Peaky Finders - A Sneaky Road Trip

Tuesday 19th April
Day 1

I know its only been a few day since we got back from the Gower but we had alway intended to make the most of the Easter holidays, so while I had to do my three day shift at McD, Adele sorted the van and found a new area to have a look at The Peak District, now we do realise that we can't see a lot in a few day but this would be a little taster.

We left home by 3 o'clock and after filling the gas-it tank we were on the road, M5, M6 and A38, it took longer than expected due to the heavy traffic on M6 but we should have expected that.

We arrived at Bakewell just before six. Adele had found us at real little find, a C&CC club meet, something we have not done before, run by the Midland Motorhomers Section, we were met by two stewards who were very welcoming, they apologised for not not being very professional but the original stewards had gone down with Covid and had to take over at short notice. We were shown where to top up with water then where to park up.

We are at the Bakewell show ground in one of their outer fields over looking the peak district country side - a real 'peaky finder'.

We sat with a G&T with the rear doors open looking out over open country side, tea tonight will be lamb kofta with couscous followed by cheese.

Wednesday 20th April

Day 2

We woke after a very peaceful night, we both slept well apart from being woken at 2am by the vans control panel bleeping to tell us there was no water even though we had only just filled up hours earlier, we turned of the panel and went back to sleep.

Woke again at 8.00, washed, took Izzy for her morning walk around one of the many dog walks here then returned for breakfast.

Our flying start English, egg, bacon, sausage, tomato again with the rear doors open, sun shining through with just the sounds of bird song, bliss.

After breakfast we joined some of the other campers at a meet coffee morning, our first meet, our first coffee morning. The other MoHo owners were lovely enquiring about our van, where we had come from, we learnt a bit about meets and the different DA groups.

After about an hour or so people started to go their own ways, we planned to take the short walk in to Bakewell, the meet site was only a few minutes walk away from town, we walked along the side of the river Wye, there were some big fish, looked like trout swimming in the river, there were a lot of people about but being half term it was only to be expected. Bakewell wasn't what we had expected, a very busy, lots of traffic but with some nice buildings.

We did a bit of window shopping before coming across the famous 'The Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop' now if you come to Bakewell a 'Pudding' must be on your list, they must be good as there was a queue. Adele went in, I stood guard with Izzy after a few minutes she emerged, bag in hand and £6.00 lighter, little did I know things were going to get very much more expensive.

We followed the Main Street until we came across 'Thirza & Walter' the shop front was really modern and clean and displayed across the window were rows and rows of delicious patisseries, we peered through the window like kids looking into a chocolate shop, cakes it must be.

We will collect some on our way back, we continued our walk but with the thought of those French delights on our mind we eventually turned around and head back to the shop. Now came one of the hardest decisions of the trip so far, which ones would we choose, mine were relatively easy, a pear charlotte and a tart au citroen Adele chose a white chocolate & raspberry tart and chocolate & praline delice, £12.00 lighter we left the shop.

We returned to the van for lunch, pate, cornichon and some French bread bought from the pudding shop, the sun was beating down so ate lunch with the rear doors swung open, and finished off with a slice of the lovely Bakewell Pudding, nothing like anything you can buy from supermarkets, the filling was soft custard like but with a beautiful almond flavour with tasty raspberry jam on the bottom and with the flakiest pastry.

After a late lunch we sat in the sun and relaxed, before we knew it it was time for tea, we are going to have an impromptu BBQ chicken with a tomato and herb risotto and maybe a patisserie to follow. We watched an hour of TV before retiring for the night.

Thursday 21st April

Day 3

Woke at 8.00am after a very disturbed night, not the camping but with Izzy wanting to go out at 2am, I got up and took her out, she really wasn't her self after 20 minutes or so we came back, got on the bottom of the bed and went to sleep.

We went out for our morning walk, the weather again is Wonderfull for this time of year, sun out, hardly a cloud in the sky and warm.

We had breakfast, packed the van, dropped the waste, Thanked our Stewards for a nice stay and headed off to the next stop. After shopping and another quick look at Bakewell to see the old pack horse bridge,

we then took a leisurely drive through the Peak District national park through Frogatt, Hathersage to Castleton then drove up Hope Valley along the Winnats Pass

Hope Valley

Route up to Winnats Pass

with such spectacular scenery I had to make sure I kept my eye on the road, we continued through Sparrowpit to Chapel-en-le-Frith for bread then found a smashing pull over for lunch in a wooded valley next to a babbling brook.

Lunch time stop over

Lunch was pate, meats with some French bread, after an hour or so we continued our tour through Buxton and out to another THS this time run by the Derbyshire DA over looking Carsington Water.

We pitched up with views looking over the reservoir, it was late afternoon sun still shining but it has become a little windy.

I wrote the diary as Adele relaxed?? doing a jigsaw, she was getting a little frustrated as all the pieces look the same, time for a gin I think before tea which tonight will be chicken Kiev followed by one of those lovely patisseries from yesterday.

We watched a spot of TV for an hour before getting out the backgammon, we had a brilliant game, I just beat Adele who only had two stones left.

Friday 22nd April

Day 4

We woke later this morning to grey skies and still blowing a gale, after breakfast the skies started to clear so we took the short walk from the THS down to Carsington Water, we had a pleasant walk in the the sunshine around parts of the reservoir and on 'stones island' but the wind is still very strong but at least its dry.

Carsington is Englands 9th biggest reservoir completed in 1992, the area around the reservoir has a visitors centre and good walks, there is plenty for water sports enthusiasts.

We returned to the van for lunch, we had thought we might be able to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine but the wind is still blowing a hooley. The afternoon passed with us reading and snoozing, it was quiet warm in the van with the sun shining through but we were still being buffeted by the wind.

Adele started tea, a bit of a posh tea at that, we were to have duck with orange sauce, made from scratch with crocket potatoes and sugar snaps, all to be washed down with a nice bottle of Bordeaux red. We had a bit od fun and filmed the preparation like some of the van lifers do on YouTube, don't know how it will turn out we will have to wait and see, any way to the important thing, It was Lovely!

After tea we had an hour of TV before the final of our Backgammon championship, could Adele win one back, would Nigel take the crown, well after a good battle I took the point Adele 0-2 Nigel.

It was gone 10pm by the time we packed away, I took Izzy for her night time wee whilst Adele made up the bed, although still very windy it felt as if it was a little less fierce than earlier in the day, hopefully a better night.

Saturday 23rd April

Day 5

We woke again to blue skies, still windy but sunny over breakfast we made plans to return home but stopping off a little further south at Calke Abbey, the national Trust call it ' the Un-Stately Home' to to the way it was left to them in the '80s.

Calke Abbey

we had a great time there most of the rooms were in a state of dis-repair but one room had a bed in a glass air conditioned room dressed in Chinese silk drapes that were as good as the day the were given as a wedding present due to not seeing the light of day since 1769 until it was found in 1985. We walked around the grounds and visited the Church Of St. Giles.

Church of St. Giles

We returned to the van for lunch before travelling home.

We had a great few days in Derbyshire, the weather was very kind to us and we had a very relaxing time, we are already looking forward to our next trip to Fraisethorp on the Yorkshire Coast in May.

benivanadventures - travels in our campervan

Trip Details:

Miles:

Ave MPG:
Fuel Cost: £ / £ ltr

Car Parking: £

Nights: 4

Camp Fees: £

Camp Ave per night: £

We put our holiday photos in to small slideshows and videos which are uploaded on to our YouTube Channel, benivanadventures, they are not professionally produced but give a feeling of the area and places we visit - Click on the link below: