Hooray, at last we are off to Derbyshire and have not been stopped with any changes on the Covid 19 rules. It started with a little rain but became sunny as we drove to the Midlands. I had fund a stopping point in a shopping village not that far from where Sophie and David live and the cafe managed to find a table for us to sit inside as it was rather nippy outside.
We reached Bentley Brook in in Fenny Bentley in the early afternoon. I was not sure what it would be like staying somewhere during the Covid 19 restrictions but they have done really well. It’s strange having to put a mask on the moment we leave our room and the room is a little spartan as all soft furnishings such as cushions have been removed. Even the tv remote control was presented in a plastic bag after being sanitised.
As we had made such good time, after a cup of tea (we had bought milk), we headed out for a bit of an explore. We drove to Matlock Bath which this is a photo of. From a distance it looked a fascinating town with mid Victorian cast iron and interesting architecture. It is a spa town and has a lot of history. However, close up it was not good at all with every third shop being either a fish and chip shop or an amusement arcade. After trying to get some information from the closed information centre and realising that we had parked in a gypsy encampment be mistake we swiftly left and have no plans to return! We drove back towards our accommodation via Bakewell which is a considerably nicer town with a number of Bakewell tart shops which will need a good exploration at later date. On our return we found two chickens pottering around the car park so I am going to take sone biscuits for them tomorrow if they are still there.
We ate in the pub in the evening as the voucher deal that Mum had given me included a 2-course meal. The food was very good although we had to clear the restaurant by 10.00pm at the latest to adhere to new Covid 19 restrictions, wearing our masks and walking outside to keep to the one way safely system. A good arrival and first day in Derbyshire.
