Bimbling around Belper

Day three of my little trip last week. I left the hotel at 9.30 after breakfast, and left Burton heading towards Derby. The area around Belper looked interesting on the map, so I parked up at Duffield and started walking along the Derwent Valley Heritage Way, towards Milford. The sun was against me again for taking photos. A lot of Derbyshire houses are built like this, on a hill with a terraced garden and stone walls. 

I chatted to a lady who was tending her beautiful garden, she said she had lived there for 44 years. When I came to the end of a track a dog walker was unloading his pack from the back of his van, six dogs of different sizes. They looked really keen to get going.

It was busy in Belper, a long time since I was last there. I used to do a van driving job before I became a trucker, and Belper was on my patch. I visited garages to sell car spares. I wasn't much good at selling, but I liked the driving.

The Memorial Park is nice and tidy with flower beds and lawns, and this amazing sculpture stands on a plinth overlooking the park. You need to stand back from it to admire the complexity of it. It's made from steel.

Close up you lose the picture altogether, it's just metal bars of different shapes.

If you click on this picture to enlarge it you should be able to read all about it. 

Flowers in the Memorial Gardens.

Flowers on the railings at the side of the road.

I thought this Mill might be open for viewing, but the only board I could see at the front was one advertising a restaurant.

The River Gardens are lovely.

The River Derwent which flows through the middle of Belper.

My feet were beginning to get a bit sore so I decided to call it a day and head for home. I got the bus back to my car. I really enjoy these short breaks, and it's thanks to Janet my cat/house sitter that I can get away for them. 28 miles in total I walked on this trip. It all adds up. 

Toodle pip. ilona

Way down upon the swaneeee River Trent .....

Dear oh dear, not feeling so good today. Coughing and sneezing, must have picked up some germs somewhere. Today is going to be an easy day. I've got these pictures from the walk I did on Tuesday. I left the hotel after breakfast with my new OS map, and some snacks. 

The Trent and Mersey canal goes through Burton, so I made my way to the Shobnall Marina, (check out web site), where the canal crosses Shobnall Street. It was a lovely sunny morning with a slight breeze. As I stopped to take some photo's I chatted to the man who lives in that bungalow over there. It all looked very immaculately tidy. Lots of pot plants about. I think some of these boats have permanent moorings, they had their own little pot plant gardens. I'm not sure that I would like to live that close to my neighbours, with just a wooden walkway between. 

Out of the side gate and onto the canal, heading towards Lichfield. I won't be going that far, but the canal makes a nice start to a day walk.

I waited a few minutes for this boat to come out of the lock on the other side of the bridge. Makes a nice picture.

The canal runs adjacent to the A38 trunk road, so you are never very far away from the traffic noise. In some parts there are factories and warehouses on both sides, adding to the noise with their shunting lorries and fork lift trucks. 

Passing Branston I met a lady out for a walk with her dog, which immediately jumped up to greet me. She apologised but I said no matter, I love happy dogs. It's surprising how much conversation you can have with someone in ten minutes. I immediately warmed to her, being very similar to me in her outlook on life. She would be the sort of friend I would have if I lived here. 

I carried on, the canal comes very close to the A38 as it approaches Barton under Needwood. Here I had to cross over at Barton Turn to the other side via a small bridge over the top, to access the Marina. I have been here before with my sister and family, so no need to linger long. Just enough time to sit and have a bite to eat. 

There is a lot to do for day trippers, walks around the lake, shopping, cinema, and eating out. There are posh apartments if you want to live here.

I decided to get off the canal at this point, and turn left over the railway line and over the River Trent, towards Walton village. This is the bridge over the river. If you are lucky you might see some fun and games when a slightly larger vehicle decides to try and squeeze through.

Looking down as I walked over on a separate footpath, a swan family with six youngsters. 

I followed the road through Walton to Rosliston, found a bench and sat for a few minutes to study the map to work out my next move. If I make my way towards Swadlincote I could head back to Burton from there. Just as I got up to leave a man who had been washing his car at the house opposite came over to speak to me. He asked if I was going to the Forestry Centre, and said the road is busy with traffic, and he could let me through his back gate so I could avoid that. How kind people are. I went straight through onto the track, away from the road.

I didn't take any photo's here, because it was rather busy with families and children running around having a lot of fun. It's ideal for children, wide open spaces, things to climb on, and woods to build dens. I like this mural on the Visitor Centre. There is a good web site if you want more information. My sister takes her grand kids there.

I went to the shop to pick up a site map, and the man explained which path I should take to get out of the place. I headed for Caldwell. Following the road from there towards the A444 to Cadley Hill. Not an ideal route to take as it was busy with cars, but the most direct. By now time was getting on and I needed the shortest route back to Burton.

The riverside gardens at Stapenhill are always a delight to wander through. There are pictures elsewhere on this blog from a previous visit. I am standing at the top of the terraced gardens looking down on the swan.

Absolutely beautiful. When I was a mere nipper we came on the bus to spend the afternoon playing in these gardens.

The wildlife know that if they hang around for a while, someone will come along and feed them.

Nearly back. All I had to do was cross the bridge, call in at Tesco to pick up something for tea, and back to the hotel. Well chuffed with my walk, a bit of allsorts to look at, and some nice people to chat to. 16.5 miles. Another walk tomorrow. not as long because I will be driving home after it. Best study the map and decide where I want to go. 

Now I am tired, I must eat. Toodle pip.  ilona

A five mile walk through my childhood.

I arrived in Burton on Trent around lunchtime on Monday, first visiting Uncle Stan's grave at Stretton Church. I decided to leave my car there while I went for a walk. Stretton is the village where I grew up, so it was a trip down Memory Lane for me. 

I remember being taught about Tutbury Jinnie, a train that ran between Burton and Tutbury. The train is long gone and the track is now a very pleasant country walk. It's a mainly sheltered walk through the trees and vegetation on both sides. The information boards tell the story.

More information about Rolleston Railway Station here. 

Coming off the track at Rolleston onto the road, I passed The Jinnie Inn. Jinny can be spelt with a 'y'. This was where Uncle Stan had his 80th birthday party. He had several of his paintings on the walls here, and often sold them.  

On into Rolleston village. This was the spot where me, my sister, and sister in law scattered our brother Stephen's ashes. His wife had brought them from India where he had lived for many years. Stephen played in this stream when he was a little boy.

I sat on a bench and ate my lunch, listening to the water cascading down the weir.

The Spread Eagle where all the family met on the day of the ashes. I remember visiting this pub many times when I was a teenager. 

I took the road past the church and walked to Tutbury. It has all changed since I was last here, now has a bypass. Re routing the main A50 from Derby to Uttoxeter means a lot of the villages no longer have heavy lorries driving through them. I remember this school, the first Forest of Needwood Secondary Modern school I went to. I think I was here for two years, then they built a new school at Rolleston, which is now a housing estate.

The Dog and Partridge is still here. A popular pub in a prominent position on the High Street.

I walked out of the village and just over the railway line into South Derbyshire is Hatton, the home of Nestle, the coffee factory. I was talking to two lads who were sitting opposite outside the Co op shop, eating their lunch. Apparently they still have a staff shop which sells cheap Nescafe and Cross and Blackwell tinned food to the workers there. This was where I got my first lorry driving job. The entrance has changed a lot and the factory is very much bigger than when I knew it. The access used to be down a narrow lane next to the pub on the corner. It is now opened up and is much wider and easier to turn in and out of.

One more landmark to look at before I head off back. Tutbury Castle. Sadly, at ten to five, it was not open. Strange that there was no sign on the big wooden doors giving the opening times. A couple of snaps from outside the boundary. The sun was not in the right place so they are not very clear. 

It was time to get back to the car, so I picked up the bus back to Stretton. I made a point of getting off near to where I used to live. Amazing transformation of what used to be a jungle with three kids running riot in it. It was so much fun having a garden where we could please ourselves what we did.

I checked into the hotel at 6pm, then went off to party. Five miles walked today, a longer one planned for tomorrow. 

Toodle pip.  Ilona

A lovely evening.

Did anyone notice I wasn't around. I went to the school re union, which was also Mr Brodies 90th birthday party. When I was there he taught Art, but he is a man of many talents and taught other subjects as well. I got in the queue to have a few words with him, he was in his element, enjoying all the attention. 

The event was organised by Ben Robinson, boss of Burton Albion Football Club, and was held in the function suite at the stadium. Ben was a year above me in school, and has done very well for himself in the sporting world. Such a nice down to earth guy as well. The funds raised went to their charity, Burton Albion Community Trust, and a short presentation was given about the work they do promoting health and well being to all ages. 

It was a two course meal, I had the veggie option which was a Quorn pasty with mashed potatoes and peas, and a very sweet posh pudding. I was stuffed.  

There was a lot of catching up to do. Luckily there were some people from my years, though they had to tell me who they were. It's very difficult to put names to faces you haven't seen for 50 years.

Following the meal there was a very entertaining magician who kept everybody in high spirits. After saying goodnight and goodbye to everyone, it was back to the hotel I had booked for two nights. I finally fell into bed at gone midnight. Don't know how I managed to stay awake, I had been up since 6am, and did a five mile walk in the afternoon around the area I was brought up in.

I have some photo's to post of the 28 miles I walked over the three days. See ya tomorrow. Toodle pip.  ilona

Spotlight on Ian Kirkpatrick - artist

There is a very colourful exhibition on at the moment, at 20 21 Arts centre. I popped in to have a look. It's big and bold. Ian Kirkpatrick is the artist, here is a link to his web site. 

Here is a bit of blurb taken from this web site.

Ian is a Canadian contemporary artist currently based in Leeds, UK. His work is inspired by the history of art and design, from ancient cave paintings and Greek amphorae, to graffiti and computer graphics. The hieroglyphic surfaces of his 2D and sculptural pieces remix iconographies from past and present cultures, often in response to current political and social themes. He creates most of his work digitally, then manufactures it out of industrial materials including stainless steel, vinyl, corrugated cardboard, Perspex and Dibond.

It's rather a lot to take in on one visit. The exhibition is on until October, so I'll go again.
Toodle pip.  ilona