All's Well That Ends in Bakewell. . .

Our latest walk began and ended in the small market town of Bakewell, in the Peak District National Park in Derbyshire.  The weather could not have been better - just a gorgeous English summer day.  The route began with a very beautiful walk in the woods where I finally got to see some bluebells.

This wasn't the most taxing of walks as there were no big hills, but just a lovely ramble through the English countryside which was just fine by me.  And no soggy sandwiches!

The sheep were a little pooped though.

There was a purpose to our walk though, and here was the first glimpse.

This is Chatsworth House.  Remember this scene?

Mmmm. Yes, thought you did. (Okay, it wasn't actually filmed here - it was filmed at Lyme Park, but Chatsworth was the model for Pemberley).

There was no time to explore the house or the gardens (will definitely have to come back one day) but there was a farmer's market outside and we did stop for freshly made ice cream from a local farm.  As you can imagine the grounds are quite extensive and there were hundreds of people milling around, picnicking and enjoying the day.

As a result the sheep are quite tame.  As are the deer.

But back to important matters - at the end of the walk, most of the group headed for the pub.  I headed for this bakery.

Bakewell tarts are quite ubiquitous around the country. They feature jam, sponge and an almond paste in a shortcrust pastry, with or without icing.  But only in Bakewell can you get the Bakewell Pudding - similar flavours but in puff pastry.  Trust me, it tasted much better than it looks (sorry for the blurry photo, plus this was taken after it was squished in my rucksack for two hours).  I also couldn't resist buying a traditional tart for later (it was all gone by the next day).  If only all walks finished so well.