Skip to main content

Walks round reservoirs

In Texas, state parks are the main way of getting out into some countryside, and they are almost invariably centred around a reservoir.  Back in the UK, the network of public footpaths means that you don't have to go to a designated area to walk around.  However, a proper country footpath often involves mud, brambles, stiles and other such pushchair-unfriendly obstacles, so we have found that, even here, reservoirs are still quite useful, not to mention beautiful, places to walk.



A few weeks ago we visited Staunton Harold reservoir, just south of here.  Rain and snow had fallen overnight and frozen, so the visitor centre car park was closed, and the circular southern car park, when we found it, was doing an excellent impression of a skating rink.  Having slid the car into a parking space, we skied gingerly down an icy hill, and a beautiful vista of the lake opened up before us.


We might have been content to drink in the view for a while, but Toby took one look and demanded a peanut butter sandwich.  Grudgingly, we turned away and set about pushing the stroller through slush and snow.



A couple of swans greeted us, and the sparkling white fields shone in the morning sunshine.





The footpath, meanwhile, was varying between stream, mud and rocks, and the beauty was somewhat lost on us as we wrestled with the wheels and tried to keep a cranky toddler happy.  Getting back to all this lovely countryside is definitely not quite the same when you are parents of a two-year-old, rather than free and single and able to walk all day if you feel like it!


In the opposite direction, northwest towards the Peak District, is Carsington Water.  We drove up between verges dotted with white snowdrops and fields dotted with white sheep, and enjoyed a relatively warm sunny day.  An old tower used for army training (signposted: "Bomb Tower") made a sheltered spot to stop for a snack, and the Miners Arms pub in Carsington village provided the adults with coffee and Toby with a slide.





Returning to the visitors' centre, we investigated Stone Island.  Pillars are arranged along two spiral paths up a small mound, and a hole bored through each one focuses your view on part of the landscape.  We conscientiously squinted through every rock before retreating to the ice cream shop for a more tasty investigation.






Happily immersed in chocolate, vanilla, and mint choc chip, we sat back and admired the view.



Comments

Ellie said…
Gorgeous pictures, yes beautiful English countryside isn't very compatible with buggies! We always seem to end up at National Trust places or Ashton Court as they have good wheelchair/buggy accessible paths. Hope you're getting settled back in the UK. Ellie

Popular posts from this blog

One hundred churches

About the middle of January, I was walking to school one afternoon when it occurred to me that I must have visited quite a few churches on my explorations. I started counting them. But I quickly ran out of fingers, so when I got home I plotted them on Google Maps. Not only was the number much higher than I was expecting, it was also tantalisingly close to one hundred. Only a few dozen to go. So of course, every walk since then has had to include at least one church! Last Monday I visited my hundredth church: St John the Baptist, Dethick. It was a beautiful little 13-century building with an unusual tower - I was glad it had claimed the 100 spot. I haven't been inside every church. Sometimes they were locked; sometimes I was in a hurry and didn't try the door. St Leonard's Church in Alton had bellringers practicing, and I almost interrupted a funeral when I stuck my head through the door of St Mary's, Marston-on-Dove. A few, such as St Oswald's, Ashbourne, and St Wys...

Easter holidays 2025

It felt like a busy Easter holiday this year - a nice mixture of household jobs, time in the sunshine, and family celebrations. Here are a few highlights. Birthday cake Graham's mum had a big birthday, so Graham and his sister secretly organised a few friends to come to dinner with her. She was surprised - and pleased! - when a small family meal at the pub turned out to include fifteen extra people. Theo baked and decorated this amazing cake all by himself. My sole involvement was cutting it up at the end. The event was a big success. thanks to my mum for the photo Days out We had a family day out at Peak Wildlife Park , in the Staffordshire countryside. It's been a few years since we last went; the penguins and lemurs were familiar, but the zoo has acquired a couple of polar bears. Believe it or not, these two are only half-grown. They're about three years old. playfighting polar bears lemurs penguins otters   I persuaded Toby and Theo to come to a garden with me with the ...

The Churnet Way: a wonderful walk

The loop from Oakamoor to Froghall and back was one of the most enjoyable walks I've done in a long time. It had a bit of everything: woods, ponds, rivers and railways; steep climbs and sweeping views; an unusual church, an ex-industrial wharf, and, as a final bonus, car parks with toilets. Of course, the sunny weather helped too. I parked in Oakamoor and set off along a quiet lane called Stoney Dale. This is the route of the Churnet Way, which deviates away from the river for a couple of miles. After a while I turned right and climbed up through the woods on a gravelly path, then dropped down to the B5417. a spring in Oakamoor   Crossing the road, I entered Hawksmoor Nature Reserve. It has some fine gateposts commemorating John Richard Beech Masefield, "a great naturalist". I found a photo of the opening of the gateway in 1933; unsurprisingly, the trees have grown a lot since then! A track took me down through the woods to East Wall Farm. Lovely view! Nice duck pond as ...