The Tent on the Puddle!

 Oh the joys of camping!

On a slightly soggy Friday we set off for The Peak District, having loaded the car with all possible "essential" equipment such as Ipod's and their docking stations, wine and beer plus tent. The rain stopped briefly to allow us to hastily set up in our allotted pitch, cook and eat before recommencing its intended purpose of filling up the quarry (where the campsite was situated) with water.

The next morning the efforts were impressive, a large puddle surrounded (and went under) our tent. Undaunted we set off on a glorious walk in the beautiful surrounding countryside, taking in the areas around Alstonefield, Milldale and Dovedale.

We met few people except on the busier well trodden section of Dovedale but one happy meeting led us to learn of the Well Dressing that afternoon in Hartingstone.

So there we are in Hartingstone finding scarecrows in all sorts of guises and positions in gardens, and having the most quintessential of English afternoons. That's right, listening to a brass marching band, parading with a rose queen, while we had afternoon tea in a teashop cum post office cum ice cream parlour! And finding a shop on the green that had a vast range of wonderful cheeses, of course we had to buy some for later on. Really the perfect way to round off a great day in the country before going back to face the puddle!

Feeling to lazy to cook that evening we went out to experience the excellent fare of the Coach & Horses at Fenny Bentley. And later that wonderful cheese with a bottle of red wine to discuss the walk and sights we'd seen that day.

The Sunday saw the day start with sunshine and the puddle had disappeared. Time to pack away and meet friends Cath and Pete for a long awaited catchup and enjoyable bike ride along the Tissington Trail. A slow climb upwards on the way out followed by a much faster return with no peddling required. There really isn't anything like chatting to friends about shared experiences and looking forward to more to come.