Day 38 – Ellastone to Thorpe – 10 miles

It was a dark and stormy night – oh, wait, I’ve already used that one.

It was a dark and stormy morning. Winds blew the rain in sheets across the open pastures. “Oh, sheets,” said the explorer to himself in thoughtful recognition of the character of the rain. Yet he carried on, with such simple-minded dedication to a useless cause not seen by the world since… well, since yesterday.

His is not to reason why.
He moves north, moist or dry.
Into the valley of wet strode the explorer.

Swanton church

Even in the rain the churches and homes remain picturesque. The sky started to clear in the afternoon, and the hills of the Peak District displayed their magical patterns. As I’m moving north, dry stone walls are becoming more common, replacing the hedgerows to which I’ve grown accustomed.

John

Again, the only people outside today were those who had to be. That would be me – and John, a farmer who was feeding hay to his bulls.

I had difficulty finding reservations for tonight, so I’ve ended up at Peveril of the Peak, a very upscale (i.e., very expensive) hotel in Thorpe. Right now I’m sitting in the bar because my room isn’t ready. Background music is soft jazz and pop from the 50’s and 60’s. Right now “The Girl from Ipanema” is playing. Before that it was Sinatra (not Nancy) and Tom Jones. Men wearing suits keep coming in to order drinks. I may be underdressed for dinner. There isn’t any sign saying shirts and shoes required, so I think I’ll leave my boots in my room to dry and go to dinner in my socks.

I’ll try an experiment this evening. I want to find out how the beautiful people react to having a transient in their midst. Will they react like the tourists in Tintagel, or will they merely think I’m an eccentric and humor me? Stay tuned for a full report tomorrow.

Clearing sky

© 2011 Ken Klug