Mum’s Diary
E went to stay with Caroline. A & I went to Tescos in am. I did some washing up & Hoovering. Nancy came in aft. P. went to Rangers. R. rang in evening. Had letter from Cecil.
Roger’s/My Diary
Left Hartington at about 10 past 9 after cleaning the wash-basins. Walked to Monyash for 20 past 11 & went to the P.O. They didn’t sell food but there was a shop up the road which did. The lady there post mistress said she’d look after my bag for me. I went to the other other bread shop but they’d got no bread till ½ past 12 so I bought some mushrooms and went to the pub where I won some money out of the machine.
At 5 to 12 I went back to the shop & bought some rolls and set off for Taddington not by the direct route but on footpaths. However the path to Taddington was very steep so instead I walked through Deepdale. I reached the A6 and walked along it towards Taddington but it was boring so I struck off over the hills to reach the river.
I got to a point from where I could see the hostel but after a little rest I tried to get there. I was confronted by construction work, a sheer drop, a river & a woman who gave me instructions which had me waist high in nettles. I finally got here. Booked in and cooked my tea.
Am staying here again tomorrow as if I went to Youlgreave as I had intended I would be retracing my steps & it is a long way. I want to go to Eyam 7 miles away but 2 boys who are annoying me are going there tomorrow so I’ll probably go on Friday. It’ll be nice to walk without my pack.
Notes
Liz Went to Stay at Caroline’s
E refers to my younger sister Liz (Elizabeth). She went to stay with her friend Caroline Douglas. Caroline lived next-door to grandma at 168 Drayton High Road, see Chapter 122. Liz had been there for the day the previous day.
Mum and Alan went to Tesco
A refers to my younger brother Alan. He and mum went to Tesco in the morning (am), presumably to do grocery shopping, see Chapter 125.
Interestingly, mum clearly refers to the supermarket as “Tescos” which reflects, I think, what most people called it then and now. However, the supermarket chain itself prefers “Tesco” rather than “Tescos” or “Tesco’s” and rigorously avoids both the latter forms! Mostly, I have tried to follow the supermarket’s own preferred name except, as here, when I am directly quoting the diaries.
Tesco
Tesco was, and is, a very well-known supermarket chain. It was formed by Jack Cohen in 1919. The name came from the initials of his tea supplier, T E Stockwell, and the first two letters of his own surname. I assume the Tesco mum went to was the one on Guildhall Hill. Tesco appears to have opened in Norwich in the 1960s at 4 Market Place and, since at least the early seventies, was based at 5 Guildhall Hill. I think the Market Place/Guildhall Hill addresses probably refer to the same place under different names. This shop was previously Chamberlin’s department store. Tesco closed their store here in 2022. Although plans were approved for a hotel on the site, it remains vacant currently. Apparently, there are plans to turn the upper floors to residential use while keeping the retail space on the ground floor.
Washing Up and Hoovering
Mum noted that she did some washing up and hoovering, see Chapter 126. I suspect mum noted these activities because she had had surgery for a renal stone some two weeks earlier and she had only been home from hospital a few days, see Chapter 116. I suspect she wanted to show she was recovering and was now able to do some activities, such as driving, grocery shopping, washing up and hoovering.
As was common, both then and now, mum refers to hoovering and not vacuuming. This is an example of a brand name being adopted into common usage. Interestingly perhaps, mum capitalises “Hoovering“.
Nancy Visited
Mum noted that Nancy visited in the afternoon (aft). I believe this refers to Nancy Papworth who mum knew through St Peter’s Park Lane Methodist Church, see Chapter 124. She had been one of mum’s most frequent visitors while she had been in hospital and this makes me wonder if she was also an in-patient at that time.
Rangers
P refers to my older sister Tricia (Patricia). She went to Ranger in the evening. Rangers refers to the Guides’ age section for those aged 14-18. At this point, Tricia would have been 16. She had been invested as a Ranger in February 1975 and was involved in a range of activities with Rangers in 1975 and 1976, see Chapter 122. Mum referred to this as “helping with a Guide Company“. She was not supportive of this as she feared it could pull Tricia away from church, in general, and choir, in particular.
I Phoned
R refers to me (Roger). Mum noted that I phoned in the evening. I had just started a youth hostelling holiday in the Peak District on my own, see Chapter 122. My suspicion is that the price I paid for being allowed to do this was agreeing to phone home regularly, probably every day! It is interesting to note perhaps that, in my detailed notes of the day, I did not mention making this call!
Letter from Cecil
While I am not exactly sure who Cecil was, he and mum seemed close in the late seventies writing to each other frequently. My impression is that they had met on a Methodist Guild Holiday prior to 1975. This year, mum was disappointed that she had managed to book her holiday in Dunoon so that she was leaving on the day he arrived! However, because of her illness, their time together overlapped more than she had originally thought it would.
He drove her and my siblings to Glasgow when they left and presumably dealt with the car when it broke down there, see Chapter 116. It is possible that his surname was Beck as I had noted that Mr Beck had been unable to bring the car to ours and it had come by AA Relay. It is entirely plausible that mum would refer to him by his first name but that I would refer to him more formally by his surname.
Over time, their correspondence gradually reduced and the last letter mum noted receiving from him was in July 1977. In June 1978, mum heard from Joyce Boxall that Cecil was remarrying and this upset her, see Chapter 114.
On this occasion, mum noted that she received a letter from him. She had written to him the previous week.
Date Correction
One feature of this diary entry is that I initially wrote the date incorrectly as 17th and changed it later to the 18th. I must have lost track of days as these corrections continue until Friday 27 August 1976.
Hartington
I was youth hostelling on my own in the Peak District and had stayed the previous night in Hartington Hall youth hostel, see Chapter 122.
Cleaning Wash-basins
I noted that I left Hartington at about 9.10 am after cleaning the wash-basins, see Chapter 122.
Chores
This requirement, of guests doing a job or a chore, was one of the things I recall from our early youth hostelling experience, see Chapter 92. Apparently, they were phased out in the eighties
Monyash
I walked to Monyash arriving about 11.20am. I must have crossed the Tissington Trail, a dedicated path for walkers and cyclists, from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay that follows a former railway track. It is possible that I may have walked on it for a short distance as apparently it had opened in 1971. I don’t think I recall it. We have been on this trail a few times over the years including in 2024 when we took a cycling holiday in the Peak District.
Post Office
I went to the post office. There is a detailed history of the village on the Monyash website. A book has also been written by Robert (Bob) and Shirley Johnston entitled “Monyash – The Making of a Derbyshire Village”. Monyash grew into a major lead mining area but, as this came to an end, shops including the post office closed. I don’t think there is a post office or shop in the village currently.
Another Shop
The post office didn’t sell food but there was a shop up the road which did. The postmistress said she’d look after my bag for me. Interestingly perhaps, I initially referred to her as the “lady there” but crossed this out and wrote postmistress. I then went to the other shop but they hadn’t got any bread until 12.30 pm so I bought some mushrooms and went to the pub where I won some money out of “the machine“, presumably a slot machine.
The Bull’s Head
I think that pub is The Bull’s Head in Monyash. Its origins date back to the 17th century and it became a gathering place for lead miners. Although The Bull’s Head is the original name, it has had other names including The Hobbit. At one time, Monyash had five pubs but The Bull’s Head is the only one that remains.
Deep Dale(s)
At 11.55 I went back to the shop and bought some rolls and set off for Taddington not by the direct route but on footpaths. However the path to Taddington was very steep so instead I walked through Deep Dale.
This is potentially confusing as there are two Deep Dales in this area. Initially, I thought I would have gone through the one to the west of Taddington towards Buxton. In 2023, when we walked from Buxton to Ravenstor at the start of our nostalgic walk, we aimed to go through this Deep Dale. However, there were notices saying that paths through Deep Dale were closed so we had to continue a bit further on the Midshires Way before turning north to join the A6 where I thought I might have done in 1976.
However, based on the map, this would have been quite a detour to the west compared to what would have been a more direct route through Taddington. Later, I discovered there is also a Deep Dale to the east of Taddington close to Sheldon and Ashford in the Water. I think it is more likely that this is the Deep Dale I walked through in 1976.
A6
I reached the A6 and walked along it towards Taddington but it was boring. I don’t think the road was as busy in 1976 as it is now. But, it is now a very major road that would not be pleasant to walk along.
River Wye
Anyway, I struck off over the hills to reach the river. I believe the river in question is the River Wye. In 2023, we were able to join the Monsal Trail, another former railway line, which took us virtually all the way to Ravenstor youth hostel. However, that was not available to me in 1976 as it only opened in 1981.
Challenges in Reaching the Hostel
I got to a point from where I could see the hostel but after a little rest I tried to get there. However, I was confronted by construction work, a sheer drop, a river and a woman who gave me instructions which had me waist high in nettles!
I am not sure exactly where I was but I guess I was on the south side of the River Wye possibly somewhere near the current site of the Monsal Trail. In 2023, we also had some difficulties getting to the hostel although not to the same extent as 1976! This happened because I took us there along the road not realising that there is a footpath direct from the Monsal Trail to the youth hostel.
Ravenstor
However, I finally got to the hostel. This is a walk of about 12 miles by the most direct route. I had stayed here with dad in the late sixties. Indeed, it was probably our favourite hostel, see Chapter 92.
Two Nights
Once at Ravenstor youth hostel, I booked in and cooked tea. I noted that I was staying at Ravenstor another night as if I had gone to Youlgrave, as I had intended, I would have been retracing my steps and I thought it was a long way.
A Note on Youlgrave
Youlgrave, also spelled Youlgreave, is a Derbyshire village about ten miles from Ravenstor. The youth hostel is still in operation. As far as I recall, I have never stayed there. Formerly, a Co-op store, it opened as a youth hostel in 1975.
Retracing Steps?
It wouldn’t have been retracing my steps literally but would have been heading back in the general direction I had come from. So much so that, although Youlgrave is about ten miles from Ravenstor, it Is only some six or seven miles from Hartington where I had been. I am not sure why I did not go to Youlgrave from Hartington and then to Ravenstor.
Wanting to go to Eyam
I noted that I wanted to go to Eyam seven miles away. However, I noted there were two boys who were annoying me and who were going there the next day so I thought I would go on Friday. I noted that it would be nice to walk without my pack.
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