June 22-24, 2018 - Goodbye Turnditch, Hello Cromford!
This post is a bit of a "grab bag." We'll start with a few pictures to show that we're really not just touring all the time. We actually study a lot,...we promise! The studying is not so bad, though, as there always seems to be a beautiful spot to study in and occasionally furry study buddies (Paddington and Mr. Brown) to assist us. It has been great to have the opportunity to read things we have meant to read for years, but never had the time or motivation to make it happen.
On the day before we had to leave our home in Turnditch, Heather and Mark (Hannah didn't want to come) took one last walk around the area. It was spectacular!
We took a bit of a diversion on a public path that led out through an open field full of wild flowers. Sometimes the public footpaths that aren't used very regularly get overgrown and hard to find. This one did just that. We could not find the path after a while, but we did find some lovely specimens of "Common Spotted Orchid."
The huge, ancient trees on some of the old properties are really spectacular!
Heather seems to be a bit of a pied piper when it comes to animals. We were a little worried she might start a stampede with these cows.
We were really sad to say goodbye to our landlords-turned-friends; Lucy, Rupert, Bob, and Anthony (He was already at work when we were leaving.). It was great to get to know them!
We left Turnditch and moved into a house/cottage in the little village of Cromford (about 20 minutes drive north of where we were in Turnditch). We stayed in Cromford for 9 days. Cromford was a textile mill and quarry town and is now a bit of a tourist destination. It is super cute and beautiful from the trails above the town!
The cottage is a three-floor, row house that was originally built as housing for workers in the textile mills in the village below. The mill was built and peaked in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
There is absolutely no way the stairway in the cottage would pass code in the U.S.! It was extremely steep, with variable step heights. We really enjoyed the place, though.
We particularly liked the multi-level garden (yard) behind the house!
The picture below was taken out the window of our bedroom on the third floor. Our cottage was the same as those you see in the picture.
As parking can be quite difficult in England, we were really grateful to have our own designated parking spot...even if it meant risking our lives by stopping traffic on the very busy street to back into it and occasionally having to ask the neighbor to move their car so we could get out! Hannah is standing between our car and our front door in the picture below.
We enjoyed having a place to live that was within walking distance of the village below and the beautiful trails above.
Whenever we mentioned that we were moving to Cromford, people would tell us that we had to check out Scarthin Books (See below). It is a wonderfully quirky used bookstore that has several floors, rooms with different themes, a hidden tea nook outside, plenty of old comfy chairs to sit and read, friendly and helpful staff, and is full of character. It was really fun to explore.
This curved, "secret" doorway/bookshelf that leads to a cafe within the store is a fun touch!
The village around the bookstore is beautifully quaint. This pond is just outside of the bookstore.
On the hill above Cromford there is a castle-turned-apartment-building called Riber Castle. It was built by a wealthy mill tycoon in 1862. Not very old by English standards, but certainly an imposing edifice that can be seen from all directions.
Anyone who knows Heather knows that she can be a little obsessive about plants, so it was not surprising that she noticed some signs in the neighboring town of Wirksworth that indicated that there would be a "Hidden Gardens and Courtyards" walk the weekend after we moved to Cromford. It ended up being a fantastic way to see some amazing gardens, talk to many English people, and to see how people live. We visited about 30 different gardens and had a lot of fun!
Wirksworth is another quaintly picturesque village, apparently with many talented gardeners!
We were impressed with the people who came out to enjoy the tour. They were clearly into gardening and really cared about the plants and gardens they were seeing.
The flowers were absolutely amazing!!! The beauty below (not including Hannah😊) is a recent David Austin rose called, "Gently Hermione," one of Heather's favorites.
The gatehouse to a village cemetery never looked so good!
Some of the gardens were on teeny, tiny properties (like the one pictured below), but they still drew us in with their beauty and creativity. Some garden owners, including this one, offered tea and cakes for sale to the participants, with the proceeds going to a local charity.
Some of the gardens were extremely quirky, but still remarkably beautiful.
To see this garden we actually had to walk through the owners' living room!
...but the FLOWERS!!!!
As we mentioned above, Cromford was a mill town. As such, they created a canal system to transport their raw materials and finished products. Now the canal has been converted into a beautiful walking trail. We really enjoyed it!
Also during the time we were staying in Cromford, Mark attended a multi-day conference in downtown Derby with the founder of Compassion-Focused Therapy, Paul Gilbert.
The pictures below show the river right outside the hotel where the conference was held. We think that the old brick building on the river is an old silk mill that is being renovated as a historical site and museum. It won't be open to visit for a few years yet.
We loved Cromford! Now off to Duffield!
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