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| North of Shireoaks - colour deliberately washed out for effect |
Yesterday was a little bright island in what has been a rather grey week. Naturally, I went out to get my much-needed fix - another lovely and vigorous country walk. This involved driving over to The Hope Valley, up Winnats Pass and then across upland country to Chapel-en-le-Frith before parking in the delightful hamlet of Wash. I never knew it existed until I planned this walk.
From Wash I walked to another oddly named hamlet - Malcoff from whence I headed northwards, huffing and puffing up the valley side to Shireoaks and from there to the Pennine Bridleway that leads to South Head. From South Head passing Mount Famine I cut down to Chinley Head marching past a farm called engagingly - Peep-O-Day.
And so down to Chinley. The primary school was disgorging its pupils and numerous parents and carers were waiting in the yard for their charges. I wanted to take a few photos of this scene but thought better of it when I imagined accusations of paedophilia and a burly constable forcing my arm up my back - "You're coming with us mate!"
Onwards to New Smithy where I noticed that the Victorian pub there - "The Crown and Sceptre" - has closed its doors for good. So sad. I had been planning to sink a foaming quart there especially for Mr Hippo in Angola. From New Smithy to Breckend and back to Wash. A four hour circuit and in case you were doubting my veracity - here is more photographic proof:-
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| Whiterakes Farm - high above the valley |
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| Millstone wall in Malcoff and view to Whitemoor |
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| A sheep called Robert at South Head |
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| Close up of Robert's left eye |
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| "The Cottage" in the hamlet of Wash |
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| Barn at Higher Ashen Clough |
My girls could just do with a robert
ReplyDeleteRobert - Bob to his friends - is anybody's after an ale quaffing night at "The Shoulder of Mutton"...or is "robert" now a verb?
DeleteWonderful, wonderful scenery and the new camera is doing a very good job.!
ReplyDeleteTony is hankering for another holiday in "Great Britian" - England especially so we may head your way in 2015 .
If you do come I would love to meet you (and Tony),. We could go for a walk while you natter about quilting with Shirley - then off to the pub to get pissed.
DeleteWe'll be sure to take you up on your offer ... at least a good old English pub meal anyway!
DeleteThat shot with the millstone wall is a real winner BTW.
Chinley ~ what a lovely name. Could we be described as chinley in our advancing years?? I like the view to Whitemoor ~ makes me wonder what is over that ridge.
ReplyDeleteCarol - what is over the ridge is The Land of Milk and Honey - Canaan. And yes you are very chinley!
DeleteI wonder if I will ever get to walk through those hills with my boys and show them how beautiful England really is.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will. Maybe you won't. There is loveliness everywhere Tom but I guess that to appreciate their dual heritage more fully, it would be wholesome for your boys to witness something more about your side of their story.
DeleteThe first picture is fascinating in a scary way. It looks like the road leading to an eerie old haunted castle. All the others are pretty except for Robert's eye. It's kind of scary too.
ReplyDeleteThe cottage and surrounding countryside reminds me of the long distant past; a place where poetry was written with a quill pen...yeah, I'm just getting sentimental. It's okay, it's Sunday morning.
I always find your reactions to things refreshing and interesting David. Thank you.
DeleteRobert is not now nor has it ever been a verb. It is obviously an adjective. But Bob is both a noun and a verb, very versatile. Having been shown Robert's left eye has been a life-altering experience for me, much on the order of Frodo seeing the Eye of Sauron in the Mirror of Galadriel:
ReplyDelete"The Eye was rimmed with fire, but was itself glazed, yellow as a cat's, watchful and intent, and the black slit of its pupil opened on a pit, a window into nothing."
...which image Peter Jackson captured perfectly in his The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films.
Chinley is both an adjective and an adverb.
It is of course an entire co-incidence that that weather-battered old sheep shares your Christian name. As you are well aware sir, language evolves and there is no reason why we cannot ignite the use of "robert" as a verb. For example, it could be an alternative to "complain".
DeleteGore Vidal, as you probably know, used many body parts as verbs in his all-too-overlooked, never-to-be-classic novel, Myra Breckenridge. Perhaps "to robert" will one day join them in the glorious pantheon of word-mangling. .
DeleteGore Vidal, as you probably know, used many body parts as verbs in his all-too-overlooked, never-to-be-classic novel, Myra Breckenridge. Perhaps "to robert" will one day join them in the glorious pantheon of word-mangling. .
DeleteYes, lovely shots. I found myself 'noticing' your new camera behind them, so to speak.
ReplyDeleteI will probably not be coming over next year after all. The car has caught something terminal, so, soon: POP! goes the weasel/savings!
Makes your lovely images even more evocative as I have to put off getting to them yet another year. Sigh.
Very nice photos Pudd.
ReplyDelete