'Puzzle Garden', Wirksworth, Derbyshire

ALBERTO MARTÍNEZ, on September 1, 2008, said:

MUY BONITA SARAH.

Tony Reid, on September 13, 2008, said:

OK, I don't want to go down there with no brakes!!

Cheers, Tony in New Zealand

Sarah Graham, on September 14, 2008, said:

Alberto: gracias, eres muy amable!

Tony: it was incredibly steep & skiddy. My 4 year-old son wanted to charge down at full tilt, as you can imagine. It was a beautiful town & this was a fascinating area. I quote from a local website:

"The DALE and GREEN HILL

The limestone cottages of The Dale and Green Hill cling to the hillside, as if Wirksworth was some little Cornish fishing village with nothing but the sea missing. In places it is possible to walk from the garden of one house onto the roof of another below. This is the area where the lead miners used to live, the jumble of small cottages having been built mostly from random stone extracted from nearby quarries. Nowhere is the lack of planning more apparent than in the area between the remains of Dale Quarry and Middle Peak Quarry, known locally by the intriguing name of Puzzle Gardens. The cottages are linked by a maze of "ginnels" or "jitties", there is no room for vehicular access and the visitor quickly gets lost with paths seeming to lead in all directions.

It was on Green Hill, in 1912, where Rolls-Royce used the steep gradient for special stop and re-start tests on their cars. During the following year's Austrian Alpine trials these tests paid of handsomely, enhancing considerably the prestige of their world famous car-engines. Many other trials have been held on the hill with both solo and side car motor bikes attempting to reach the top without stopping. This was not an easy task, as in those days the road surface was often rough and deeply rutted, which resulted in plenty of thrills and spills for the interested spectators who liked to join in and give the bikes a good push when they got stuck."

Tony Reid, on September 15, 2008, said:

Interesting back story, Sarah

Cheers, Tony in New Zealand

Richard Ryer, on September 17, 2008, said:

Greetings Sarah, A beautiful location with a rich history. Thanks for the story. Very interesting.

Cheers,

Rich

Sarah Graham, on September 21, 2008, said:

Thanks Tony, thanks Rich!