Easter Holidays :: Part 3

Hello Lovelies,  ever since I can remember  Mr BM has been saying that we ought to go cycling on the Tissington Trail. He rode along this converted railway line in the Derbyshire Dales when he was ten years old, on a school residential visit and it obviously made an impression as he has never forgotten it. Somehow the years passed and we never got there.....but on Sunday we finally did it, and it was great. This first picture is rather shaky, and actually that's how the day began. It's not easy transporting five large bikes inside and on top of your car. Add to that a couple of flat tires before we set off and another when we first arrived and it all seemed like rather too much effort for a simple bike ride. I did feel sorry for hubby, as most of the problems only he could sort out. By 12.30 pm, three and a half hours after we started loading the car, we were finally off....... Gosh, it was cold, so much colder than back home. And the sky was cloudy. We climbed up a hill from the village of Tissington and were rewarded by this gorgeous view.............. Maybe all that effort was going to be worth while :0) The clouds scudded across the landscape and I willed the sun to shine brightly on us as I knew this place would look even more beautiful in the sunshine....... I loved the limestone  walls and already I was lagging behind as I kept stopping to take pictures........ This part of the trail was very busy and you had to beware of other cyclists and walkers........ But the going was quite easy. The route is fairly flat due to the railway line needing to be as level as possible. In many places you ride through "cuttings" where the ground has been dug away and primroses flowered at the foot of tangled roots......... In other places you ride along embankments where the ground level has been raised. By now the clouds were thinning out and so was the "traffic". I was feeling happy and  getting confident....taking photos as I cycled along :0) Ooops......... We had covered three miles by this point and it seemed like it should be quite easy to reach our goal of Parsley Hay........ The views just got better and better as we got higher. This one made me very happy.......I love that "on top of the world" feeling so much and the sky was wonderful............ If I zoom in a bit you can see the typically pointed hills you get in this area.......... The path may have looked and felt pretty flat, but we were gradually going uphill and heading into more exposed upland areas. Here the wind was so strong both youngest and myself decided to get off and walk for a while as we were scared of being blown off this embankment........... It was lovely to see lambs in the fields below us...... The trail crosses over  many roads and gives you stunning views in all directions.......... But Oh, that wind. It blew my hair into my eyes and the noise got inside your head after a while. It made it hard to cycle in a straight line. You had to lean your bike into it at an angle, like you were permanently going around a bend.  I like a fresh breeze, but this was something else. I know it looks calm in these photos, but appearances can be deceptive........ So I did another short video to let you see what it was really like. Sorry it's a bit rubbish but I was struggling to stand up, hanging on to my bike firmly to stop it getting blown over with one hand, while filming with the other...........  Windy Weather from Bunny Mummy on Vimeo. that black thing flapping across the picture is my camera strap. Gosh it was such a relief to go through this high sided cutting. It was so calm and warm in here..... Look at that wonderful blue sky, the impressive  bridge and walls of rock.......... On the other side we were back at the mercy of the wind. These sheep must be hardy souls. There were no signs of spring here and the grass looked less than lush........ By now we had been going for about one and a half hours. Then the Mr had a problem with his bike chain. This was not our day for trouble free cycling. We decided to abandon our planned destination and picnic right here instead. These flat rocks made an ideal spot and thankfully it was  quite sheltered...... I had just packed us some snacks , but at least they were enough to give us the energy for the return leg. Fruit, crisps and home-made cakes tasted great in that freshest of air. I was cycling in a dress, you can just see a bit of it in this picture. Thankfully I was also wearing thick tights and a warm jacket. As we sat and picnicked many people passed us and said hello,  smiling broadly. How happy they are I thought. Then I realised they were probably amused by my crochet saddle cover.....I didn't mind, it's great to make folk smile don't you think........ On the return journey the wind was just as strong, but thankfully the going was ever so slightly down hill. You really couldn't see it , and it felt strange to be free wheeling on what looked like a flat track. Youngest kept saying " I don't remember this bit" I think he must have had his head down all the way there, and now the slope was with us he could finally look up and see the view........... And what a view it was.......... Getting lower......... The boys sped passed the Ice cream van, a more substantial snack, back at the car park, was on their mind Just here Hubby's chain finally broke and I took in the view while he struggled to fix it........ This tree was just coming into bud......... But most of the trees still looked bare, at least from this distance......... As we descend, how different this valley is from the higher places. Lots of trees and hedges divide the fields down here....... And cattle graze down by the river......... This is one of my favourite photo's of the day. I love the afternoon light, the wall  and the barn surrounded by sheep........... And here's another photo of that well used bench.......such a wonderful resting place.......... Back at the car park we loaded the bikes back into and on top of the car......... Then ordered a hot snack from the excellent cabin........ The boys all had a sausage sandwich, but I had my usual toasted tea cake with a huge mug of tea........ We had covered about fourteen miles in total and it really was a cycle ride that I will remember for a long time. I'd love to visit again in  summer. And make sure it's not a windy day :0) Well done if you made it to the end of this extra long post....this trip has been planned and talked  about for so many years  that I wanted to record it all here, to look back on. Jacquie x P.S. If you fancy cycling this route yourself, but need to hire bikes, you can start in Ashbourne as they have a a  HIRE SHOP right by the start of the trail. http://bunnymummy-jacquie.blogspot.com/2014/04/easter-holidays-part-3.html