Sat: An easy 8am start, pick the ‘van up and head onwards to Weatherby for a bacon buttie and coffee! Following this, we continued on towards our destination and arrived there without any issues. The A615 is a bit bendy and neat, but manageable. I chose not to use Lickpenny Lane and go via the more suitable B6014, a very minor detour saving the close shavings we would have got involved in on the lane. We arrived and booked in, with a bit of a tepid response and then toured the site to find a pitch! The site was quite full but fortunately we found a good pitch at the top of the site, with the views. A tight swing in and the mover to adjust, we were pitched for our holiday.
Sun: No railways to go to as they are all closed, so a relax on site – very nice!
Mon: Weather good, so a trip to Carsington Water for a walk around the reservoir. After an eventful journey there – roads closed due to Remembrance Day, we eventually found our way there, via some interesting single track roads 🙂 We parked up and took in the visitor centre and then some walks around the reservoir. It was very pleasant and worth a trip, the walk around the reservoir would have been some 7.5 miles, so we declined that and did a much shorter tour of the site! Back at the site, more units were arriving, a good thing to see that this pastime is still healthy even in the more dormant months.
Tue: Washed the ‘van in the morning and then had planned a trip into Matlock. However, whilst washing the ‘van, I noticed that the dinette window was letting some water ingress inside as I washed it. Upon further investigation, I found that the window had popped out of its track on the left hand side. So, time to remove the window and see where the water was getting in. The track needs resealing and the window back on its track. This is where the problem was, we couldn’t get the window back on its track, it was constantly popping out of the left hand side. After trying very hard we had to admit to defeat and call an engineer out. Thankfully we found someone who could get to the site within an hour. Ben from Smith’s Caravans turned up and struggled with the window like we did but did eventually manage to get it back on its track. He also sealed up the top of the track with some mastic to prevent any immediate water ingress. So once that ordeal had finished, it was tea time – so no trip out today!
Wed: A trip to Matlock today instead! We walked down to the bus stop, which is it at the end of Lickpenny Lane. This is a busy road for what seems such a remote area. There is no path here, so you have to walk the road which is a little neat for two vehicles and has some twists and bends, so need care and attention. The buses only run every couple of hours or so, so timing your visit needs to be done. We arrived a little early, as we were due to walk the site, but my camera was fogged up, so we decided to do this on our return instead. After a wait, we caught the 143 and were soon in Matlock, after the bus had taken out some roadworks along the way! Matlock isn’t large, but has a nice park to walk through along with war memorial to visit. The usual complement of small shops, a Costa which we visited for a coffee and hot chocolate. Bus back to site and then we did the walk around. After all of that, the darkness fell and it was time for tea again. BBQ in the dark 🙂
Thu: A visit to Matlock Bath today. A short drive away, this is where you’ll find ‘The Heights of Abraham”. A cable car ride from the village to a hilltop park on top of Masson Hill, which resembles the ‘Plains of Abraham’ in Quebec, Canada. We didn’t get to ride it though, as it had just closed for the season. Still, we enjoyed a stroll through the village, being tempted by the very many fish & chip shops!
Fri: A short stroll to the garden centre, to view the ‘Christmas Shop’. A nice display with a lot of unique products.
The site is quite large with pitches arranged on terraces as you approach the top of the site. A little bit random in nature, quite continental in this respect. Pitches are large and generally flat, with only back to front levelling required. Trees are everywhere, but don’t invade the pitches, so quite pleasant. There are numerous service points, the most I’ve seen on any site I think. We had one literally just in front of our pitch. There are a couple of large grass areas where children can play and burn energy, along with a playground. There is a large dog walking area, although not off lead it seems. Reception has a small shop, along with local area information. Bins are centralised like all CAMC sites now, with large commercial bins available by the two toilet blocks. Talking of these, they are clean and functional but seem a little small for the size of the site. Showers are push button, 15 seconds. Thankfully no shower curtains though! TV reception and mobile signal seem fine. A good site, especially as it is one of the few now which are open all year.
- Date: 9th November 2024
- Nights: 7
- Pitch #: 82
- GPS: 53.133244, -1.489850
Arriva: A38 > A615 > B6014 > Lickpenny Lane