Meet Report: 12-15 September. Based at the Izaak Walton Hotel, Ilam village. This was a select gathering of just four couples with Helen and Michael Smith joining us for Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday was wet and miserable making for difficult travelling conditions but then normal service was resumed and we enjoyed blues skies and warm sunshine for the rest of the week.

The hotel is beautifully situated at the foot of Dovedale, overlooking the shapely summit of Thorpe Cloud. The rooms were good and the staff friendly but unfortunately it soon became apparent that the kitchen was under pressure owing to lack of staff. Dinners were rather protracted affairs, with waits of an hour for dessert being the norm. Nevertheless when the food did arrive it was well presented and generally very good. Conversation flowed to fill the gaps and the social nature of the meet was well maintained.

On Tuesday four Dovers and two Josephys walked up the Dovedale valley

to Milldale where an early lunch was obtained from Poppy’s Cottage, a little take away serving various drinks and pasties. The party became split somewhat on the return, with some lingering beside the crystal clear stream and others pressing on. Richard Dover took in the summit of Thorpe Cloud before returning to the hotel.

The Smiths arrived just after breakfast and joined the Chadwicks for the day. They walked up Dovedale on the eastern side exiting at Milldale up an initially narrow path to Alstonefield where they visited St Peter’s church, finding plenty of architectural interest. In its graveyard is what is thought to be England’s oldest legible memorial stone dated 1518. The return was via Stanshope, down Hall Dale, up by Ilam Rock, over Bunster Hill (pausing for the panoramic views) and down to Ilam Hall for tea and cakes before sauntering back to the Izaac Walton.

On Wednesday the Smiths and Chadwicks again joined forces. They drove north to Earl Sterndale a little south of Buxton to find that one of Roy Denny’s favourites, The Quiet Woman pub there is now closed following the covid restrictions.  From there a descent was made to Glutton Bridge where sheep were being selected for market. The steep ascent of Parkhouse Hill was followed by its steeper western descent to cross the foot of Dowel Dale to traverse the dragonback of Chrome Hill. Turning south after Stoop Farm, Hollins Hill provided a lunch stop with a view and was traversed to Hollinsclough.  The return to Glutton Bridge was made more interesting by inadvertently avoiding the obvious bridleway then straying from the indistinct footpath and the Smiths repeating an error made some years ago by searching for a footbridge which exists only in the mapmaker’s imagination. A hop over a stream got them back on track for the final haul up Hitter hill to the cars.  The Chadwicks headed for Buxton and the Smiths homeward.

The rest, in two separate groups visited Chatsworth to walk around the Radical Horizons sculpture exhibition, 12 compositions built mostly with discarded and recycled materials. The exhibition is based on and created in collaboration with the Burning Man event which takes place annually in the Nevada Desert.

The rest of the day was spent touring the area. The Josephys revisited old haunts in Bakewell and walked down the river towards Haddon Hall.

Although this was only a small meet it was enjoyed by all. We hope that there will be more interest in this meet next year.

Attending:

Paul and Ann Dover, Richard and Anne Dover, Peter and Ann Chadwick, Michael and Helen Smith, Tim and Elaine Josephy