River Dove, Dovedale, Thorpe,
Derbyshire, England

Dovedale has been something of a honeypot for centuries as I was to discover when I went there of a Saturday in September 2012. For all the world, the day had the appearance of one that you would find during a good summer and the place was crawling with folk out for a stroll. The summer had been disappointing, so I suppose that this was one last hurrah before the onset of winter. A midweek visit to this alluring spot might be better and there are route variations around here that allow other sights to be savoured too.

The above scene was captured on a moment when there was a lull in any perambulating parties. Also helping the situation was the fact that the smoother track was on the other side of the river. As I was to discover later, temperatures were cooler in the dales because I felt the full impact of the scorching sun on the final approach to Hartington where a well dressing ceremony was in full sway. It really did feel like a summer's day and I decided that an early finish to leave the upper reaches of the River Dove's course might be better left for another day. After all, things get steep sided around Longnor and Crowdicote so too much can be attempted at one sitting.