My little obsession with visiting trees* didn't begin with discovering the list of 50 Great British Trees...It actually started last February** when I was searching for off-beat things to visit en-route to the Peak District. It was then that I found out about a yew tree in Darley Dale that is estimated to be around 2000 years old! As an added bonus it was in a churchyard (St Helens Church)--we also tend to gravitate towards old cemeteries for some reason.
The old yew tree is MASSIVE. I am not sure if it's the location or the River Derwent you can hear gurgling in the background but it exuded such an air of grace and peacefulness. Major Oak seemed sort of sad with all the scaffolding having to hold it up but this tree was the opposite, the sweeping limbs made it more intriguing and full of life (yes, I realise that's an odd thing to say in the middle of a cemetery) and you could just envision all the people who had taken a rest under it.
War and battle memorials
Wandering about the gravestones
The house next to the Church
I wouldn't recommend making a trip out of the way to visit but if it does happen to be on your route to Bakewell or other Peak District villages then it is well worth stopping to take a look, I do wish we had included a visit to the heritage rail station while there but that just means we need to make another trip there!
The same day we also made a stop in Matlock for a late lunch and coffee (hey, all that tree gazing requires sustenance!) at Peli Deli. From what I understand they are under slightly different ownership now from when we ate there but the quality remains the same and that was quite nice then. My partner opted for the Ploughmans Platter and I had the salt beef with cider and horseradish mustard, yum. My mouth is watering remembering the meal 10 months later! We definitely need to go back soon.
Salt beef sandwich
Ploughmans Platter
**This is an exceptionally late blogpost even by my standards
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