Most of our best stories are the misadventures in places where we have never been to and of things we were not prepared for or just complete stuff ups that no one could see coming.
The most memorable one of this trip was our stay at Risley Hall in Derby. I wish I didn't have to say that, as I do have a soft spot for this place, but as with all mis-adventures, they make for the best stories.
We chose this place as, let's face it, it was in our budget and it had a ghost story.
Perfect for us and close to Derby Gaol, we didn't want to be travelling far after a long investigation.
We arrived and were shown the stair case to our room and we politely asked in the Reception person could help us with our bags to our room, which was the very most far away room from the entry to the building.
Look, I have to say when we arrived the place looked pretty impressive.
Considering the history of the building we could expect the uneven floors, stairs and dated furniture.
When we opened the doors to our roo we noticed a strong breeze and noted that the skylights were open, one in the main are and one in the bathroom. Hmm...something would have to be done about that and on getting settled in and preparing ourselves to leave we wanted to call down to reception but there was no phone in the room.
So, we waited until we were leaving to the the receptionist, a new one, to make sure that we could get those skylights closed as it was going to be very cold on in that room on our arrival at 3pm if they were to stay open.
Tired and bleary eyed we arrived back to the Hotel at about 3.40am hoping beyond hope that our room would be warm.
Yes....NO.
The skylights had been left open and we walked into an ice box.
Angry is not the right term to use as to how we felt at that moment. I made my way down to reception and ask the young fellow to come up with me to close the skylights. He said that no message was left for him ( allegedly).
His huge apologies were given to us as we stood there shaking for the cold.
Now, to add insult to injury - we asked for blankets.
He said, "You should have some in your room".
No, we did not.
We asked for a heater to be told that all the heaters were already given out to other people.
Holy mother of God!
The young lad who was now getting on my nerves, told us that he would go take a look at what he could find and get back to us.
No he did not.
After 40 minutes of waiting we decided to go to bed fully clothed.
I even had a beanie and scarf on.
Anne had her jacket on.
It was not a pleasant night and all we got in the morning after our complaint was, "would you like a bottle of wine?'
THE FUCK NO! We don't want a bottle of wine.
What I did do was go for a walk and enjoy the surroundings of the estate. I wanted to see what was left of the gardens that must have looked magnificent back in the day when there would have been a dozen gardeners to look after the place.
Now it is quite obvious that the gardens are not the most important part of keeping the place going and as with all old buildings I am assuming that the upkeep of Risley Hall would end up being a money pit.
I walked through towards the back of the carpark area and found this beautiful secret passage which must have been such a wistful and pleasurable distraction for the residents of the Hall as they went for long walks in the gardens on a sunny Sunday afternoon.
Beyond the stone entrance I found the walls of the Estate and a walkway going in either direction that submerged you into the green of the landscape and the only thing you could hear was birdsong and the occasional mechanical devise being switched on to trim some grass or bushes.
As I walked up one side which took me away from the main buildings I turned back to view them over the hedges and thought back to the ladies and gents who must have taken this same walk a hundred years before me.
How elegant and stately this place must have looked!
In the early days of summer in England the grass could not have been greener and the flowers added their scent into the air and I could just drift quietly amongst it all and the drama of last night just faded away.
I spent probably an hour walking the path back and forth and absorbing the sounds and colour. It was a very happy spot for me.
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