Philip has sore shins today. Possibly because of the hill walks we’ve loved doing here in Derbyshire. We don’t have steep hills in Perth and the legs are unaccustomed to it. So a slower day today and a change of pace.

We walked from “West Winds” over the little stone bridge of the Derwent River to catch a local bus into the main city of Derby.

I noticed some of the bus stops have little “gardens” on the rooves, looking a little weedy, but probably part of the rewilding of England. Philip is checking his phone map for our directions. We wanted to see just a few local sights today.

Debbie and Keith recommended the big Cathedral and then the (free) Museum of Making.

The Cathedral is a more recent rebuild from 1700s – a medieval church was here earlier – and a wonderfully uplifting, light and inspiring space. We planned to just have a quick look in there, but we ended up staying much longer.

I sat in one of the pews for quite a while, listening to someone practising the organ and quietly thinking and praying as the music played. Even the carvings at the ends of the pews are different and done with great detail.

We can’t get away from Bess Hardwick! Here is her final resting place – her memorial nearly as large in death as in life. Lots of her family (the Cavendishes) are also buried here, especially those who went on to become famous or notorious.

The carved effigy in the photo below is about 500 years old and was in the original medieval church on this site. They’re not sure who it is but probably a church dignitary. You can’t see it in this photo, but he has a little carved dog near his feet. The carvings of little men on the side may have been some of the poor of the parish who might have received payment in return for their prayers for him after he died. The carving below them is probably an effigy of a corpse in its shroud to remind us all of the end of life.

Nearby is the new Museum of Making – free entrance. A very different type of Museum. Lots of eclectic, random things relating to the life of Derbyshire – all the way from Palaeolithic times – a hollowed-out canoe and axehead – to recent times, with the emphasis on encouraging people to look around and repurpose or create things from objects that are obsolete or old or different. A great place to bring children or grandchildren as it’s very interactive. It’s in the old Silk Factory, on the Derwent River – the first factory in the world and build 50 years before the famous Cromford cotton mills and other famous mills in the area.

Looking out of the window of the old Silk Mill to the Derwent River below

By the way, here’s a picture of the Cromford cotton mill that Philip visited with Keith and Debbie the other day – he forgot to take a picture. I discovered this on one of the museum walls.

There used to be lots of industry around the railways and railway paraphernalia. Model railways being run and lots and lots of parts of trains and train stuff. Here are a couple of the cast-iron signs I noticed – there were hundreds there. From polite signs…

… to direct commands!

Old mining carts used in the mining tunnels..

Here’s an eclectic assortment from just one display – a pub sign, a Victorian post-box, an ancient celestial atlas of the skies, an autobiography of an inventor in the 1700s, two one-off custom-built motorbikes from the 2020s. But all with Derbyshire connections.

These are the gates the workers walked through to get to their work in the Silk Mills in the 1700s.

It’s been a very cold day again, vaguely threatening rain and a cold, biting wind blowing strongly. A day to be glad to wear a jumper and a coat! Philip and I found a corner at the back of the old Silk Mill, next to the Derwent River to have our picnic lunch.

Back to Duffield mid-afternoon by bus for a quiet afternoon. Philip walked down with Keith and watched the local cricket team lose to a nearby competitor. He enjoyed that. I wrote postcards to grandchildren, read and chatted to Debbie. They are the most hospitable and companionable hosts and we’ve had a wonderful time here.

Hard to believe, but we’re half-way through our holidays! Already….