B2B Day 74 Doveridge to Thorpe

For an OS map of today's walk as originally planned (13.88 miles; 22.38 km; 1,523 ft total ascent), click here.

For OS maps of today's revised walks, see Part One from Doveridge to Uttoxeter (2.50 miles; 4.03 km; 37 ft total ascent), at this link; and Part Two from Ashbourne to Thorpe (3.35 miles; 5.39 km; 402 ft total ascent), at this link.

Ken had originally written this introduction for today's blog post: "Today was our longest walk of the trip, but with the promise of the Peak District as our destination." Instead of this planned walk, Ken thought about several alternate options before he fell asleep in our little suite in Doveridge. In the morning, we decided that we would walk back to Uttoxeter and take a bus to Ashbourne, and then walk from Ashbourne to our evening's destination, the Station House B&B in Thorpe. We made this decision based on my ongoing tiredness, cough, and phlegm from the cold (not allergies after all, or at least not solely), my tender hamstring, the length of the walk, and the uncertainty of the condition of the paths. (I also awoke experiencing some vertigo.) Ken had read some dire things about the Staffordshire Way and Limestone Way (the paths we were to walk), and our brief taste yesterday was not promising. Finally, we had decided long ago that philosophically, the "B2B" was not going to be a "we must take every step" walk like we had done in 2008 (Wainwright's Coast to Coast) or in 2013 (our Devon to Dover "pilgrimage of thanksgiving"). If we found ourselves in a situation where it felt better not to "push it" to walk every step, then we simply wouldn't walk every step. So in light of the current circumstances, we decided to set a more leisurely schedule, taking the bus for a big chunk of the route.

Our host had told us last night that it was okay if we checked out later in the morning because no one was coming to stay that evening. Based on our decision to take the bus, we decided to have a leisurely morning. Although we woke around 7:00 a.m., we had a good lie-in till 8:00 a.m. We had our showers and enjoyed some wonderful granola and toast for breakfast, our hosts having left a loaf of bread and a selection of cereals. I updated the blog for a while, and then went across the street to visit the village post office and shop. (I was very sad to read a notice that at the end of June the postmaster was retiring, the post office was closing, and the shop was closing as well.) Because we were seated at a table in front of a window right across the street from the store, we had enjoyed watching people go to and fro. A couple of men had clearly walked in to buy their morning paper. I had a good look round the shop and bought a black Bic pen for 45p, since I had left my pen along with my journal at the Coach House B&B. 

We certainly had a leisurely start, and set off in the cold sunshine at 11:55 a.m. Our first stop was at St. Cuthbert's Church at the edge of the village. Ken took a picture of an ancient yew tree, reputedly 1,400 years old, that was partly propped up in the churchyard.

A very ancient Yew

The church was interesting. We sang a verse each of "The Goodness of God" and "Amazing Grace."

Doveridge church

Retracing our steps from Doveridge to Uttoxeter was a pleasure, encountering the Victorian suspension footbridge again, and the fields. We went back along the paved bike path and came in the "back" way to the Tesco where our bus stop was located. We went into Tesco and got our "meal deal" lunch of a chicken club sandwich, baked crisps, and a Coke. We went to the lane of a cashier named Tim, who kindly used his own member card to get us a better deal on our lunch. 

We ate our lunch in the bus shelter outside the Tesco. Ken chatted with a woman who lived in Ashbourne and was also taking the bus. It arrived at 1:35 p.m., and was an interesting ride, taking about an hour to arrive at Ashbourne. 

St Oswald's, Ashbourne

On our 2018 trip, we hadn't had time to visit the church in Ashbourne, St. Oswald's. Today's bus trip enabled us to have time to visit—when we got there, we found it large, old, interesting, and impressive. It had a very tall tower and spire which made capturing the exterior in the camera very difficult, as Ken found out! We wished we had allotted more time to look around, because we definitely could have used it. The memorial tombs, ancient and more recent, and the stained glass windows were among the outstanding features. We sang one verse of "Praise to the Lord the Almighty," and the acoustics in the large open nave were impressive. We bought a guidebook to help us remember all the interesting features of the church.

We set off around 3:25 p.m. to walk on the Tissington Trail to Thorpe, as we had done six years earlier. For sentimental reasons, I felt like we had to stop at the snack kiosk at the beginning of the trail, so Ken bought me a lemon shortbread and a flapjack for himself, and we happily munched as we walked along. 

Partway along the trail we met a couple of long-distance walkers, Mark and Ella. We chatted for quite some time. They had started at the Arbor Low stone circle near Monyash, and were walking to Glastonbury to be there for the summer solstice on June 21. Their plan was certainly more ambitious than ours: this was their first day and it was 15 miles, and they had a 20 mile day coming up soon. They were from Yorkshire, and this was the first long walk that they had done in ten years. They had found their long tramp down the Tissington Trail, a path on a former railway bed, to be rather boring. Ken and I have sometimes felt the same thing on railway paths, but I actually greatly enjoyed walking along the trail. Buttercup, red campion, and Queen Anne's lace lined the path edges, and there were occasionally fields of sheep or cows.

On our 4:45 p.m. arrival at the Station House B&B, where we had stayed and loved it in 2018, we had a good chat with Sarah followed by tea and cake in the garden. We had fun watching the hens in the garden, and also the horses and sheep in the fields above.

At 6:15 p.m. we went to the Old Dog pub in Thorpe, a quick walk from the B&B. They had reserved a table for us by the fire, which was appreciated on such a cold day. Ken played it safe and ordered fish and chips, while I took a risk and ordered an onion bhaji burger with fennel slaw. When our food arrived, Ken said, "My fish batter is orange!" It was. We agreed that something tasted "off" in the batter; something just wasn't right. His throat felt strange, too. On the other hand, my burger was very good, and the fennel slaw was excellent and I wished there had been more. As we were leaving, our hosts arrived with a family party to celebrate their daughter's birthday. The pub had a nice atmosphere, and meeting people you know even slightly is always fun.

When we came back to our room at the B&B, we had an absolutely wonderful evening watching the livestock in the fields on the little hill outside our window, with four horses and many ewes that had new black lambs. The lambs were a lot of fun—at a certain point in the evening, they gathered together into a large group of eight to ten, and raced around in a "pack." Two rabbits were also racing around, and the chickens were on patrol chasing away a sleek rat. The animals were immensely entertaining and much better than anything on TV! 

The seals loved watching the animals from our room at The Station House

 

After updating some more blog posts, we settled in for a good night's sleep on our excellent memory foam mattress.