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| "The Bull's Head" but the pub does not exist any more |
If you head westwards from The Hope Valley you will travel along the long straight road that clings to Rushup Edge and then after four miles you will arrive in a small Derbyshire town called Chapel-en-le-Frith - population circa 8,800.
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| The old stocks in Chapel marketplace |
Chapel-en-le-Frith is a very odd name. It dates back to Norman times when that area of Derbyshire was a vast hunting ground owned by the Norman nobility. In the twelfth century, permission was given for a small chapel to be built within the forest in the very place where the little town now stands. In fact "en-le-Frith" means "in the Forest".
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| Thomas Becket church, Chapel-en-le-Frith. On this site the original chapel once stood. |
On Thursday, I mooched around the place and ate a small portion of fish and chips in the Chapel Chippy. As my right knee was feeling quite comfortable I walked out of the town along a lane for a mile and a half to Eccles Pike which overlooks both Chapel-en-le-Frith and nearby Chinley. Then I walked back. Sadly, on Friday my knee complained about the previous day's exercise and the limping returned.
I met a grizzled farmer on the road to Eccles Pike and we chatted for a while. He described his anger about local dogwalkers who have allowed their animals to defecate on his land. Their faeces have infected several of his cows with neosporosis triggering several spontaneous abortions and the associated loss of income. That's why he had bedecked one of his gateways with a warning banner - close to the point where a public footpath crosses his land.
I hope the knee recovers quickly. You don't want to miss talking to the farmers.
ReplyDeleteNext week I have an appointment with a physiotherapist. Hopefully he or she can help me out.
DeleteOne can't blame the farmer for being cranky. In his shoes, I would be, too.
ReplyDeleteThere are too many members of the public who care little, if at all, about others. They exist in their own precious, "protected" little world/vacuum, oblivious to all others.
Take care with that knee of yours...treat it gently and kindly; and hopefully, it will treat you well in return.
I have every sympathy with that farmer. Dog faeces can also carry toxocariasis which has caused blindness in many unfortunate people.
DeleteAh, yes, I am all too familiar with overdoing it one day and regretting it the next. When a body feels well, it's hard to limit oneself.
ReplyDeleteI would be upset, too, if I were that farmer. Why can't all pet owners take their duty seriously? Rhetorical question. Doesn't need an answer :)
Is Chapel-en-le-Frith give the French pronunciation or an anglicized one?
*given*, sorry
DeleteThe word "Chapel" is never pronounced in the French manner. In fact residents of the small town mostly refer to it as "Chapel" and miss out the Frenchified ending.
DeleteThe poor farmer and cows! I understand his anger because I have neighbors with dogs who fail to pick up their pets' excrement. Terrible when one rolls in it accidentally. Please put some ice on that knee and rest it a bit. BTW, I did answer your quiz the other day. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteOh! I hope you weren't insulted by my quiz "e"! I shall look back and see how you did. Thanks for calling by again and from me please give your thoughtless neighbours a big raspberry!
DeleteYou need to get yourself one of those little scooters that all the kids have, or maybe a Segway.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe a mobility scooter with go-faster stripes and tassles - The Puddingmobile.
DeleteI was glad to read that your knee had allowed for a walk, but sorry to learn that you had to pay for it the next day.
ReplyDeleteDog owners are a breed on their own, it seems. Many of them (certainly not all - I know some very responsible ones) seem to think everybody simply HAS to love their four-legged darlings, not minding them racing up at you at high speed, raising with their paws on your clothes, slobbering over you, and be equally happy about them leaving their business around everywhere.
Don't laugh, but sometimes when I iron I listen to old episodes of "Yorkshire Farming", a now defunct program on BBC Radio York. Just the other day, there was a piece about the problems dogwalkers cause farmers, not just by defecating, but also by scaring their livestock.
PS: Beautiful pictures! I really like that door sign.
DeleteI am not a dog lover. Many times in the countryside I have had dogs running up to me - barking or leaping up, followedcby dumb owners who say things like "His bark's bigger than his bite!" or "He'll not hurt you!" I think Koreans have the right attitude towards dogs. Now - back to your ironing! There can't be many folk in Ludwigsburg who listen to Radio York!
DeleteHey now! Not the North Korean treatment!
DeleteOops! You weren't meant to read that Jennifer but don't worry George and Ginger are cool dogs, not suitable for erm... hot dogs!
DeleteBummer about the knee. I hope over time it becomes less temperamental. It's amazing to think of that chapel standing in a Norman-era forest! I have never heard of neosporosis, and although I always pick up after Olga here in the city, I'm not sure I'd think to do it in the countryside, in a pasture. I suspect a lot of dog owners just don't know about it being a danger to cattle.
ReplyDeleteOf course the grizzly farmer has two dogs of his own - working dogs. He said the main culprits were newcomers who have moved into a small estate on the edge of Chapel-en-le-Frith and have no idea about country ways.
DeleteA timely reminder to walkers YP - a lof of folk are not aware of this.
ReplyDeleteI told him I would post pictures of his gateway on the internet to raise awareness - albeit in a very small way.
DeleteNice photos YP - you seem to have picked another nice sunny day.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the farmer picks up after his own dogs?
I'm surprised, given the love/hate relationship that many people and the media have with dogs, that this isn't more widely publicised. Vets, especially in rural areas, must be aware of the situation and surely it would be sensible to mention it to all dog owners.
Have you tried one of those sports supports for your knee?
Yes. I am wearing a knee support right now. It's Saturday night and my knee is feeling significantly better than it did yesterday. Thanks for asking CG. I must admit that I had also never heard of neosporosis but apparently it is a problem on many farms.
DeleteI'm impressed by the farmer's sign writing. Most often when people make their own signs at least one word is all crammed up at the end
ReplyDeleteI suspect that his oldest daughter did the writing. She is a primary school teacher in nearby Whaley Bridge.
DeletePeople can be so unthinking and just plain inconsiderate. I wish they wouldn't be (either).
ReplyDelete