Our primary goal today was cheese. From the Hartington Cheese Shop.

But first, we thought, we'll do a walk -- a bit of a circuit over some of the neighbouring hills.

It was a sharp, cold, clear day, and our route to Hartington had been turned into something quite ethereal by the mist rising in drifts off the river. The sun was just getting up as we arrived:




But we didn't get far. Mud, mud, mud, mud... And the folks coming down the hill said it would get worse; they'd been knee-deep in the stuff.

Tactical withdrawal. I bear full responsibility. Nigel would have been game to carry on. I, on the other hand, can't stand mud's sucky, unpredictable, out-of-control qualities.

Having retreated, we did a bit of a tour of the village, which is extraordinarily pretty, especially in this exquisite winter light:






And then we set off to walk some of the Tissington trail, another track that follows the route of a railway (in this case the London and North Western Railway from Buxton to Ashbourne). We walked from Hartington to Parsley Hay (where there's a little cafe selling drinks, snacks, and ice cream).

The track is good underfoot, and the views are lovely:








Then back to Hartington for the cheese part of the proceedings:


We took home Sage Derby and Port Wine Derby; Hartington Blue Stilton (produced at Pikehall Farm, this is the only Derbyshire Stilton); and Peakland Blue and Peakland White, also from Hartington Creamery.

A little walk and a lot of cheese: Sounds like Wallace & Gromit heaven...