Escape from Dolphinholme......: Day on the farm (and mountain biking!)....

I made the most of my day off by heading to Derbyshire rather early (6.30am)! Maybe I was a little too early, the drive/traffic was quiet, but I arrived in Hope (Derbyshire) before the cafe opened! A 20 minute snooze ensued as I waited for the famous old school Woodbine cafe to open at 9am. It was worth the wait and I enjoyed a massive egg and bacon 'bap'.

Hope Cross

The weather looked promising and I struggled to climb the first hill on my planned 35km Dark Peak blast. I'd forgotten how 'gritty' and tough on the bikes this area is. Within minutes I could hear the grit literally wearing away the parts as I pedalled onwards.

Heather in flower

At the top of the first climb I got onto the old Roman road (sometimes known as Doctor's Gate) and cruised across the top to Hope Cross. Hope Cross stands 7 feet high with a capstone on top and originated in 1737. It lies at the crossroads of an important packhorse route through the Peak District.

The old Roman road

detour through the forest

After enjoying the following descent I had a scary encounter with two stray bulls, and had to change route as I couldn't get past them on the narrow road (they stared at me and started stamping their front feet). This detour was a good move as I ended up on a track I'd never cycled before through some nice woods.

Here comes the rain....

Sheltering in the forest

Soon after this the rain started and even though I put every bit of clothing on, it didn't really help, within minutes I was soaked. The rain eventually cleared, and it was sunny again as I hit the last section.

After a quick change into dry clothes I headed to mums to catch up with the family and see Lyndsey's ducks. After a good catch up it was then off to see Amy at the farm and check out their new rotary milking parlour. Very swish, however I was a little surprised that I got a very close demonstration of AI (artificial insemination) as Amy had to quickly 'serve' a cow before tea.......