Peak District

We took our first family holiday in Tideswell in the Peak District, driving up from Cambridge with Patrick's brother and sister-in-law and into a different part of the country than I had ever previously visited. I hadn't realised how much I missed pine trees until we were farther north and I saw some again.

Patrick's parents had hired a cottage in Tideswell and we were quick to settle in and look around the lovely village. I was very impressed by the rugged countryside of the Peak District -- and the sheep everywhere. We started out on a long hike but, aided (?) by a map bereft of compass readings, went in the wrong direction but saw a lot of beautiful countryside and villages, stone fences and many, many sheep. We also saw a number of motorists giving us strange looks as we created our own footpaths based on what we thought were the map directions.

Valley in the Peak District

	The following day we tried again and this time located Peter's Stone, which Patrick climbed despite the high winds, and then we jostled down the steep slope to walk home along the valley floor. We also wanted to pay a visit to the village of Cressbrook, the namesake of the street where I was then living. I had hoped to find and photograph a village sign, but there was a great amount of construction going on and I was unable to find one. We did see some diving ducks, which looked very much like loons, and also caught a glimpse of a water vole. The rest of the family had a better view of the water vole on a later walk and got some terrific photographs.
	We did a few day trips to Bakewell -- where I bought some tarts -- and to Hardwick Hall (right). The best trip by far was to Chatsworth, where we wandered the grounds for hours as well as visiting all over the house. I would recommend a visit to anyone: it is very different from most other historic houses as it is still a residence rather than a museum. We had such perfect weather for our holiday: not too hot and not too windy. We spent the evenings by the wood stove in the lounge or trying out the local pubs and it was a fantastic way to get to know Patrick's family.