Roses match

This year the only occasion that Yorkshire would play their Red Rose rivals would be in the T20 competition.

On Friday we were part of the crowd of 10,350 who saw Yorkshire record their fifth consecutive win in the competition. 

Lancashire won the toss and put Yorkshire in to bat. Here are some photos of the action

Man of the match - David Miller.

Yorkshire made 180 in their 20 overs.

... even Spiderman was impressed

An interesting use for empty plastic beer "glasses"

An early wicket and Lancashire were on the back foot

An early bowling stint for Joe Root ...

... but where did this one go?

Oh dear!

But Lancashire were behind the scoring rate and wickets began to tumble

Yorkshire won by 19 runs

Celebrations all round. For match report click here T20 Roses match

Scoping a walk around Ashover

The weather was set fair and I decided to try out a walk which I was thinking of offering to our Tuesday walking group.


My proposed route would be a circuit around Ashover and end up at one of our favourite pubs - The Old Poets' Corner.

The River Amber, on the outskirts of Ashover

View back towards Ashover

Remnants of the track from the Ashover Light Railway

When I arrived here, I realised that I must have missed a turning. So a quick backtrack and I found the right footpath ...

... and headed up towards Cocking Tor, via this chimney which was used in lead mining days

Spectacular views from Cocking Tor - towards Ogston Reservoir

... and Millstone quarry ...

... and back towards Ashover

The only problem was that I had, once again, missed a turning and ended up here - when I should have been somewhere else! Anyway, the views were worth it.

I managed to get back on my planned route - with views of Riber Castle ...

... then down to Tansley for lunch.

The route back to Ashover took me through this wonderful project. For further details, click Lumsdale Project

The path out of the Lumsdale Project was not where I expected it to be and I ended up going through this wood - and its sheer cliff

Now back on track and motoring towards Ashover. The route needs a bit of tweaking before our group takes it on - I'll work on it

A wet weekend in the Lakes

Our weekend walking in the Lakes had been planned for a few weeks, so we were determined to do it - no matter what the weather.

We had originally hoped to have climbed Scafell but the floods and low visibility meant that we had to resort to our lower level option - a walk from Pooley Bridge around Ullswater

Pooley Bridge is a village in the Eden District of Cumbria, within the traditional borders of Westmorland. It takes its name from the 16th-century bridge over the River Eamont at the northern end of Ullswater. It was formerly known as Pooley or Pool How meaning the hill by the pool or stream. The name Pool How was derived from the Old English word pollr plus the Old Norse haugr meaning hill or mound

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the English Lake District, being approximately nine miles (14.5 kilometres) long and 0.75 miles (1,200 m) wide with a maximum depth of slightly more than 60 metres (197 ft)

Ullswater is a typical Lake District narrow "ribbon lake" formed after the last ice age when a glacier scooped out the valley floor and when the glacier retreated, the deepened section filled with meltwater which became a lake. 

A total of three separate glaciers formed the lake. The surrounding mountains give Ullswater the shape of a stretched 'Z' with three distinct segments (or 'reaches') that wend their way through the surrounding hills

For much of its length Ullswater forms the border between the ancient counties of Cumberland and Westmorland. 

The origin of the name 'Ullswater' is uncertain. Some say it comes from the name of a Nordic chief 'Ulf' who ruled over the area; there was also a Saxon Lord of Greystoke called 'Ulphus' whose land bordered the lake. The lake may have been named Ulf's Water in honour of either of these, or it may be named after the Norse god Ullr

Donald Campbell set the world water speed record on Ullswater on July 23, 1955, when he piloted the jet-propelled hydroplane "Bluebird K7" to a speed of 202.32 mph 

Just south of Pooley Bridge on the lake's eastern shore is Eusemere, where anti-slavery campaigner Thomas Clarkson (1760–1846) lived; the house gives one of the best views of the lower reach of Ullswater. William and Dorothy Wordsworth were friends of Clarkson and visited on many occasions. After visiting Clarkson in April 1802, Wordsworth was inspired to write the poem "Daffodils" after seeing daffodils growing on the shores of Ullswater on his journey back to Grasmere. Wordsworth once wrote of Ullswater: "it is the happiest combination of beauty and grandeur, which any of the lakes affords".

We had planned to return to Pooley Bridge by one of the Ullswater 'Steamers' which offer trips around the lake calling at Pooley Bridge, Glenridding and Howtown. Although the 'Steamers' operate all year round, today's weather conditions meant that the service was closed. The 'Steamers' were originally working boats which from the 1850s moved mail, workers and goods to and from the Greenside lead mine at Glenridding, which closed in 1962.

So we returned - very wet - to our starting point, courtesy of the local bus