Day 39 – Thorpe to Buxton – 19 miles

The clientele of Peviril of the Peak get an A- for treatment of transient walkers. They could have had an A+, except that one elegantly dressed elderly lady looked as if she had seen a ghost when I walked into the dining room wearing my hiking pants and socks. The other patrons were fine with it, and several engaged me in conversation and later met me in the bar over drinks. I wasn’t the only man not wearing a tie, but those without ties had nice sweaters over their sports shirts. I would rate my experiment as a success, and the Brits passed with flying colors.

Mick and Gayle

I received an email last night from Gayle, who along with her husband Mick, wanted to walk with me today. Gayle and Mick walked from Lands End to John O’Groats in 2003, and since then have walked to all the cardinal and ordinal points in Britain. They’ve made a habit of walking with End to Enders who pass through their area, and only a few weeks ago walked with Jack Frost.

River Dove

Gayle and Mick joined me for the portion of my walk through Dovedale, a scenic river valley in the Peak District. We had good conversation along the way, until the village of Milldale, when they had to turn around and return to their car parked in Thorpe.

Heron on weir

Of course, I didn’t have a car parked anywhere, so I continued on through a series of dales until joining the Pennine Bridleway, another rails to trails project. The bridleway led me to Chelmorton, where I picked up the Midshires Way to Buxton. There were so many walkers and cyclists in the dales and on the bridleway, and I had so far to travel today, that I resisted the temptation to talk with anyone at length. That may be a first for me.

Viaduct at Buxton

Buxton is in the midst of an arts festival which bills itself as one of the largest in England. Between that and the high walking season in the Peak District, accommodations were fully booked for miles around, and I was lucky to find a place. I’ll be here for two nights. Tomorrow will be my rest day, and I’ll take a train to a nearby village and walk back, without any weight in my pack. On Monday, I’ll take the same train voyage, and continue north from there.

Footpath through Dovedale

© 2011 Ken Klug