Birthdays, bluebells and bikes

After enjoying Monsal Trail parkrun at the start of the bank holiday weekend, we had all weekend to enjoy that part of the Peak District.

Chakra Lounge avocado on toast, vegan Bakewell tart, vegan ice cream from Lick.

Our air BnB was very central, so we could be in the centre for a wander very quickly. There was a farmers market and food fair going on, although not really any vegan options there. We found a gorgeous cafe, Chakra Lounge, and ended up going there both days.

We went for a walk around the woods by Chatsworth House. It was so lush and green, but as we were close to the end it absolutely poured with rain- we were drenched through! A contrast to the sunny morning that we’d enjoyed.

Bike ride views along the Monsal Trail.

On the Sunday we walked along the Monsal Trail to the bike hire place (handily at the start of parkrun so I’d had a chance to check it out the day before. We hired bikes for a few hours and then rode along the old railway line. It was around 15 miles there and back, with a few stops for photos and drinks along the way. I did feel a bit anxious at times as there were dogs on long leads that were a bit erratic and kept running out in front of us- I was so worried I would end up running a dog over. At times you had to cycle through old railway tunnels and it was so strange to feel the temperature change so drastically and quickly.

Another Chakra Lounge visit- the prettiest chai latte ever, plus a pistachio matcha latte.

As we had walked there and back as well as cycling, we took it fairly easy in the evening, with a gentle walk around the river in the town in the evening, spotting ducklings.

After driving home on the Monday, I was keen to see the bluebells at Panshanger before they go, so we had a wonderful walk around there. It was good to stretch the legs after a long car journey too.
Matching the bluebells in my purple top!
The bluebells in our local woods were also out, so my early morning runs that week were also full of me stopping for photos of the bluebells- it is one of my favourite times of year.
My birthday was on a working day, and one of my busiest with a lunch time club and after school meeting, but we had booked to go out for dinner, and made it in time to even pop to the Pudding Stop to get a brownie for after. As the weather was so good, we had a walk around the park in St Albans.
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