Jan & John Maggs

Antiques and Art

A Day in England's Peak District

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We were staying near Thrussington, a small village just north of Leicester, and had a free day between the big shows in Lincoln and Newark.

With the help of Google, we were exploring the surrounding area in the hope that we might discover a part of England we'd not known.

Not far away from us, the map showed a large green area, identified as the Peak District.

We learned that the District was Great Britain's first national park, noted for its rugged beauty. It seemed the perfect way to spend our day.

We planned an itinerary, which included a few antiques shops, but our main agenda was discovery.

It was an overcast Tuesday morning, as we drove from Ashbourne, in the south, through the heart of the Peak District towards Glossop, a city near the northern extreme of the park. 

The drive took us through desolate areas, where we saw scores of small farms nestled into the steep hillsides,

climbed long, winding hills,

past decaying stone buildings

and lichen-covered stone walls.

These stone walls define the sprawling pastures and farmland, just as hedgerows define those of the Cotswolds,

       

and we were immediately struck by the sharp contrast between the two.

We had indeed left the wolds and arrived in the peaks.

We stopped for lunch in a pub in Tideswell and struck up a conversation with the barman.

When we commented on the beauty of the area, the barman replied, "I've lived here for more than thirty years. It loses its attraction very quickly."

It's not difficult to understand how the harshness of this wilderness might become oppressive,

but for a couple on holiday, it is an area of wild beauty, to which we'll surely return.

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