Dale Dyke Reservoir

Managing to meet up with Jan and Jude proved to be more of a problem than we anticipated.  Jude had hurt her back gardening so had arranged an appointment with a physio and so it would be just Jan and I.  I'd decided to take the Strines route (Mortimer Road) that crosses the moor and farmland between the A616 Woodhead Road and the A57 Derwent Valley Road.  It's all steep hills, with tight bends at the bottom where the road crosses one of the streams.  It was chosen as one of the more challenging sections of the Tour de France a few years ago - the plus side being that the road surface is one of the best in the area (not the usual cart track that most our our roads resemble since the Tories decided to punish those of us who live in South Yorkshire).   I'd navigated the first tight bend where the bridlepath goes off to Bolsterstone and was well on my way to the second one when I passed a heavy duty rescue truck parked across the road.  Not being sure what it was doing there I managed to squeeze past, but I was soon to discover that the road was blocked by a `big' lorry (far too big for this route) that was tilted to one side with two wheels in a very deep ditch of mud and slime and with the lorries body skewed around the bridge.  The driver and the rescue driver were looking with intent.  I think it would have needed one of those heavy duty army helicopters to have got it out of there.  Anyway I had to do a three point turn on a very narrow bit of road, as did the car in front of me and the postman behind and no doubt there were others behind too.  

I did finally meet up with Jan, which involved Mike going to the Strines pub and letting her know what had happened (she'd left her phone at home).  Though we finally did get to the Strines Inn for lunch, but that's another fairly long story.  

On the way back I decided to return via Low Bradfield, hence my blip of the reservoir, and then call in at the Loxley Garden Centre on the way home.  All in all quite a trip to purchase a couple of tipi style cane supports.  I did check out some of the plants too.