11 February 2022

Hazelwood

Sheep and Postern Lodge Farm

I walked for a long time today. More than five hours of trudging along in the agricultural landscape of mid-Derbyshire and just a a handful of miles north west of the city of Derby.

Clint was left in the car park of the village hall at Hazelwood - a pleasant village oh a hill that overlooks the valley of The River Ecclesbourne. With boots on I wished him a fond farewell and set off on a day when the weather seemed so unlike February.

As I was outside The Peak District, some of the paths I walked were clearly little trodden. Finding one's way in such a landscape can be challenging to say the least.

I arrived at Postern Lodge Farm and found myself in a wet and muddy situation where cattle and tractors had turned the way ahead into an absolute quagmire. What is more, the route of the path was obstructed by barbed wire and fenceposts.

Woe was me but then a farmer arrived  in a big John Deere tractor pulling a massive red trailer behind him. He had been transferring a pile of manure to a field on the ridge. He climbed down from his cab and we spoke briefly about the path dilemma. He apologised about the barbed wire and then kindly pressed it down so that I could get across. It was an unexpected act of kindness and I thanked him for it before carrying on my way.

The Baptist Church and church hall in Windley

Windley was a beautiful little village of perhaps thirty houses, some of them very new but designed with architectural flair for owners who are "not short of a bob or two" as we sometimes say in Yorkshire.

Over fields to The Clouds and then along Burland Green Lane to Weston Underwood then east on The Centenary Way footpath to Cocks-Hut-Hill. 

Lane to Weston Underwood

I must have walked eight miles and I was feeling weary but there were two more to go. I crossed The River Ecclesbourne and then a little used railway track before climbing steadily on the margins of fields to Hazelwood Hill where I followed the lane back to Hazelwood  itself where Clint was waiting for me, ready for the ninety minute drive back to Sheffield via Wirksworth, Matlock, Chatsworth House and Grindleford..

"Did you have a nice walk?" asked Clint.

"Lovely Clint. Thanks for asking," I said as I switched on the Radio 4  news from the BBC. 

Increasingly the focus is upon Ukraine now. Everybody wonders what Vladimir Putin is up to. and what NATO can really do to respond effectively to this growing threat to Europe's peace. Must there be bombs and bullets? Must there be death? And what for? What benefits will a bloody conflict bring to anybody? Funny how Putin has chosen this particular moment to flex his muscles when the entire planet has been rocked by Covid. Nobody needs a war right now.

Gate by the drive to Flower Lillies House, Windley

30 comments:

  1. It doesn’t take much mud before I stop enjoying a walk.

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    1. The thing about mud is it's very slippery - just like Putin.

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  2. Smooth move to Putin after your walk. Putin is somebody who is hard to understand. Things have been very peaceful and prosperous for many years .Things seem to be balanced.

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    1. Putin may just be about to tip that balance it seems.

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  3. No body needs a war ever.

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    1. Like the song said... "War? What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!"

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  4. It's all so beautiful, no wonder you like rambling about on foot.

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    1. Whenever I walk in previously unlisted territory, it is always a thrill River.

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  5. A long walk indeed, and I guess that, as usual, you didn‘t really stop for a bit of rest and something to eat and drink. The farmer was kind, helping you with the barbed wire.
    As for the Ukraine crisis, we here in Germany are very much affected by that. We depend almost entirely on Russia for energy, namely gas, and prices have already skyrocketed. If push comes to shove and Vladimir decides to stop his deliveries, we‘d be in big trouble. And the people of Ukraine are in even bigger trouble.

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    1. I sat on a stile for five minutes with a banana and my flask of water.
      Interesting to hear that Germany's fuel prices are also zooming up. These are worrying times.

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  6. What wonderfully evocative names those villages have.

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    1. The Clouds is a remote farm with a duck pond. Sometimes I think that I live in The Clouds.

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  7. I echo your Ukraine thoughts YP. Great photographs.

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  8. It looks a peaceful and refreshing walk. You must be as fit as a fiddle to do that distance. I agree I can't see the sense in a war. The world has had enough misery over the last two years not just with Covid but with other wars and disputes still niggling on. Putin would be insane to force this, but then most dictators are insane - it seems to go with the job description.

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    1. Looking at his personal history, it is clear to see that Putin is no brainbox. His vision of what might follow is almost certainly unclear.

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  9. Love your walk, though not the mud and muck, and the scenery you've shared.
    I keep thinking Putin is trying to show off his machismo but really won't do anything. The more time that passes, the more I think I may be wrong.

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    1. I think there's news going on in the background that makes other world leaders understand that this is not just a teasing power game.

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  10. That was quite a walk! Good for you!
    What in the world is Putin thinking?
    Isn't Flower Lillies House a bit of a redundant name?

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    1. It is an unusual name that is for sure. Lord knows who came up with that one. I also wonder why it had a double "l" in the middle. On the 1888 map it was spelt "lilies" in the usual way.

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  11. What an odd little church. No steeple or tower! It was nice of the farmer to clear the path for you.

    I don't know what to think about Ukraine -- not understanding the deeper issues or having the information that our leaders (hopefully) have. I guess I'm taking a wait-and-see approach.

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    1. It is a non-conformist Baptist Church built in 1847. Victorian non-conformists did not go in for fanciness.

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  12. It sounds like a challenging walk and yes, mud/manure can be quite slippery. Have you ever reached a point while walking that you weren't sure you could make it back to Clint?

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    1. Once I fell when walking and cracked two or three ribs but I still managed to hobble, albeit painfully back to my silver chariot. Fortunately, he was only a mile away but night was descending. I lived to tell the tale.

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    2. I hope you always tell your wife in what general vicinity you are headed. (since you don't carry a smart phone!) I've fallen a couple of times, but quickly managed to get up before a cow or dog noticed me down. (I wouldn't welcome either from that vantage point)

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    3. I should give her more precise details I think.

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  13. Your "walks" remind me of the old story: Grandma began walking 5 miles a day for her health. That was two months ago and we have no idea where she is now.

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    1. Ha-ha! She didn't come back. Reminds me of a very readable English novel called, "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry".

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  14. Well, the sheep make a change from the cows you often encounter, and they don't seem too bothered by your presence. A lengthy walk, and how lucky to meet up with the helpful farmer.
    As to Putin - who really knows what he's up to? Wars are a destroyer of life and property, and have a tendency to start because some megalomaniac decides on a show of strength, or a desire to invade another territory. We can only hope that Putin doesn't harbour a desire to conquer the world.

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    1. The people who spark wars never fight in them.

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