first walk of the year

The new year is long gone and I'm only just posting this image from my first walk of 2020. 

Walking with my sister (the day after her birthday in early January) we were rewarded with this view towards Chatsworth. A sheet of light beams lit the winter fields and revealed the kind of green that makes a heart soar. 

haddon hall

It must be close to 20 years since I first walked the wonderful circular route from Bakewell, through the grounds of Chatsworth, past Rowsley and Haddon Hall before returning to Bakewell. The walk is varied, with forests, modest climbs, verdant rolling landscape, stately homes, quaint stone houses, tea rooms and the memories of people I've walked with over the years. For these reasons it's a favourite of mine but in all those years I've never taken the path to Haddon Hall, well, last Saturday I did! Roaming the hall and gardens with my sister and struck by the feeling that this is a lived in house rather than an exhibit I wondered in what films the hall had featured. Back in London that same evening, holiday over, I tuned in to watch Jane Eyre and was stunned to see the hall and garden populated and full of life on the screen. How exciting to see the same pink blossom I'd photographed that morning! Below are snippets from my visit, things that caught my eye. I'm being a tease so no views of the building, you will have to go and see it for yourself.