A stroll in Dovedale.

As the forecast for today was so good (and it was really the only day we could get away) Keith and I drove the 70 odd miles up to the Derbyshire Peak District to take a walk in Dovedale.

We left a bit later than we intended and after putting some diesel in my car, we had a quick breakfast at a Little Chef on the A14. This set us up for the day and we had a fairly good run, slowing down only in the lovely town of Ashbourne, where we were caught up in the Saturday shopping traffic.

There's a large, very muddy, car park at the start of the walk so we changed into our walking boots and set off along the river Dove. The whole area is beautiful - the gurgling, rushing river and the surrounding hills are gorgeous and there were loads of people out walking, most of them with their dogs.

The walk starts off on the level and the river was so full it was spilling out onto the path. After a few minutes we came to the famous stepping stones which have to be negotiated very carefully!

Some people carried their pooches over the stepping stones!

There were lots of people out walking and near the stepping stones a few ducks were hanging out, on the look out for crumbs. They were joined by a trio of crows who were also eyeing our pockets in case we had any grub...not this time!

After a while we came to a flight of wide stone steps that took us away from the fast-flowing river. It was quite a climb!

Once at the top of the steps we spotted a path leading up the side of one of the hills. We decided to set off and see where it led to, but after about twenty minutes we decided to turn back as it just kept going up and up and we weren't really prepared for such a steep climb!

The muddy, stony path. Quite slippery in places!

We turned back and walked the way we'd come. By now we could tell that the light was beginning to fade and the valley is so sheltered there was no sun at all. We didn't fancy the stepping stones in the dark! On the way back we played "pooh sticks" which made us both laugh as the little sticks stayed with us for quite a long way along the river, only coming to grief in one of the fast weirs.

A lot of people were heading back to the start of the walk and we watched a trio of huge Newfoundland dogs playing in the shallow parts and retrieving sticks for their owner. They were drenched and I can only imagine what the owner's car looked like after they finished their walk!

Back at the car park I enjoyed a hot chocolate and then we changed out of our muddy boots to drive home. We skirted Derby this time and had a very good journey home where the children were pleased to see us. I think they missed our company today!

As we'd been out all day we decided to have a Chinese takeway from the van in the village but they weren't there this evening! Typical! We ordered one to be delivered from Brixworth and went to The Royal Oak for a drink anyway. It was packed with people eating and drinking and made for a very relaxing end to an enjoyable day!