Group News

The 2006 Christmas weekend at Eyam was much anticipated, and 27 members arrived at the Hostel on Friday night – soon acclimatising to the surroundings, including the members kitchen, which due to its position outside the hostel and its small size, quickly became known as ‘the servant’s quarters’!

However, there was a good selection of drinks on offer, including bottled ales, nice cider and pleasant wines – and lots of news to catch up on. Kathy and Angela bravely arrived with injuries from previous sporting events, so planned a trip to Chatsworth House for the following day.

The hostel itself – perched on the steep Hawkhill Road is a Victorian pile, complete with towers and turrets beaming or glowering over the village, depending in your taste in architecture. The surrounding beech woods were planted to protect the the house from shifting shale, and early on Saturday there was a lot of rustling of leaves as the wind picked up and whistled through their tall branches.

The walk on Saturday followed a path from the hostel, through the village across Middleton and Longstone Moor past disused lead mines and a reservoir to the steep Cressbrook valley, along the Wye river bank for a short distance then towards Wardlow Mires, and back across a good track and grassy fields into Eyam – just before dusk fell.

The way was fairly undulating and since 25 were on the walk, seemed to suit everyone’s pace, as we all arrived at the Three Stags Heads in Wardlow Mires more or less together soon after 1pm. (Mick having recovered from a nasty slip, thanks to Sheila’s first aid skills). The pub was an old haunt of Dave’s, two small flagstoned rooms – wooden tables – benches – roaring fires in each room and numerous prints and photos on the walls, definitely a place to linger.

The real ales on offer included their own specially brewed Black Lurcher (8%) and Mattins and Brimstone (about 4% I am told.) The coffee also tasted good, served in large hand potted and glazed mugs. Rowena’s dog seemed to feel especially at home and sprawled across her lap very comfortably in the warm atmosphere.

At the outset of the walk we had passed a farm of Alpacas, beautiful cream-furred creatures with big dark eyes, described by Tony Thompson as ‘long-necked sheep’, and on our return along the track, a few of us wondered if we had seen a pair of red kites, but I’m not sure if that is possible, it could have been the fading light!

31 members sat down to the Christmas meal in the evening – an absolute feast, served incredibly efficiently to us and other hostellers, including 14 members from the Telford group. The menu was: home made vegetable soup or melon, turkey or vegetarian dinner, Christmas pudding, ice cream sorbet of fruit coulis and coffee and mints. There were even seconds of of the chef’s famous roast parsnips. Alan thanked all the staff on behalf of everyone.

We chatted about the day’s events and heard about the adventures of of the group that had visited Chatsworth House, where 12 rooms depicted scenes from ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’. The seemingly light Christmas song possibly contains greater religious symbolism and significance than previously thought. Kathy knows more about this – and the problems of reaching Chatsworth by bus from Eyam so I will pass on.

After dinner, the Telford group ‘murdered’ (their description) some carols and we mulled over beautiful photographs from the year. The landscape section was won by John for a lovely seascape, and the humour and portrait sections were won by Chris for his excellent studies of geese crossing the road at the ‘geese crossing’ sign and Turnersque sheep profiles. Norman also showed his spectacular prints taken during his motorbike trip to the Western Himalayas.

On Sunday, John led a walk from behind the hostel away from the direction of the village. The rise through the beech woods gave way to muddier paths across an increasingly wintry, windswept moorland. It seemed as though the mild weather had finally given way to winter chill along these tracks amid the white gorse. Huddled against a stone wall, sandwiches (the best including cold turkey and stuffing) were quickly consumed and afterwards Alice led a shorter walk back to Eyam. John’s party headed further along the edge of the moor, before also heading back to the village.

We passed the famous Mompesson’s Well, where during the plague, money had been ‘purified’ in running water, in line with the strict quarantine imposed by the rector, Mompesson, in order to prevent further spread of the disease. The history of ‘The Plague Village’ is of course greatly in evidence, plaques commemorate some of the homes and graves of the 260 individuals who died between 1665 an 1666 as a result of the bubonic plague.

The seventeenth century Eyam Hall in the centre of the village is adjoined by a the buttery where now delicious snacks such as BLT sandwiches are quickly prepared. The hot chocolate is good too. There was time to drop in to sample food and the craft workshops after the walks. On Saturday Andy’s ruck sack somehow dislodged a picture from the wall in the cafe much to the amusement of onlookers, and leaving a not unpleasant free space!

Other things to see in the village, apart from church of St. Lawrence, include the stone water troughs built in 1588 – one of the first examples of a water supply system in the country, which continued until the 1920′s. The church is the starting point for the annual procession for the Well Blessing Ceremony held at the end of August, which is followed by the Sunday Plague Commemoration Service.

Back to the car park, and contemplating the return journey to Leicester, the weekend was almost finished. Well not quite, because it has been lovely to look back on during the days leading up to the Christmas merry -go- round of traditional events. It was nice that two new members, Maryian and Stephanie joined us on their first weekend away with the group. All thanks to Alan who masterminded the weekend, to Tony and John for leading the walks, and to all the drivers, next stop, New Year at Grin Low!