Carver's Rocks and a Wishing Well

• Walked: 20 May 2007
• Distance: not far
• Terrain: some inclines and the opportunity to scramble
• Summary: Hartshorne to Carver's Rocks and Foremark Reservoir
• Time: 2 hours overall
• Springwatch: The may blossom and bluebells are all looking a little bit tired. There doesn't seem to be very much coming out in flower to replace them.

I've let things slip a little bit over the last couple of weeks, the longest day is rapidly approaching and I've got some serious work to do to build my stamina for the Ivanhoe Way. This weekend was another busy one, but Sunday was so beautiful that it would have been a sin not to get out in the sunshine.

Some ash trees are still coming out into leaf, but those that are a little more advanced now have flowers out:


Carver's Rocks is an ex-quarry. It's a lovely spot to sit and enjoy nature, or to try a scramble. There are a few places where you can climb without too much trouble or equipment, and other places where more serious climbers can use their ropes and things.



We enjoyed the sunshine for a while here before heading off to see what's left of the 'wicker' Jack and Jill. I still don't know the origins of this sculpture, but remember how awesome it looked when I first saw it. On a prominent spot and quite large, you could spy the figures and their wishing well from some distance. This is how they looked a few years ago: (Picture shows the figures but not their wishing well)


All that's left now is a very overgrown wishing well. The people themselves look to have been chopped down, perhaps when they became too overgrown. This is a real shame, and I'd love to see them replaced.


The spot is still one of my favourite viewpoints, and one of the viewpoints in my '3 Viewpoints' walk. The wire fence in the middle of this picture is where Jack and Jill used to stand:


The path which runs alongside the reservoir is a good path, and has been decked in places. It gives beautiful glimpses of the reservoir through the trees.