Day three - 27th March 2016
Bakewell to Eyam - 10 miles
Weather: sunshine

Today our party was split:  me and Mr L were to continue the walk and Mr McD and Mrs D were to collect the car and have a tour round as Mrs D had painful blisters and a sore knee.

We left Bakewell and immediately had a stiff climb through woodland and a gold course to Carlton Pastures.  This was a splendid spot with views towards the edges and fields and woodlands all around us.  Soon we were into the Chatsworth Estate and we could see the house below us with, already, a steady stream of cars heading towards the car parks.  Our next church was at Edensor, the Chatsworth village.  We could see the spire and hear the church bell summoning the faithful on this Easter Sunday.  This was our cue to speed up over the grassland and hurry past the flocks of sheep in order to get to the church before the service started.  We were just too late - as we reached the doors we could hear the vicar's opening address and the first chords emanating from the  organ as the congregation launched into the first hymn.  So no sticker and stamp but still a lovely church yard to wander round.

Our path now took us into the grounds of Chatsworth House where we joined the River Derwent which was to be our companion as far as Curber and we shared our path with the Derwent Heritage Way.  Baslow was our next village and we visited St Anne's church which is a thirteenth century church.  This was a lovely warm church where we got the full benefit of its underfloor heating system.  Onwards we travelled to Curber following the banks of the delightful river.  We spotted Mandarin Ducks and Dippers so there was plenty to keep us entertained in the Spring sunshine.  At Curber, we crossed the river by Arkwright's Mill and had lunch at a craft centre which was crowded with daytrippers.  The tea and food was excellent and we ignored the smartly dressed folks around us as we tucked in with gusto.

The riverside path continued and we crossed the river again via New Bridge where we entered a wetland area where we saw more Mandarin Ducks and also a Tree Creeper.  Just before Froggart Bridge, we left the river and crossed the fields, walked down a bank and into Stoney Middleton.  The Roman Spring was a beautiful spot with the spring water gushing into a pool.  St Martin's Church at Stoney Middleton is a gem.  It is an eighteenth century octagon shaped church and one of only two in England.The village is also a gem with wonderful stone cottages nestling into the hillside with a reading room and a decent pub called The Moon Inn.

We climbed a steep bank to the boundary stone where the villagers of Stoney Middleton left food for the villagers of Eyam.  A series of holes in the stone were where the Eyam villagers left their payment soaking in vinegar.  A sad but beautiful spot as we looked back over Stoney Middleton and towards the edges.  It was now a short walk down into Eyam and the final church of the trip - St Lawrence. Another beautiful church with an eighth century Saxon cross and medieval wall paintings.  The final stamp and sticker, a candle lit and that was it - the end of a splendid walk which was enjoyed by all.