WEEK BEGINNING MONDAY, 24th October 2016 

YOULGRAVE GROUP WALK at ROBINHOOD STRIDE
MapMyWalk App Stats: 2.4 Miles > 1H: 41M : 59S at 42:41 minutes per mile
Steps: 8,943
Time & Date: 10:30am, Tuesday, 25th October
Break: none 
SatNav: DE45 

NEXT YOULGRAVE WALK: 8TH NOVEMBER 16 at 10:30am
Thereafter, every 2nd & 4th Tuesday of the Month 

After a long absence, it was wonderful to be back with the Youlgrave Group and my oh my, the group's grown in strength. Linda and Peter, our group leaders took us to Robinhood Stride today, excellent choice! My trip out from Biggin to Youlgrave Car Park was a tad misty which soon cleared after an hour into our walk. We were all in awe of the distant hills when we caught a picture postcard view of the layered autumnal landscape with the mist being at the top gradually lined with degrees of the trees changing colours, unfortunately it did not come through well on my Samsung Galaxy phone camera but here's my best shot of it.

As usual, we met at the Youlgrave Car Park next to the allotments and we were then carted and organised to go into various cars that were available as the parking was limited on Cliff Lane, where we started the walk. I really enjoyed seeing everyone again and there were a few of us from the Bakewell Walking for Health Group there too. Here's a shot of all of us:-

Then, it was onwards and upwards through the fields cutting across and later parallel to Cliff Lane and turned back round again towards the parked cars. I also asked Peter about a tree that was surrounded by some vertical stones which was a Victorian folly.

We also saw Stanton House in the distant too.







Check out the mushrooms that Peter foraged on our walk, can anyone help in naming them please?

CELEBRATION WALK along the beautiful CROMFORD CANAL TOW PATH
MapMyWalk App Stats: Miles > approximately 2H (my battery phone collapsed after break time)
Steps: 10,527
Time & Date: 10am, Wednesday, 26th October
Break: Cromford Wharf Cafe
SatNav: DE4 (Lea Bridge/High Peak Junction Car Park) 

Whilst walking through the woods, I got chatting to Jeannette who mentioned a famous childrens author that lived on Castle Top Farm to the right of us as we walked through the woods. When we stopped by a stile, there were a few of us that gathered round Jeannette listening intently about Ms Uttley. She had quite the background with both her husband and son committed suicide,also apparently she had an incestous relationship with her son!

This is one of the reasons why I love the Derbyshire Dales Walking for Health Groups, as I can pick things up from the locals that know their areas intimately and I find their history fascinating. So yes, I am most certanly gonna get the biography on Ms Uttley.


She's famous for Little Grey Rabbit and Sam Pig which aree just two of the inspired characters created by Alison Uttley, she delighted millions and is still very popular even today! Alison goes down in history as a very talented and prolific writer, and she was still churning out stories in her late eighties. All right here in the pulchritudinous Peak District.

It was a pretty good turnout for our annual celebration walk and I opted for the Medium Progression Walk for 3

miles as I brought Charles along. It was amazing that I had to google as to where this car park was as once upon a time, I drove on this particular road at least twice a day! It just goes to show how a driver can take a place for granted and not be observant of its surroundings. 


The entire troop broke away into 3 groups namely Entry Easy of 2.2 miles, Easy at 2.7 miles, Medium Progression Walk at 3 miles and finally a Long Progression one at 4.7 miles. 

Can you spot the fisherman in the river, on the pho to my right?


My group set off towards Lea and walked through the stunning Bow Wood which eventually opens into open countryside, towards Wood End and Cromford Station. We then headed back along the pavement to Cromford Wharf and the cafe, to which we stopped at the most enlightening beauty spot right next to the canal and I could have easily sat there all morning and watch the world go by. 

Here's the Medium Progression troop enjoying their coffee and my best friend Charles and he's seated to the table on the extreme right with Peter, our group leader and Jeannette.

SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION at DERBY THEATRE
Time & Date: 2:30pm, Wednesday 26th October
Break: Theatre Bar & Cafe
SatNav: DE1 2NF (Park Underneath the Theatre) 

These days with the likes of Netflix, I see an average of one film a day and I do get bored very quickly if the plot does not grab me in the first 30 minutes. There are only a few films I had watched in my life that has affected me in such a way that I can watch these films over and over again purely on the basis of their story line, Shawshank Redemption is one of those movies. The others that I love is The Lunchbox, Forest Gump, The Gambling Man and just a few more. So, when I saw the film being made into a play that was advertised in our local magazine called ArtsBeat, I just had to go ...

As you know from my blog, I don't believe in bad reviews especially in the Arts as it appeals to many different tastes. So all I am gonna say is that when the audience clapped for the final curtain, only a few people stood up to give them a standing ovation, and to me that said it all. 

Personally, it's an incredibly hard act to follow the combined acting skill of Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins. Mostly for me, it was the warmth and the friendship that Freeman and Robbins had with that cool underplayed acting ability that made them one the greatest actors of all time, this was totally lacking in the play. The play also made me realise that you are either born with talent or without. However, I will say that there would have been far greater actors that could have pulled it off but not the current set that were chosen. The best performance on the play was the Prison Superintendent, he really got into the mindset of the role and he and he executed it superbly. 

The lady that sat to my left never returned for the second half of the performance and the tickets were £25 on the fourth row. I think most of the audience were Shawshank hard-core fans. 

BAKEWELL WALKING GROUP at CALVER (next to the Playing Fields)
MapMyWalk App Stats: Miles > H: M : S at : minutes per mile (tba)
Steps: tba
Time & Date: 10am, Thursday, 27th October
Break: tba
SatNav: S32 (Park Next to the Playing Fields) 

Apologies, I am passing up on today's walk as I have some stuff to do and work. But hey, you go on and check them out and leave me your comments!


My Last Splinter Group Walk from YOULGRAVE
MapMyWalk App Stats: 4.5 Miles > 2H: 3M : 16S at 27:18 minutes per mile
Steps: 12,490
Time & Date: 10am, Sunday, 30th October
Break: Lathkill Hotel & Farm Yard Inn, Youlgrave 

SatNav: DE45 

I enjoyed the walk but not the breaks and the Farm Yard Inn was a tad below par as I can cook a far superior roast than what I had , I am sincerely sorry. The wine was equally degrading, it was the cheapest Pinot Grigio you could purchase from a Cash & Carry and I should know as I've frequented these warehouses myself when I was a business owner? All in all, I wanted to go home as soon as I sat at the table and I just tolerated it as far I as I could take it?