Home across the water

When it comes to being quaint - and being in the middle of lovely countryside as well - the village of Oakamoor in the Moorlands is hard to beat.

On the outskirts of the village is a small group of homes, whose address is 'The Island'.  You have to walk the bridge to get to them; like a permanently open drawbridge...   Quaint!

Warmer outdoors; at Oakamoor

Just now the state of the weather means it's warmer to be outdoors than in.  Our English cave-like houses get to be very cold about now, and (if the weather is as mild as it is at the moment) it is just happier to be outdoors.  (Well, until the sun goes down, and it turns freezing of course!)

One of the best walks in Staffordshire is around Dimmingsdale. Starting at the old Oakamoor rail station (in picture) is best. 
And then making sure that one drops in at the Rambler's Retreat restaurant/cafe - which sits all alone in the woods, waiting for passers-by - makes for a terrific route...

(Oakamoor rail station opened in 1849, as part of the then Churnet Valley Line).

And now... autumn

Yes, it is Autumn.  I admit it.  I've been hoping that the warm-ish weather would continue forever, but, as usual, it has not.

Still, it makes for lovely walking (when it is not showering), as here in the Hawksmoor Nature Reserve

Ramblers' retreat

At last! A reasonably sunny day, or one that anyway is 'puthery' - which is the word used around here to describe this soft, humid, warm but cloudy weather.

One terrific place to walk on such a day is Dimmingsdale: along the River Churnet then up into the hills. A pleasant surprise on the walk is coming upon this building - which is in the middle of the forest, standing alone and all by itself. Called the 'Ramblers Retreat Cafe' it serves a lovely apple pie...

However, today seems like it's a one-off. Tomorrow's forecast is 'deluge of rain'. Seriously - that's what it says.

Link: Ramblers Retreat

Oakamoor weir

Here, on the River Churnet at Oakamoor, there’s this weir – and nothing shows more how violent the high winds were a month ago than this photo.
This huge tree was on the river bank then, but was simply blown down, then floated downstream, and is now stuck between the weir and one of the Oakamoor Bridge arches.