To Ashbourne and beyond

The weather was too good for traipsing 'round town in search of ancestors. We spent the day exploring Ashbourne and the edge of Dovedale.

Youth Hostel, Ilam Hall

First stop was Ilam Park where we walked Ron, lost my camera lense, and retraced our steps across the boggy fields where MWNN found it.

It really was a lovely day, crisp and sunny.

Neither of us is good at the hilly stuff yet. Perhaps the Peak District wasn't such a good choice of location.

It's very different from the gentle rolling Hertfordshire countryside.

On the way back to Ashbourne, we pulled in at the Okeover Arms in Mapleton for lunch.

MWNN had some rather magnificent Black Pudding and I chose a rib-eye steak that didn't disappoint. Both plates were groaning with food which neither of us could finish MWNN's choice of ale was Peak Ales' Swift Nick. He was disappointed that he couldn't finish that either.

Okeover Arms stands opposite the  Okeover Estate

and next to the Church of St Mary.

St Mary's is a little gem of a church, designed by James Gibb, a pupil of Sir Christopher Wren, whose most famous building is St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.

Our visits to Inn and Church over, we stopped at Ashbourne to shop for supplies and give Ron another walk in the Park.