The Peak District

[I thought I had posted this one earlier, but I hadn't, so it's slightly out of sequence.] Mary and I took a Saturday [March 17] excursion into Derbyshire, the next county to the west, into an area known as The Peak District. This area of rugged land is the southern end of the Pennine Mountains.

Mary surveys the Peak District from Mam Tor.

The peaks here are not exactly the Himalayas -- some of the bluffs in northeast Iowa might fit right in here. Neither is it a large area -- one drives into and out of the peaks somewhat suddenly.

Unusually desolate terrain around Longshaw estate.

But the area is very beautiful and a very popular recreation area. We shared the narrow, winding roads with countless bicycles, numerous cars, a multitude of motorcycles, a few farm tractors, some riders on horseback, and several stray sheep.

Our first stop was the village of Eyam (pronounced "eem"), sometimes called, "The Plague Village" because of what happened here during the Black Death in 1666. When the plague struck, the villagers quarantined themselves to keep the disease from spreading to the neighboring villages, probably saving countless lives. Some years ago, Mary and I had both read the novelized version, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, so we found the site fascinating.

Catherine Mompesson, wife of the local parson, nursed the sick
before succumbing to the plague herself.

We walked the grounds of an estate called Longshaw, where the terrain and vegetation are quite unusual for this part of England. Next, we drove up one of the higher peaks, Mam Tor, and would have climbed to the top if a rain squall hadn't been moving through just at that time. Then we walked along a stream at a place called Dovedale, made famous by the writings of Izaac Walton.

Dovedale

Finally, on the way home, we stopped at Sudbury Hall, a National Trust mansion that was used for filming some interior scenes in the 2005 movie, Pride & Prejudice.

Sudbury Hall is noted for its intricate ceilings.

The Peak District is very scenic place to spend a day or many days. It's close at hand for us, but we are realizing just how little time a year really is to see the whole of England.