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NEWARK NOTES from the Secretary

Well, we do try....

I left you anticipating a weekend away at Youlgreave. Unusually for peak district hostels, there were also vacancies at both Matlock and Bakewell, and left to myself I'd have chosen one of them as both closed at the end of the season. However, the membership decided on Youlgreave and we weren't disappointed. The way things are, it seems not unlikely that the new owners of either will decide to run them as youth hostels so there may well be another chance to see…..

To get back to the hostel weekend, the wage slaves such as myself took Friday off so we could make a long weekend of it, and we set off early into a stiff headwind. John W had prepared a route, which took in some tracks through Sherwood forest and some of the smaller ex-mining towns to the east of the county, before a lunch stop near Hardwick Hall. It was just as well we'd been making good time, as after that the contour lines got closer together. I don't know if it's absence making the heart grow fonder, but for some reason we always seem to be surprised when we find hills in Derbyshire. Fortunately, after a few absolute b*****s somebody smoothed the map out and the last bit was a bit easier. Until the final climb up to Youlgreave, anyway. When we got there we were well ready for a rest and something to eat, followed by a pint or three in a local hostelry.

All of the next day we spent in Derbyshire. John went off to a preserved railway, while most of the others made a leisurely day of it going for lunch at Buxton and, after visiting an abandoned lead mine, afternoon tea at Bakewell via Ashford in the Water. I took off for a longer ride, also taking in Buxton and Mam Tor, the road over which seems to slip further down the hillside each time I use it. This time it was definitely get-off-and-walk for quite sizeable portions, though no doubt an experienced off-roader with a bike intended for such things would have found it no trouble. Going past the site of the old youth hostel in Buxton, I noted that this is one that definitely won't be re-opening, as the building has been flattened!

Sunday came and John had another route home, as interesting as the one we took out, but still with some non-flat bits. Stopping for lunch at a pub (as one does..) we asked if sandwiches were available, to be told that they only did Sunday lunches, but that we couldn't have one as the restaurant was full. We retired to a corner of the back room and some of us, who had food, started to eat it. As you can imagine, that didn't go down too well either. Perhaps this is why we're not always welcome in cafes, smelly and low-spending or not. Had it been a bit warmer, we'd have gone outside, but we finished our beer and went off to Burnt Stump, where we finished our sarnies while watching the local cricket match.

After the exertions of the trip to Derbyshire, things got back to normal for a bit. I tried to arrange another hostel trip, but due to non-availability of requested hostels, participants and much will to participate, nothing actually came to fruition. Perhaps next year.

A break from the routine was organised by Nick Green, who arranged to meet up with some of us for the National Conkers Championship at Ashton in Northamptonshire. Four of us travelled from Newark, meeting up with Nick at a B&B. Unfortunately, pressure of work meant that I had to return home on the Sunday, but the others had a great time by all accounts, helped to no small extent by the French being defeated in the final. An echo of the rugby the night before, it even made the TV news, if perhaps not to the same extent!

Mike Graham
Photographs by James Reckless

Page updated 30/10/2007