The Crazy Golf Solution

Cap on number of drinking venues in Derby city centre to remain in place

A restriction to limit and control the number of drinking venues within Derby city centre will remain after police warned crime could rise if it was removed.

Derby councillors have voted to keep large parts of the city centre a Cumulative Impact Area (CIA).

A CIA allows local authorities, such as Derby City Council, to restrict the number of licensed premises in specific areas – if they believe a high concentration of them could undermine key safety objectives.

The CIA encourages different types of offerings for the city centre away from drinking venues and nightclubs. Derby also has Vaillant Live, Derby Theatre, The Quad, casinos, crazy golf and cinema attractions. 

Snow

Fairly heavy overnight snow in our bit of Derbyshire but it seems to be thawing. Schools closed but main roads okay apparently. Thawed off the trees already, so not very picturesque unfortunately.

 

We may need to clear the table before
coffee on the patio this morning

Yellow Lines

 

Source

But is it Art?

 

Spotted at Matlock this morning

Unlocking

'New beginning' for Peak District landmark after major windfall

A popular Derbyshire landmark in the heart of the county is looking forward to a 'new beginning' after scoring a huge grant. Cromford Mill's Arkwright Society has announced that the site has secured £1.3 million in "vital" funding from the National Lottery's Heritage Fund that will allow a "once-in-a-generation" project to take place.

Éilis Scott, chief executive of the Arkwright Society -

"Restoring our vacant historic industrial buildings is about unlocking new opportunities, sparking innovation, and using the stories of creativity and enterprise to inspire. Cromford Mills is for everyone, whether you work here, volunteer or visit. But keeping the mill gates open isn’t easy. Continued support is vital to conserve these buildings and ensure they remain open, welcoming and full of life - relevant for today and for generations to come.”

Whenever anything is being promoted, it's remarkable how the same words tend to be used over and over again, like an outline script where the subject can be filled in later. For example, there is a lot of 'unlocking' going on at the moment and it's not necessarily a good thing. 

Unlocking billions in private capital to tackle climate change

The UK’s International Climate Finance (ICF) mobilises billions in public and private funding for clean energy projects in developing countries.

Easter Optimism

We're off out into Derbyshire soon. A wildly optimistic thing to do over the Easter holiday, even on a Saturday, but we're up for it. We'll go early enough to get a car park space, although getting out when we return may not be quite so easy, but we're up for it as they say.

While strolling through the limestone crags, musing on this and that, I may even come across a fragment of Starmerite, the mineral with no known uses apart from cheap gaslighting. 

Very light rain at the moment, but the coffee shop beckons and I'm sure it will stop soon. Optimism - that's the way. Off we go! 

Goat Yoga

Unfortunately, all the May 2025 goat yoga sessions at Chatsworth in Derbyshire are sold out.


About the Session

Join us to enjoy the easy going freedom of yoga with our goats.

We're combining the practice of yoga asana (postures) with the enjoyment of baby goats at the Chatsworth Farmyard. This practice will be full of fun and laughter, as goats roam freely around and on you as you practice your poses in our outdoor paddock.


A pity, Keir Starmer's Cabinet might have benefitted from a goat yoga session. It could lead at least a few of them towards a more contemplative view of politics and even life as it is actually lived. 

Although donkey yoga might be more appropriate for Starmer's Cabinet - or lion yoga.

Snowy

 

A fairly heavy overnight fall of snow in our bit of Derbyshire. It's a good job we have fields full of super electric solar panels to supply the grid and keep us warm in weather like this. 

We're relying on boring, old-fashioned gas central heating and wood at the moment. And a nice, thick fleece from China, where the solar panels were probably made. The wood comes from this country.

Part Delivery

 

A low bridge in Derby, we know it well. 

A spokesperson for Ocado said: " We are aware of the incident and can confirm there were no injuries sustained to the driver or to other road users, which is always our first priority."

The driver of the bus self-extricated

Derby bus fire saw crews tackle huge blaze near Derbion shopping centre

The fire in Morledge sent thick, black smoke across the city today

A spokeswoman for the fire service said: "Road closures and diversions are in place at Morledge.

"Fire crews were called to the incident at 11.33am. The driver of the bus self-extricated prior to the arrival of the fire service. There were no passengers onboard the bus at the time of the incident."

That's what I'd do, I'd be self-extricating like blazes.

Sunshine and blue sky

A fine morning here in our little bit of Derbyshire. Sunshine and blue sky so we plan to tootle off in the MX5 in search of Shangri-La. 

Or failing that, coffee in Matlock.

Sioux chef

16th century cafe wins 'best fry-up in Derbyshire' award in recent poll

The cafe uses Derbyshire-sourced ingredients across the menu

A fantastic kitchen team consisting of Perry, head chef Simon Earl and Sioux chef Oliver Gillott operate out of the new kitchen.


I wonder if that's an AI spell checker spicing up the story a little? Or maybe wild buffalo sausage is on the menu.

Let's go to Mam Tor

 

Easter weekend traffic to Mam Tor in Derbyshire. Notoriously busy anyway, but we never go there to find out for ourselves.

Slamming on the breaks

'I moved to a Derbyshire town and the pothole problem is worse than I thought'

One day I had to slam on my breaks after a car crossed onto my side of the road

I recently moved to a Derbyshire town that has potholes on seemingly every corner - my question is, 'Why?' It's no secret that Derbyshire residents are disgruntled about the state of the roads and, just weeks after moving to Belper, I share that frustration.

That's enough blogging for this afternoon, time to take a brake.

A right mystery

Storm Henk live Derbyshire updates as roads closed and trains affected by flooding after heavy rain

Among roads affected are Acorn Way in Oakwood between Raynesway and Morley Road, which is closed because of flooding, Markeaton Lane from the A52 Ashbourne Road and Kedleston Road, and the A6 between Ashford in the Water.

It's a right mystery why Ashford in the Water is subject to flooding. Could it be something recent connected with climate change?

Bogs that swallow you whole

48 hours in Derbyshire

Derbyshire weaves a funny spell on anyone from south of Watford: cragged peaks, peat bogs that swallow you whole, ancient limestone, fell wind and rain swim into view. What it also heralds, at least to us weedy Southerners, is immense distance: literally everyone I speak to thinks that Derbyshire is years away, like fusion power, or the North Pole, or Luton.


That's right, don't come to Derbyshire, it's years away and those peat bogs that swallow you whole are everywhere. It's best avoided.

Yet it’s very close. Barely a brisk three-hour drive away on the M1. Since my mum grew up in the Lathkill Dale way back when it was still fleeced by Ash trees, since I used to spend every summer in Buxton with my grandparents and since I am also, at least in theory, capable of reading a map, you’d think I wouldn’t need reminding.

Well okay, Lathkill Dale is worth visiting but in an EV you just won't make it. 

Cromford canal walk

We went for a walk along Cromford canal this morning, hoping to see the last of the late autumn colour which we did. It's an interesting walk where road, canal, railway and river all follow the Derwent valley. Surprisingly quiet even for a weekday. Maybe folk are shattered after all those Christmas markets.

Late autumn colour on Cromford canal

Train leaving Whatstandwell station on its way to Matlock. When it comes to houses, location is everything they say. 

Train leaving Whatstandwell station, Derbyshire 

Demented Christmas Crowding

Visited Bakewell this morning. Set off reasonably early as usual, aiming to arrive shortly before 10am which is generally okay for Bakewell even on a weekend.

Strewth – one car park was already full, the other filling up rapidly, people all over the place and it wasn’t even 10am. It wasn’t a special event, just a bit of a scrubby market, but demented Christmas crowding seems to have taken a firm hold now. What's the attraction? The aroma of fried onions? I don't know.

Just managed to get a coffee on our third attempt to find a coffee shop which wasn’t full, drifted round the antiques centre which wasn’t too busy, bought what we’d originally gone in for and left. By then the roads in Bakewell were jammed with traffic queuing for the car parks and for about a mile beyond Bakewell.

Made it curiously satisfying to be leaving.

Christmas market

We visited the Chatsworth Christmas market today. A long day and not one of our usual haunts, but we enjoyed it. It was a freebie which always adds a certain something. The house was certainly decked out at what must have been enormous expense. Impressive too, even from the perspective of this Christmas cynic.

I don't know if this is a local perspective, but from what I see Christmas is being pushed particularly hard this year. Our local garden centre is more of a Christmas grotto than a garden centre. So much so that we won't be going back until after Christmas. It certainly doesn't have the Chatsworth look.

I blame Brexit

 

Out walking near Rowsley on a fine, sunny day today. I took this photo which Siri identified as Mount Etna. Alarming for Derbyshire folk I suppose but we couldn't see any sign of volcanic activity around Chatsworth. 

I blame Brexit. This is the photo, a view of fading autumn colour above the Derwent. However closely you look, I don't think it is possible to spot Mount Etna.