Tag Archives: Alstonefield

The dark and angry cottage.

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21°C, white cloud.

This summer’s expedition didn’t require any rescues but one group said they’d lost their walkie-talkie. We drove into the village and parked for near the footpath for a short time.​

A grumpy note! I accept that it was possible to leave the minibus in a carpark. My only problem with this note is the opening childish sarcastic content. If you want my sympathy, don’t throw away any respect with that stupid suggestion about my abilities. Besides, why would anybody need a map, there is a big sign to the carpark across the road. You don’t have exclusive rights to the road outside your house, that’s not how the law works in this country.
A different approach would have easily won my sympathy and probably, an apology. But if you’d come out from hiding in your house, I would have nothing to say to you. Your choice.

Alstonefield ride.

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30°C, no wind, no clouds.
Sunday ride~ tracked with MapMyRide! Distance: 84.73mi, time: 05:42:34, pace: 4:03min/mi, speed: 14.84mi/h.
http://mapmyride.com/workout/321195601
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I rode up with the Burton club, view were heading to the Peak District for some hill climbs. They were quick and seem a disciplined bunch. I only got nervous on stretches with deep pot-holes.
Anyway, I turned off and made my own way to the Peaks with a cafe stop at Ilam.

From there, the route took me further north to Alstonefield and Milldale. There is a back route into Milldale by a road marked as impassible. Impassible roads are a bad idea, they are impassible. It was narrow and dipped down into the gorge at 1:7. I slid back, gripped the drops for a better grasp of the brake lever and took it slowly. My eyes darted from one side to another looking for places to crash should a brake cable break.
They held.

Out of Milldale there is a daunting hill to the east which worked out well. there were more steep hills which I took with renewed confidence and I arrived home feeling reasonably fresh. I credit the extra water I drank for feeling good even after eighty miles.

Shining Tor

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0 – 6°C, Snow , wind & sun

Drove from Macclesfield to Buxton on the way to Alstonefield for a foodie feast. In the village pub has an excellent range of food including the amazing pudding pictured below. That snow shot was taken in a layby in Deryshire. I pulled the car into a stopping place and I got out with my camera-phone. Just as I was turning the snow yellow- a couple of heavily wrapped cyclists rode by on thin tire, racing bikes. They did look rather nervous at the top of what must be a big big climb, and not because they’d spotted me. The fog was too thick for that.

Here is food that I’d journeyed through snow for. Look at the photo from left to right- there is honeycomb, chocolate mousse and lemon sorbet. All of that was presented on a skid-mark of chocolate sauce on the square plate. The most spectacular part was found inside the mousse. The brown cylinder of rich chocolate was rather rich but once cut inside- it bled from the wound a yellow-orange thick sauce oozed. That alien blood was rich and tangy and countered the rich sticky body of the pud.
Most striking.


Go and try some!