Okay, maybe church wasn’t quite the right word to use - cathedral would have been more accurate. Derby Cathedral to be precise. Today, as part of BBC TV's Springwatch/Breathing Places project there was a number of guided tours to the top of the cathedral tower and Lynda and I joined in.
We started the day by calling at Starbucks for coffee. That’s not quite true either, we actually had Frappuccinos. It was the first time I’d tried Frappuccino but it certainly won’t be the last! I had the Dark Mocha, topped with whipped cream, and it was delicious! Lynda chose the Caramel version, again with the whipped cream. At 428 calories for the Mocha it’s not ideal for your diet though!
We started the day by calling at Starbucks for coffee. That’s not quite true either, we actually had Frappuccinos. It was the first time I’d tried Frappuccino but it certainly won’t be the last! I had the Dark Mocha, topped with whipped cream, and it was delicious! Lynda chose the Caramel version, again with the whipped cream. At 428 calories for the Mocha it’s not ideal for your diet though!
From Starbucks we drove into Derby, parked the car and made our way to the cathedral, after trying to find a bag for Lynda’s new camera. We looked at quite a few different bags, in different shops, but nothing was quite right.
The tour of the tower started with a brief overview of the history of the cathedral and then it was time to start the climb up the very steep, and winding, 189 steps that took us to the top. We did get to take a breather at around half distance when we stopped off at the room used by the bell ringers. This room also houses all the equipment that is used to beam the live webcam pictures of the Peregrines and their chicks.
Once at the top of the tower we were treated to some far-reaching views of both the city and also the surrounding countryside. Crich Stand was easy to pick out to the north, as was Radcliffe on Soar power station away to the east in Nottinghamshire. Willington power station was also visible, just, but I couldn’t quite see onto the gravel pits - I hope I didn’t miss any good birds!
Below are some of the photos Lynda and I took. I’ve tried to arrange them so that you get a clockwise view from the top of the tower starting with the view north and then going east, south and west. There are also some photos taken inside the cathedral after we made it back down to ground level, which was easier said than done from almost 65 meters up! As usual, if you click on a photo it will open a larger image.
So many beautiful pics I don't know where to start. It reminds me of the trip Rick and I took to the St. Louis Arch but instead of climbing all those steps we had to ride up in a little pod that sat four people. Very cramped and left me with a bit of a claustrophobic sensation. I can only imagine how the scenery might have looked when the cathredral was erected. All in all my favorite pics are of you and Lynda Bird :-) It's always nice to see the smiling faces of good friends.
ReplyDeleteSarah XX