Cold, grey walk round Curbar Edge/Baslow/Froggatt)

Here are some pics of our walk on Good Friday (the one I didn't organise very well!).  We started at Curbar Gap and admired the grey, rather angry views of the valley below.

Minty found some snow to cool her paws on.

Here she is looking somewhat perplexed as to why I had plonked her on a big rock for no good reason.  Answer:  I remembered a sunny photo I had taken a couple of years ago of Shelagh sitting in the hole in this very rock and wanted to reproduce it.  I couldn't reproduce it, however, as the hole was now full of icy meltwater.  Hey ho, you've got to try these things...

And here is Richard looking somewhat perplexed as to why he is on top of a big hill in the biting cold when he could be sitting in front of a fire with weekend football on the telly.  Answer: because I made him and it's good for us!

Shelagh slurps nasty looking water.  But it's not dirty, honest, just peaty.

A big rock.  Can you see the evil toad face in it??  No? Just me then....books shrink appointment....

Highland cow observes madman....

Hang on, I tell a lie, that cow isn't observing anything through that fringe.  (Thought you'd like the ginger, Peridot!)

The view of the green valley below, Chatworth House in the distance.

Then the lovely downhill tramp along farm lanes into the pretty (although somewhat "southern looking") village of Baslow. 

Baslow is an odd one in the Peak District.  It's rather "posh".  All quaint interior shops selling frenchified dressers and heinously expensive knick knacks.  As well as those shops, there's a deli, florist, childrens' toy shop (the sort that only sells wooden stuff that kids don't want), art gallery, bistro, cafe, snooty dress agency, old fashioned sweet shop and a few pubs and restaurants but the only opened Spar a couple of years ago!  It's that sort of place.

Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty and there's a lovely cricket pitch with pavilion and bowling green  but I wouldn't want to live there even if I could afford it.  I think it fancies itself because it's right next door to Chatsworth but, really, all that means is that the traffic can get terrible when there's something on at Chatsworth!!

Richard on the bridge at Baslow crossing to the Bubnell side.  He's not scratching his backside, he's trying to save Minty from diving in front of the car that's approaching us!

Nice houses backing onto the river.  Must be lovely in summer. And winter for that matter.

A sign of the times.  Anti-poaching signage in, I assume, Polish.  It is, I'm told by our local fisheries manager, a big problem.  Whereas UK anglers usually catch and release, the Eastern Europeans eat fish we do not so lots of the bigger, older carp are being taken, thus reducing breeding stock.  Not to mention the expensively introduced trout!!

I love these hosues...the pretty aubretia just beginning to blossom.  Last time I walked along here it was summer and I had a long chat with the old lady who lives here who was weeding the gravel bed further down.  She was really nice.  Hope she is still hale and hearty.

Looking back up to where we have come from  over the river.

Shelagh stops for a swim at a bend in the river.  Brrrr

 A very fancy barn at Calver.  Why does a barn need a clock tower, carved columns and ornate windows I wonder?

Walking along the mill race from Calver to Froggatt.  You can walk along the riverbank on the other side and, to be honest, having done both now, the river side is prettier.

Crossing the river at Froggatt.

You can see these houses from the road on the other side of the valley.  I remember this house being built and remember thinking - that is one massive lawn!  It is huge, must take ages to mow even on a ride-on.  The newly created pond is a bit poncey though.  Sigh - ignore me, I'm just jealous...

Pretty riverside path with daffodils - I'm beginning to regret the hill we have still to climb.

It is STEEP.  Not only that, I took the wrong path and ended up going straight up rather than on a daigonal.  Whoops.  As I said, schoolgirl errors all round.

Too tired for many pics of the ascent but here we are just below the Edge and almost back at the car.  Majestic eh?