Tuesday 7th August
Hartington Hall
Left Weedon at 6 a.m. in cold mist. (882) (I think it is safe to assume that this is a cyclometer reading - Jim) Tops of trees were visible and the mist looked as though it might clear, but actually it became duller and a few spots of rain fell. Arrived at Atherstone at 9.30 a.m. having averaged 12 m.p.h. for the first 30 miles.
At 10 a.m., thinking the rain would hold off I risked wasting time and sat by the road 2½ m. before reaching Alrewas for breakfast. (931.4)
At Atherstone the road had not been very clear, so I kept straight on by Tamworth & Alrewas to Burton on Trent.
Here I got quite lost, but caught up with a man on a bicycle going to Uttoxeter. I cycled with him and in the course of our conversation he informed me that Burton Bridge had historical associations. He told me that during one war Burton Bridge was the only connecting link for miles between two armies separated by the River Trent. William the Conqueror was on one side and Charles the First was on the other!
We parted at a fork in or near Sudbury, I taking the Derby Road to Ashbourne, he going on to Uttoxeter to see his parents. He was a newly-wed and often cycled over to see his people.
Although rain threatened to fall at any minute, it mercifully held off, and I rested in a wood for a little while, while it couldn't decide whether to pour or not. 3½ miles further on I came to Ashbourne after which I sat by a brook for dinner. There was now thunder about and at 2.15 p.m. I carried on. There followed some stiff climbs, one particularly so near the turn left for Hartington.
Hartington Hall Common Room
When I came nearly to the village I asked a roadman the way to Hartington Hall. "Straight on down the village & turn left at the bottom" said he. So straight on down the village I went & turned left. There was no sign of the Hall & after carrying on another mile I stopped at a wheelwrights & enquired again, I discovered that the long drive and house almost opposite were not the hostel & I was directed back to the village and turn right at the war memorial. I cycled back through the village still unable to find the hostel & when right the other side I enquired of some children. As is so often the case, the children directed me in such a way that I was able to find the turn without difficulty. They told me the turn was just past a telephone box. Now this showed up well on the roadside whereas the war memorial was partly hidden from any one travelling down through the village, and was not unmistakeably the war memorial.
The turn led up a very steep hill to the hostel which was hidden by the trees from the village street.
Mr Seery was out, but Mrs Seery took me round, showing me Prince Charles' bedroom & other things of interest. One point of particular interest was that owing to the shortage of water, all male members had to fetch a pail of water up from the village every morning before breakfast to fill a tank.
When Mr Seery returned I was very pleased to find that he remembered me by sight although he couldn't remember my name.
At this hostel both water (soft) & electric light are laid on, and fine panelling adorns most of the walls. There are many conveniences here that I had never met at hostels before but there was no cutlery, although crockery was supplied.
I prepared some tea for myself at about 5.30 on my stove which I had taken with me. This was an aluminium kettle in a container in the bottom of which fitted a meth spirit lamp. I shall not take it travelling again as it is too bulky.
A two man-power lawn mower at Hartington Hall
After tea I walked up the lane and leaned on a gate while watching the sunset in what seemed to me to be the East, and thinking of those I had left at home.
As it became colder & darker I went back to the hostel and played draughts in the Common Room with a telegraph boy from Manchester who told me quite a lot about his job. I was not interested in draughts but there was nothing else to do. That evening unfortunately fell rather flat as far as I was concerned, chiefly I think because I was alone and everyone else seemed to have a companion.
At 7.30 I made myself a couple of pancakes for supper and read or played draughts till 10.30 at which time a warning was given by the light failing for a few seconds. When we had gone it failed altogether, which was a good idea of Mr Seery's to prevent lagging.
The sleeping & washing accommodation was pretty good except for the scarcity of water, but I sleep very comfortably once the crush round the "bathroom" (which was entered through our bedroom) had died down.
My impression of this hostel was that it was the finest hostel I had ever met and at the time of writing, nearly a year later, I still think it is.
Wednesday 8th August
This is possibly Mr Seery at a doorway at Hartington Hall.
I arose at seven o'clock and joined in the thick parade of silk pyjamas in the bathroom after which I descended into the beginning of a glorious day. Having put my kettle on to get hot for tea I went down to the village pump with two pails with four others similarly laden. Being in a hurry to prevent my kettle boiling over I rushed up the hill as fast as I could without a single rest.
Back at the hostel I prepared my breakfast and sat near some girls in one of the dining rooms, who annoyed me by arguing about their accounts. Studying these I was struck by the fact that none of them were possessed of much sex appeal, and looking round I found there was not a single girl in the hostel who looked as though her company could give me any pleasure.
Having packed my kit and helped tidy up I talked with Mr Seery and looked round the grounds until 11 o'clock, when I set off to Coalville.
A couple of walkers on their way from Hartington Hall.
The morning which had shown such promise now became cloudy & dull but rain did not threaten. Visibility however was poor.
Passing close to Ham at the south end of Dovedale I came to Ashbourne where the road slopes very steeply to the market place. As I left along the Derby Road I soon left the hills behind me. That is one drawback about Hartington - it does take one right into the Derbyshire hills as Derwent Hall does, but I heard stories of Derwent Hall that discourage thoughts of going there now that a new warden is in charge.
As I sat by the road having my dinner I saw a flight of Peewits leaving for the "sunny south".
At Derby I had to ask a policeman the way but I found I remembered it better now. The trams are scrapped and replaced by trolley busses.
The sun now came out and the weather became quite warm; there were noticeably fewer hills south of Derby.
Ashby de la Zouch, which I came to now, is a winding place, but being efficiently sign posted gives little trouble to the traveller, and I found myself without difficulty on the Leicester Rd.
Five miles further on I came to Coalville where I saw a Coalmine & bought a loaf but could not buy any methylated spirit for my stove as it was early closing day.
Bardon Hill is hardly separated from Coalville and the hostel was easily found as it was well signposted. The hostel is a large house in its own grounds but has a rather bare appearance.
The warden, Mrs Cave, was out and a young woman had taken her place temporarily.
I poached an egg & had a tin of peaches for tea at 6 o'clock after which, as it was a fine warm evening, I went for a walk in my sandals. I had done in this trip (from Hartington) 45.4 miles (1020.4) so was not tired. I walked along the main road and took a footpath to the left through some fields & by a small spinney. When the path seemed to end I climbed a stile and lay in a field for a few minutes smoking a cigarette.
At half past eight I got up to return to the hostel, on my way picking a bunch of flowers to take home to someone. These I hid under a tree to call for on my way past in the morning rather than take back with me to the hostel.
Two Americans had arrived when I got back and were supping. They had crossed from New York to Antwerp from whence they had travelled by way of Belgian hostels to Ostend. Crossing to Dover they had visited London and had cycled up to Charnwood Forest via Stratford-on-Avon.
After a cup of cocoa at 10.0 p.m. we retired to lie in bed listening to songs from the Americans and discuss language differences & difficulties. They intended cycling on up to Edinburgh by way of the Lakes.
I awoke once or twice during the night and found it raining heavily.
Thursday 9th August
The two Americans setting off towards the Lake District.
At 7.20 a.m. I arose and prepared breakfast of bacon and fried bread. The sun came out and I took photographs of the Americans as they were leaving and then packed and left myself. It was 9.15 a.m. when I set out & I was soon in Leicester, but here I could not find a turn to Hinckley through which town I had intended passing to get on to the Watling Street. I took the Welford Road and stopped for lunch in brilliant sunshine at 11.45 outside Welford. I went on to Cold Ashby from whence I had a marvellous view, including Rugby Wireless Masts, six or seven miles away. Later on the Daventry masts came into view. A sharp right turn in Cold Ashby brought me to West Haddon where an old man directed me on to the Northampton Rd. Finding my mistake I returned to the village & took the Long Buckby road and had come nearly to Long Buckby when I saw a white turkey in the hedge. I approached as near as I dared and photographed it, and stopped later on for dinner at a spot across a field from the road to which I was directed because of the fine spring. (I had asked a man if a stream near the road was fit for drinking).
And here is the white turkey in the hedge (not exactly hiding).
It now came over dull & windy so I made haste to Long Buckby and came out onto the Holyhead Rd. I now had an easy run to Weedon where I arrived at twentyfive minutes past two.
On meeting the someone I gave her the flowers which I had preserved in a cocoa tin and she looked hard at me to see if I had met another "someone" on my travels. Fortunately she could see I hadn't and all was well.
(While zero-cost, hand picked, wild flowers presented in a cocoa tin had little chance of lasting; the concept strikes me as rather more romantic than store-bought roses in a youghurt container that had contained rusty nails: as I came across recently - Jim.)
Also within the cover of the book containing this account is a bank deposit receipt on the back of which Jimmy has written:-
The Gentle breeze
The Shady trees
The azure sky above.
The clouds have lifted
The sun's come out.
I feel so happy
I want to Shout.