UK 2012 ISSUE 10

Hawthorne Blossom

As promised, I will explore the joys of staying in an 18th century public house and exploring Little Moreton Hall.  We found the offer for our stay at the Sportsman Inn through living social.  A little research showed that people were either thrilled or totally disillusioned by their stays with them.  Mostly the food reviews were good, but several complained about the beds. We once managed to spend two nights in a White City, New Mexico RV Park (the scariest bathrooms you might ever see) so having done that, how bad could it possibly be.  Besides, we're kinda in to funky, and as long as the sheets are clean, what is there to worry about.

Our room was on the ground floor, at the front (the first floor being what we in the states refer to as the second floor).  There was an entrance to the building from the street so it was not necessary to go through the pub.  The room was tiny, just enough space to walk around the double bed.  The flat screen television was behind the door and on the shelf beneath it was the requisite electric kettle, steripac milk, sugar, instant coffee and tea bags.  Designers of a cruise ship would be proud of how they crammed a 3 x 6 foot bathroom, as well as a 3 x 2 foot cupboard/wardrobe/closet in to the space.  The shower was a metal box with fold away glass doors, the sink was hung on the wall and held about a cup and a half of water, when full, and the toilet took up about as much room as a straight back dining chair.  It was old, it was beat up, it was mostly clean, it was most definitely funky.  We're back to that same old thing, what can you do with an old building, in this case made of stone rather than brick, that doesn't cost the earth.  How do you retro fit modern conveniences in a building that was never intended to have such features.   So, okay, I didn't really want to wander around bare foot, but the sheets and towels smelled clean and fresh and it was only for two nights.  That said, I have to admit the bed was dreadful, clean but truly, truly, truly, uncomfortable.   The food on the other hand, one dinner and two breakfasts included in the package price, was amazingly good.  

Stone Fences

Would I recommend the Sportsman Inn to someone else . . . it scores high points for location if you want to hike in the Peak District, the out door beer garden was a pleasant space to sit and have a drink or a meal, the food was well above average, booked through living social the price was decidedly cheap, the room quality pretty much comparable with an older Motel 6 in need of some refurbishment.  So, yeah, if those things are acceptable, I would recommend it.

Hayfield Rooftops

We spent our second day hiking.  After breakfast we took off back up toward Kinder Scout and did some wandering over farm tracks and back roads while barely seeing a vehicle or a person but plenty of livestock.  Across one field paddled a gaggle of geese heading directly for a kiddies swimming pool, there was a donkey in the field and little bittie bunnies hopped about.  The bunnies are nothing like our great big jack rabbits, they are dainty little furry tan things with cute little puffy cotton tails.  We wandered past Hill House, a 1730 farm building overlooking the valley that held Hayfield.  Up the farm track past a field of black and white sheep and across the farm yard  at  Booth Farm.  It is always a little disconcerting to cross what is so obviously private property, but that was the way the trail directed us.  Up the hill again for a view of the reservoir from the other side of the valley and through Farlands, a collection of four or five houses that dated from the time the reservoir was originally built.  We opted to back track a bit rather than going down a extremely steep cobbled path.  It appeared to be really quite idyllic, like something out of the last century.  Cobbles and stone walls, creepers and climbers and other plant life creating hillocks of mossy green and covering walls and the ground with their new shoots.  A view across a vista of green and brown with sheep grazing and birds on the wing.  Also steep and treacherous and hard work to walk on, the cobbles turning your feet and ankles every which way.  And did I mention the helicopter that was carrying fertiliser and seed out across the moors in  an attempt to do some restoration and rehabilitation.  Back down the lane and across the green fields was much tamer and definitely less hazardous.

Hayfield Wellies

After lunch we decided to take the advice of several people who had suggested walking the four miles to New Mills.  We were told that it was generally flat as it followed an old railway line and the bus between New Mills and Hayfield ran every 20 minutes.   The first mile or so we walked with a Hayfield native.  A 70 year old woman, who after a hip replacement made a habit of walking the path each day with the aid of two canes.  It was fun listening to her talk about how things had changed, she pointed out the ruin of an old mill and talked about the pond we went past and how it had been used as a mill race for powering the original mill.  She rabbited on about how the new housing in the village was out of character with the original stone structures and generally kept us entertained.  We made it to New Mill but unfortunately the every half hour bus turned in to an hour wait and a $6 fare one way and there was still a mile to walk back to the Sportsman.   On our way back did pass a rather unique pub name, there are plenty of Saracens Head or Pig and Whistles out there, but this was the first ever Waltzing Weasel Free House I have seen.

Our two fine days in Hayfield became pouring rain on the morning we were to leave.   We hit the road headed toward Marple and Mellor after leaving the village of Hayfield where, come to find out, Agatha Christie used to live.  Any significance there, yeah maybe.  Not to be outdone by the Waltzing Weasel, we now have passed pubs by the name of Soldier Dick and Dandy Cock, make what you will of that.

Our destination, Quarry Bank Mill and Little Moreton Hall, both National Trust Properties.  We are members in good standing of the National Trust, a non profit that owns and maintains historical properties.  Being a member grants you access with no additional charges, so seeing National Trust Properties becomes something of a priority.  The mill was pleasant, but a bit of a disappointment after seeing the Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor.  We have often found the Brits seem more interested in preserving the building but what they place inside is not always historically accurate.

Quarry Bank Gardens

They did have lovely gardens though.  Are you sensing a theme here, garden.  If there is any one thing that the British are mad on it would have to be gardens.  



Back to food for just a short minute here, I found this litany when reviewing the messages on the digital recorder.  Sauces; as I may have intimated previously, the English like sauces or condiments with their meals.  Don't know if this is because the cuisine is dry, or they really don't like the taste of their own food or just a cultural idiosyncrasies, like dessert gravy, but the choices are numerous.  At one eating establishment the individual packets of sauce included tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, salad cream, brown sauce, tartar sauce, horseradish sauce, english mustard, Mint sauce, french mustard and american mustard.

Little Moreton Hall, our next stop.  You have got to see it to believe it.  It was begun circa 1450 with building and expansions continuing until the early 1500s.  I could ramble on a bit, but it's the pictures I really want to share.   It really is quite spectacular.  This is another of those National Trust Properties.

We glommed on to a tour group that was going round and got a little of the history.  But mostly it is not about history but just about the architecture.

Fireplace

Long Hall - top floor

 Each room had a fireplace, but it's the carved bits that impress.  The Long Hall on the right is on the top level and was used as a place to take some exercise when the weather was poor.  The floor rolls and undulates, amazing.  In the exterior picture it is that long wall of windows.   The windows fascinate me.  The reason the windows are broken into smaller leaded panes was because that was as large a piece of glass they could fashion.  Enough going on . . . time for pictures.

Leaded Window

The Ashland Avatar UK 2012 Edition is going on hiatus until our return from London and the Cotswolds.  We are definitely down to one computer so one must be considerate.  If you need a good laugh about the Jubilee and other things British, Google The NOW Show for Friday June 8.