Autumn Colour at Chatsworth

We are back after a long break, and choose something familiar and comforting. Chatsworth is always good and a visit in autumn should give us the lovely hues of this season.

We go past the garden centre and onto the familiar path leading upwards at Calton Lees. The stream is running fast and there is a nip in the air, but hardly any people about. Which is as we like it.

As soon as we climb we get the wonderful views across the estate towards Beeley and the Rabbit Warren on the horizon.

Up past the few houses here we are greeted by an enthusiastic young hound bounding out of a driveway, and who deems it her job to escort us part of the way. At the gate into the next field we dither momentarily to decide our route, and the hound disappears. We are clearly not energetic enough for her.

Through the gate we skirt left, then climb up at the side of a drystone wall. Ahead of us is a large pond and we walk in that general direction. There are certainly a few more people up here.

We follow the path around and past the pond, then the track to a lane. We have done this in the past, in reverse, but it was a while ago. On the tarmac lane we turn right and are heading in the general direction of Edensor, and are surprised at how much ground we have covered in so little time.

The fields are full of sheep, and we spot a small group of antlered male deer, but they aren't too keen to stand still for us. And they are quite some distance away.

There are some rather splendid bracket fungi on an old tree stump though.

The track we are on turns into the lane through Edensor which, as always, looks very picturesque. However, we are getting hungry and need somewhere to sit for lunch.

Luckily, once out of the tricksy gates and across the main road through Chatsworth we find a bench and with our backs against a tree we enjoy our sandwiches, buns (fresh cream apple turnovers - bursting with cream) and coffee.

Then it is onward again. We drop down to the bridge and cross over the road to walk along the riverside with the House on our left.

It looks as though they are getting ready for a market, or a fireworks event as there are plenty of stalls being put up in the gardens.

It's a pleasing stroll next to the river as it meanders back towards the car park. Only a short upward haul, and we are back in pretty swift time. The break from walking has cleearly done us no harm at all.