Introduction
We were staying at my brother's; he led us on a walk over the hills from Belper (where he lives) to a place with a silly name: Whatstandwell.
The walk
We climbed steeply out of the town and then along the hilltops. The weather was lovely.
The first exciting landmark was a windmill near a town called Heage, which is just across the hill from Belper.
Passing through more fields, we eventually descended into a place called Bullbridge.
I think there was a disused railway bridge or so, but we ended up skirting patches of damp to cross a field, then over the still-used railway line.
Crossing more muddy fields and eventually something that was practically a swamp, we emerged into the town of Crich. This appears to be best-known for a disreputable vicar several hundred years ago. It also has a chipshop where lunch was obtained.
Leaving behind this den of debauchery, we took a road out of town and up a hill to a large memorial tower, Crich Stand. This is a memorial to soldiers in the local regiment who died in the world wars.
We hadn't noticed it from the direction we approached, but the memorial is actually built on the edge of a huge quarry that ate up half the hill. Descending on the other side, we rounded the quarry's edge.
Continuing downhill, we reached the edge of the National Tramway Museum (which was closed). I presume the trams were all safely home indoors. (Before it was a tramway museum, a railway had been built here to carry minerals from the quarry.)
Still further downhill, we found and indeed walked through more of the quarry - but this was a little less dramatic, since trees and copious undergrowth grew all over. Still, it was quite an impressive place.
Finally we followed the railway and canal to Whatstandwell station, where we discovered that the bus would arrive before the train, so got that back.
