Have you ever heard the saying that "a Sunday well spent brings a week of content?". That's a motto I live by. Sundays are absolutely my favourite day of the week. I typically like to get most of the boring weekend jobs like cleaning out of the way on Saturdays, so that Sunday's are purely for relaxing, drinking wine and eating cheese.

When I say relaxing, I don't mean sitting on the sofa watching TV all day - that has just always felt like a waste of a day to me; something I'll do if I'm under the weather, but wouldn't want to spend my precious weekend doing. Instead, I save my Sunday's for nice long dog walks, getting fresh air and appreciating the landscape around me. We typically end up in a pub somewhere, muddy boots and dog in tow, and end the evening with a naff Netflix film, much like we did last Sunday. Let me tell you all about it...

We had a slow morning - coffee in bed and cuddles with the dog - and then pulled on our cosiest jumpers and wellies ready to explore the nearby village of Duffield. Despite living only a few villages over, we've never actually done a dog walk in Duffield before, and I managed to find a step-by-step walking guide online. You know the ones: "turn left at the next stile...", "look out for the 'public footpath' sign hidden in a hedge...". I always find them quite funny to navigate - we almost always take a wrong turning and have to go back, but it always feels like we're on some kind of treasure hunt. For anyone interested, click here for a link to the walk we did. It's a circular route around Chevin and Hazelwood Hill, starting at Firestone, where you'll find the orangest Autumn trees you ever did see...



Once we'd parked up, we headed up the valley where we could see some of the most spectacular views of the Derbyshire countryside - those rolling hills and emerald green grasses were littered with the most golden Autumn leaves that have started to fall. We navigated our way over the stiles, around the edge of the rather vast Chevin Golf course, where Sid found lots of squirrels to chase...



Trying not to annoy the sheep we passed, we crossed the railway tracks to walk alongside the Ecclesbourne river. Naturally, Sid couldn't resist a little dip in the water to cool off and clean his tummy...


Along the walk, we faced mud up to our knees, a few broken stiles (cue me getting stuck on a fence and shouting Rob for help...), and I definitely didn't need to wear 2 jumpers, a coat AND a huge scarf... but we walked five miles of stunning scenery, and it was truly wonderful. I've said it before and I'll say it again - Derbyshire is one of the prettiest places on earth and I do feel so lucky to live here.




Naturally, after a nice long walk, we were feeling parched. Typically, Rob knew of a pub in the nearby village of Milford that he'd been to a while ago and he said it was right up my street. It's a bit off the beaten track, but if you follow the signs through Milford, you'll soon end up at The Holly Bush Inn...



The Holly Bush Inn is a traditional 17th century pub where time has stood still. Totally unspoilt and full of charm, you can enjoy one of their many real ales or a nice glass of wine by one of the many open fires. Many years ago, until the early 19th century, pub landlords would often tap directly from a barrel and bring the beer out in jugs - a tradition that The Holly Bush has kept (look out for whatever is on their 'From the Jug' section on the board). Quintessentially British, the pub was everything I hoped it would be and so much more. Inside you'll find lots of little nooks to sit in, each with their own open fire. We sat in the cosy little bar area where we met the locals and their dogs. As we'd ordered our drinks, I couldn't help but notice their rather tempting selection of cheese and pork pies...


Now it would have been rude not to, so we opted for the cheese platter, knowing Rob's mum was cooking up a roast dinner at her house, so we didn't want to overdo it. It was just the right amount to settle our grumbling tummies, before wrapping back up in our many layers and heading back out into the cold.

After we'd enjoyed some family time accompanied by a roast with all the trimmings, we headed back home, lit all the candles and settled down to watch a film. The absolute perfect way to spend a Sunday in my eyes!

Let me know how you like to spend your Sundays... or if you have any pub / walk recommendations for us to try out next weekend!