempt to keep cool!

From the Hall we ambled (because let's face it, I'm not hurrying anywhere) upstream, past weirs and lakes till we reached the steeping stones which are almost at the furthest extent of the grounds.

Here we crossed over, (very carefully but at least I didn't fall in) and headed back down the opposite bank of the stream. It's not a long walk but it's quite a lovely one, and there are geese, ducks and other wildfowl to be spotted along the way - plus the excitement of stepping stones!

 

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.