Hi there everyone 😀
The last of my 60th birthday celebrations came right at the end of November with a weekend getaway to Monyash in The Peak District with our good friends Jackie and Phil.
Martin and I headed up the Thursday morning, with a few stop offs along the way … starting at a very nice garden centre just outside of Ashbourne …
… where there may have been a few impulse purchases made …
… as well as a few photos just for Bobby … he does love a Jellycat foodie plushy 😜
It was then into Ashbourne for another mooch where Martin treated me to a belated birthday gift …
Our last stop off on our journey was in the lovely little village of Tissington, where we just had a bit of a wander, taking in the winter sunshine …
It really was the most absolutely glorious of days.
Mid afternoon and we arrived at Hillcrest Barn, our home for the next four nights …
… and we were soon settled in and awaiting Jackie and Phil … who had had to put in a day’s work before getting away …
They arrived safely and we were soon sat around the dining table enjoying a very tasty home cooked dinner courtesy of Jackie … followed by birthday cake …
On Friday we had a big day out planned and after a full English we were on our way to Chatsworth. First stop was the garden centre for a bit of Christmas shopping … where there may have been a bit of photobombing going on amongst the Christmas trees …
From here we headed on to the parking for the Christmas at Chatsworth event … which is most definitely worthy of a post of its own … so I will save that for another day …
We had a bit of a slower day on the Saturday and just had a drive around taking in a few of the local sights … starting off with The Magpie Mine. It wasn’t far … nine minutes according to the satnav. The weather was not as bright as it had been on the Friday but it was good to get out and have a bit of a wander …
We also did a controlled experiment to see how many of us would have fit in the old pit lift …
Happy to have discovered we would all have been able to make it down below it was time to head off …
Our next stop was another nine minutes away at Monsal Head, where the view was not the best we’ve seen it but still pretty impressive all the same …
After a quick look at the view we headed in to Hobbs Cafe for a brew and a warm up. None of us had ever been in there before and we all really liked it. It was nice and cosy … just the job on a wet and windy afternoon.
From Monsal Head we decided on one more stop before heading back and yes … it was another nine minutes away. We headed for Eyam for a look in the church, where there is lots of information about the plague and how it affected the village …
After a quick walk around the village we headed back to Monyash, for a nice lazy afternoon, before heading out to eat. We had hoped to eat at The Bull’s Head in Monyash, as it was only across the road, but unfortunately it was booked out for a private function.
Funnily enough we still ended up at The Bull’s Head … but in Ashford-in-the-Water …
… where we had the very warmest of welcomes, the best service and a lovely meal …
It was really lovely evening … and only a nine minute drive away …
Sunday was our last full day and we woke up to awful weather. It was absolutely lashing it down so we opted for a lazy morning and postponed our visit to Bakewell for a bit later on.
The satnav told us, once again, that we were on for a nine minute journey into Bakewell, and we were soon parked up in the centre of town, which wasn’t anywhere near as busy as we’d been expecting …
After a couple of hours mooching, a bit of shopping and a coffee stop it was back to Hillcrest Barn for the rest of the afternoon and a lovely chilled out last evening.
Monday morning and we were up and out for about 8.30 and heading back to Ashbourne garden centre for breakfast, which didn’t disappoint.
And then it was time to finally head for home. We’d had a lovely weekend … just the right blend of getting out and about and seeing and doing stuff and just generally chilling out with good friends 😀
That’s the birthday celebrations done … time to start getting into the festive spirit 🎄
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From here we headed on to the parking for the Christmas at Chatsworth event …
We started off with a good wander around the Christmas market, which was very busy, but a real festive experience … with lots of music, plenty of food and lots of stalls all decorated for Christmas selling all kinds of lovely things …
It all felt really festive and after a good walk round the market and a quick visit to the shop, which was incredibly busy, we arrived at the entrance to the house just in time for our slot …
The weather had been absolutely glorious, we couldn’t have hoped for better, and as we went into the house the sun was just beginning to drop …
Martin and I have visited the Chatsworth Christmas event before but it was Jackie and Phil’s first time and there was plenty to impress …
There were so many trees, so many baubles and twinkly lights … and lots of tiny mice to be found … it was magical …
