Ducking and Diving

As promised, today we return to the Cromford Canal and its inhabitants. Among these were one or two diminutive birds to be seen darting about between the ducks and swans. These tiny, gorgeous and charismatic birds are Little Grebes or Dabchicks (Tachybaptus ruficollis) and it proved very difficult to get a good photograph of them. In the end I managed only one decent shot before it dived again to chase fish.

As usual, the most numerous birds to be seen floating about on the canal, were the Mallards. Fighting for position so as not to miss out on the bread being fed to them, they seemed to be everywhere at once.

They were all fairly tame, which made photographing them a lot easier than the Little Grebes.

One or two were even more tame than the rest.

And one in particular, decided to get out of the water and stand at our feet, so that we might get a better view.

Yet another, not wanting to be out-done, took a more direct approach and demanded attention.

"Now, where would you like me?  Are you sure you've got my best side?"

Up to the Top

Continuing our trudge up the hill to Middleton Top, we eventually reached our goal and arrived at another of those engine houses.

This is the last surviving complete winding engine house and the building contains the two original beam engines built by the Butterley Company in 1829. Along with the tall chimney and two huge boilers, it makes an impressive sight even today.

Parked outside on a small section of track, an old and dilapidated piece of rolling stock still stands as a reminder of what was once a no doubt a very noisy, dirty and rather dangerous place to be.

Thankfully, things have changed somewhat since those industrial, far-off days and the area is now much more peaceful and altogether more attractive.

Heading down once more (a good deal easier than the climb up), we were again impressed by the views across the valley towards, in this case, the village of Riber and its imposing, hill-top castle.

You always assume castles to be ancient structures, with medieval battlements and knightly tales of derring-do. But in this case, nothing could be further from the truth as the 'castle' was built by one John Smedley in 1862 and is known locally as 'Smedley's Folly'. During its time, the building has been a home, a boys school, a storage facility for the Ministry of Defence and in later life, it was a zoo, specialising in exhibits of British wildlife (I seem to have a vague recollection of visiting the zoo as a child on a family holiday to the area. Little did I think then, that I would be living just a few miles away in later life). Today, it has been transformed into apartments and holiday accommodation. Here's a 'zoomed-in' picture...

And so it was back down to rejoin the Cromford Canal and to sit with a picnic and enjoy the antics of the ducks on the water, more of which tomorrow...

Further Up

Continuing our walk up to Middleton Top, we were afforded more lovely views.

Looking back along the path we had walked up, it is not easy to appreciate the 1 in 8 gradient of the incline - or the effort it took!

Through a gap in the trees, we got good views of the Heights of Abraham at Matlock Bath and the cable car system which gets you there.

Onward and upward, it was clear to see where the rocks had been blasted out in order to create the railway track.

Getting closer to the top, we passed an old building called Sheep Pasture Engine House. Built in 1828, this building once housed a steam engine used to haul waggons up the hill.

The view opens out a bit here too...

And across the valley, you get a good view of Willersley Castle, the late 18th century mansion, built by Sir Richard Arkwright.

Still more to come tomorrow.....

Day Out

With Summer now behind us and Autumn racing ahead, we thought we would take advantage of a day of warm sunny weather and so, spent yesterday afternoon, visiting the Cromford Canal and Middleton Top. To begin, we parked at High Peak Junction and wandered along to Cromford Wharf.

We were fortunate to have such wonderful weather and with the kids back at school, our walk was fairly peaceful.

Where the bridge from the car park, crosses the Derwent River, two fishermen were standing, knee-deep in the fast-flowing water, trying to catch their supper.

After returning to the car for a flask of coffee, we set out once more. This time, we headed upward along the High Peak Trail, making for Middleton Top. The scenery along here, is dominated by the detritus of old railway infrastructure. Created by Act of Parliament on 2nd May 1825, the railway was built for the purpose of linking the Cromford Canal with the Peak Forest Canal at Whaley Bridge.

Now of course, the railways have long gone and we are left with a wonderful walk and some fantastic views.

The views across the Derwent valley toward Matlock Bath, High Tor and Riber, are quite lovely - especially in the sunshine.

There will be more of this tomorrow as we continue onward and upward.....

Some Gall

The onset of autumn always brings to our attention, a large number of galls around the countryside. Most of the galls are to be seen on the leaves and twigs of the various Oak trees. Among the most attractive - if a gall can be described as attractive - are the Cherry Galls.

Found on the underside of the oak leaves, these spherical growths are produced by the larvae of a tiny gall wasp which goes by the name of Cynips quercusfolii. Starting off green, the gall 'ripens' and flushes red as the grub inside matures, before turning brown as the leaves die and fall in late autumn.

The grub itself will remain inside the gall even when the leaf has fallen, emerging as an adult during the winter. This generation of wasp is asexual, but will nevertheless lay eggs on the tree trunk and unopened Oak buds the following spring. These will develop into the next, sexual generation of gall wasps which will lay more eggs on the Oak, producing the next season's Cherry Galls. And so the cycle starts all over again.

But for now, we can just enjoy the colourful little 'marbles' on the oak leaves before they all drop in a few weeks time.

Minty

Two members of the Mint family are in evidence around the waterside at Straw's Bridge. One is unmistakably member of the mints. Water Mint (Mentha aquatica) is a rather hirsute plant and when you rub or pick the leaves, they give off a strong, minty fragrance.

Growing in large clumps, the stems - which are square in cross section - all seem to be topped by a rounded inflorescence of pale purple flowers, much loved by bees, hoverflies and almost any other insects. It also makes a good a nice bit of late summer colour.

Close by, we found a distant relative of the Water Mint growing tall and lush with its feet in the water. This is called Gypsywort (Lycopus europaeus).

Like its cousin, this too has a square stem, but it is not as hairy and the flowers are found in whorls along the stem's length.

The name is thought to come from the idea that Romani Gypsies used the sap from this plant as a dye for their clothing. It has also been used for many medicinal purposes including as an astringent and narcotic.  Both members of the Mint family or Lamiaceae, the Gypsywort hasn't that 'minty freshness' of the Water Mint, but they are both rather delightful in their own ways.

Berry Time

With September, comes the onset of autumn and of course, the appearance of berries aplenty in the hedgerows. This morning's quick walk around Straw's Bridge, revealed some of the first and most colourful berries of autumn. Starting with the familiar Guelder-rose (Viburnum opulus).

These succulent, lusciously red berries (actually drupes, not true berries) appear good enough to pick and eat, however, although they are supposed to be edible, their acidic nature means you wouldn't be able to eat many before making yourself feel unwell. Birds love them however.

Another commonly seen berry is again, not a true berry but a Pome. The word comes from the Latin Pomum, meaning fruit (from where the French Pomme, or apple comes). This fruit is commonly called a Haw and unsurprisingly, it is produced on the Hawthorn.

Usually, the Hawthorns around these parts are laden with fruit at this time of year, but this autumn, there seem to be far fewer than normal.

Still, they look beautiful - and will no doubt be a welcome sight to the birds which will rely on them through the colder months ahead.