Two in a Row

We've just had two lovely weekends in a row. The weather has been

 nice and summery and we've spent a lot of time outdoors making 

the most of these sunny days. On the first Saturday of the month 

we went strawberry picking. That was great fun. The following day
we went to  Abbeydale Miniature Railway for a friend's daughter's 

birthday picnic. 

Now, do you like little trains? Well, we do, especially small steam or
diesel ones that can whiz you round a track. There are several of these
there and we had the most fantastic time.

The miniature railway is run entirely by the Sheffield and District Society
for Model and Experimental Engineers and is open to the public two
Sundays a month at this time of year.

It is a real hidden gem set in ancient woodland not far from the city centre. It has two stations, two level crossings, two footbridges plus
 a scaled down signal box and of course, the miniature locomotives. There's also a small museum, cafe, fairground organ and a large green area that's perfect for picnics and watching all the little trains go by.

It's a really fantastic place both for kids and grown-ups. You don't
have to be a vintage transport enthusiast to have a great time here
and we feel very lucky to have something like this here in Sheffield.

Last Saturday was lovely and sunny again and we thought it was just
perfect for a picnic in Derbyshire. It's been awhile since we've been to
our favourite picnic spot in Castleton and that's where we decided to go.

Doesn't this look amazing? This is the northern end of Cavedale,
a dry limestone valley that stretches from here to open pasture land
outside of Castleton. The valley sides at this end is so steep they're almost perpendicular. Peveril Castle stands at the top while the
Peak Caverns runs underneath.

We love it here because it's quiet and a bit secluded even though
we're not many steps away from the middle of the village. And of
course there's also that spectacular view.

After lunch we had a little wander along the stream up to the cavern
 entrance. We stopped at the Carlton Emporium but unfortunately,
 or fortunately, I didn't find anything interesting though I did buy a
paperback novel for 50p from a roadside book stall.

On Sunday we were back again in Derbyshire for the annual pilgrimage
 to Padley. We attended an open air mass with my in-laws and it was
another lovely day.

So- two great weekends in a row. This doesn't happen very often and
we've really appreciated and enjoyed these wonderful days. Hopefully
the coming weekends will be just as sunny and full of summer fun
with maybe some adventures too.


Wishing you a good week. See you soon!