There and Back and Variations
12th February 2020
A simple there and back walk planned for today to accommodate people opting in and opting out at various points. Even without our chief organiser we managed to organise a perfect day - chilly but beautiful blue skies.
Julia, Maggie, Jo and Helen M met at Cromford Wharf at almost the exactly the planned time and along with an excited Betty and after a bit of scrabbling about for change for parking we set off along the canal.
We met Lynn and Tali at High Peak junction - another marvellous piece of organisation. Betty and Tali were very quick to make friends and Betty was really enjoying her freedom and showing Tali who was boss. I think we can definitely say that Julia really fell for Tali in fact she was completely poleaxed - but after a quick bit of first aid from Jo she was back on her feet and we were all alert for the cry of dog behind after that.
We met Lynn and Tali at High Peak junction - another marvellous piece of organisation. Betty and Tali were very quick to make friends and Betty was really enjoying her freedom and showing Tali who was boss. I think we can definitely say that Julia really fell for Tali in fact she was completely poleaxed - but after a quick bit of first aid from Jo she was back on her feet and we were all alert for the cry of dog behind after that.
We were all impressed with the work going on at the aqueduct cottage and we had a bit of history from Jo (did her ancestors once live there?)
Onwards through the tunnel and at last a bit of the walk where Jo felt that her wellies were justified.
Eventually we met up with Pam who had walked from Whatstandwell to meet up with us and join us for lunch. There is always time in Pam’s busy schedule for lunch so onward to the Family Tree with fingers crossed that they have enough soup to go round.
Spicy Parsnip soup all round and very delicious it was too. Betty did her very best to show Tali how to behave in a cafe but Tali was determined that everyone should know that she was there! A nice leisurely lunch with a good catch up and much discussion of holiday plans the hot topics being Israel and coronavirus on cruise ships. We also had a good game of where’s Helen J as no one seems to know which beach she is reclining on - Torremelinos seems to be the favourite answer.
Maggie was the lucky person with the pre Valentines Day bread roll.
After lunch we said goodbye to Pam and Jo who had appointments to keep and the rest of us set off back along the canal.
Betty and Tali seem to have endless energy and had great fun in the water and mud seeing who could find the best stick.
We said goodbye to Lynn and Tali at High Peak Junction and the three stalwarts continued on to Cromford. Maggie suffered some confusion when we met a dog with the same name, we had to restrain her from obeying when the owner kept shouting ‘Maggie come here!’
Back at Cromford we came across Bob, Julia had succeeded in locking him out of his own home and he had been patiently waiting for our return after trudging back from Matlock.
Our bird count for the day: all the tits, lots of dabchicks, mallards, swans, coots, crows, robin - I think we need to spend less time chatting and it didn’t help that most unusually Jo didn’t have her note book and pen!
