Who remembers this drink back in the day. Not seen it for years so had to try one!

The bells at York Minster were something else! They were ringing most of the day. #thepeakdistrictviking #bells #yorkminster #york

Great wedding anniversary weekend in York. Went round the Minster, All Saints Pavement as well as the Shambles, a Ghost walk and Clifford tower on the first day. Had to nip in the Valhalla Bar for some mead, it's mandatory 🤣🤣 #thepeakdistrictviking #york #weddinganniversary

Went on one of my usual after work walks today. I went past the Castleton visitor centre which is being "renovated". I really hope it's temporary and they replace the flagstones and statues etc. #thepeakdistrictviking #castleton #peakdistrictnationalpark

💀 TUNSTEAD DICKIE: THE LEGEND OF DERBYSHIRE’S SCREAMING SKULL 💀 Hidden away beneath the slopes of Eccles Pike, is Tunstead Farm, a place associated with one of Derbyshire’s strangest and most enduring pieces of folklore. The legend concerns a human skull known as Tunstead Dickie. 💀 But who was Dickie? As with all good folklore, there are several versions of the story. One tradition claims Dickie was a young woman who fell in love with a man also desired by her sister. The resulting feud ended in tragedy and, as she lay dying, she supposedly placed a curse upon the farm, declaring that her remains must never be removed. Another version tells of a soldier returning from the Hugenot religious wars in France during the 16th century, only to be murdered by relatives who wanted his property. His head was cut off and the body was supposedly buried secretly, but his skull somehow became associated with the farmhouse. Whatever his supposed origins, the important part of the legend is always the same... Dickie did not like being moved. 😱 Attempts to remove or bury the skull were said to result in all manner of disturbances. Doors and windows supposedly flew open by themselves. Strange screams and moans were heard around the farm. Livestock became sick or died, crops failed and unexplained misfortune followed. Eventually the skull would be returned to the farmhouse... …and the disturbances would stop. 🚂 THEN CAME THE RAILWAY One of the most intriguing parts of the folklore concerns the construction of the railway through the area during the 19th century. According to later versions of the story, engineers encountered repeated problems while building close to the farm. Work supposedly collapsed or failed until the route was altered and workers fell ill. Naturally, Dickie received the credit. Whether a supernatural skull actually influenced Victorian railway engineering is, perhaps, something Network Rail has yet to formally investigate. 😁 ⛪ THE FINAL BURIAL By the 20th century, Tunstead Dickie had become something of a local celebrity, attracting curious visitors to the farm. Eventually the skull was reportedly removed and buried in consecrated ground, with religious rites performed in an attempt to ensure that this time Dickie remained peacefully in his grave. And apparently... he did. 👻 FOLKLORE OR FORGOTTEN HISTORY? There is no reliable evidence proving the more supernatural elements of the story, and different accounts contradict one another over exactly who Dickie was. But that's precisely what makes legends like this fascinating. Stories are repeated, altered and embellished over generations until genuine people, places and events become tangled together with folklore. And somewhere beneath Eccles Pike lies the landscape that gave us one of Derbyshire's strangest tales... The legend of Tunstead Dickie – the skull that refused to leave home. 💀 📍 Tunstead, Derbyshire #ThePeakDistrictViking #TunsteadDickie #PeakDistrict #Derbyshire #EcclesPike #DerbyshireFolklore #PeakDistrictHistory #LocalLegends #Folklore #GhostStories #HiddenHistory

Me and Mrs Viking started our weekend with a night out watching Peter Bleksley, undercover detective, in Buxton. A great evening and well worth seeing if you get the chance. Also had a lovely meal at Santiagos. We do love a good tapas. @PeterBleksley #thepeakdistrictviking #weekend #weekendplans

💀 NEW VIDEO: THE LEGEND OF TUNSTEAD DICKIE 💀 This week we're heading out on a cracking High Peak history walk, starting at Combs Reservoir and climbing to the summit of Eccles Pike. But the views are only part of the story... 🥾 From Eccles Pike we follow the old lanes towards Shallcross, where we discover the remains of Shall Cross, an Anglo-Saxon/Anglo-Scandinavian high cross believed to be around 1,000 years old. Then things get decidedly stranger. 💀 We head towards Tunstead Farm, home of one of Derbyshire's most peculiar legends... TUNSTEAD DICKIE – THE SCREAMING SKULL For generations, stories have been told about a mysterious human skull kept at the old farmhouse. According to folklore, whenever attempts were made to remove or bury Dickie, strange noises, misfortune and disturbances followed, until the skull eventually found its way back home. Who was Tunstead Dickie? Why was his skull supposedly kept at the farm? And how much of the story is history... and how much is legend? Along the way we also discover ancient tracks, centuries of farming history and the stories hidden in this often-overlooked corner of the Peak District. ⛰️ Combs Reservoir 🥾 Eccles Pike ✝️ The 1,000-year-old Shall Cross 🛤️ Ancient lanes around Shallcross 💀 The legend of Tunstead Dickie 🎥 NEW VIDEO NOW ON THE PEAK DISTRICT VIKING YOUTUBE CHANNEL If you enjoy the history, folklore and hidden places of the Peak District, please give it a watch, leave us a comment and share it with anyone who enjoys discovering the stories behind the landscape. #ThePeakDistrictViking #PeakDistrict #EcclesPike #TunsteadDickie #ShallCross #CombsReservoir #Derbyshire #HighPeak #PeakDistrictHistory #DerbyshireFolklore #HiddenHistory #PeakDistrictWalks youtu.be/K90IZyRQxlc

A cracking 14miles today on stage 1 of the PipeWalk supporting Action Against CCS. From Hope to Chapel en le Frith following part of the pipeline route. Great bunch of people on the walk. A brilliant welcome in Chapel and the next leg to Whaley Bridge looked well attended. I thought more people from the Hope Valley would have attended as it is going to affect them massively. Well done to those who did turn up as it was a good slog with a few good hills. Will post some more pics up tomorrow as now having a hot bath and a slow cooked chicken curry made by Mrs Viking. #thepeakdistrictviking #AACCS

Amazing sunset last night. Caught a few pics on the way back from Chapel-en-le-Frith

✝️ SHALL CROSS: A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD SURVIVOR Hidden beside the old lanes near Elnor Lane, Whaley Bridge, stands an easily overlooked piece of Peak District history: Shall Cross. It doesn't look particularly spectacular today, but the surviving stone is believed to be the shaft of an Anglo-Scandinavian high cross, dating from roughly AD 800–1065. That makes it potentially around 1,000 years old. The cross stands where several ancient routes converge, suggesting this may have been an important location for travellers, a boundary marker, meeting place or possibly Christian worship. 📜 Medieval documents apparently record the place as “Shacklecross” during the 13th and 14th centuries. But Shall Cross has had quite an adventure... At some point the ancient shaft was removed from its original location and ended up in the grounds of Fernilee Hall, where it was reused as the support for a sundial. Because apparently a thousand-year-old monument was perfectly acceptable garden furniture. 😂 🔎 In 1905, its true significance was recognised. The stone was almost five feet long, changing from a rounded section towards a more squared upper portion, with distinctive moulding that has been compared with other early medieval crosses. It even carries the later inscription “HL 1720”, possibly connected with an 18th-century boundary survey. Local tradition maintained that the stone originally came from the old road above Fernilee Hall, and it was eventually returned to what is believed to be its original location at Elnor Lane Head. Today it's a Scheduled Monument, protected because of its archaeological importance. Next time you pass an insignificant-looking lump of stone beside an old Peak District lane, perhaps give it another look. This one has potentially watched Anglo-Saxons, Norse settlers, medieval packhorses, farmers and generations of travellers pass through this landscape. And somehow survived being turned into a sundial. 😁 📍 Shall Cross, Elnor Lane Head, near Whaley Bridge #ThePeakDistrictViking #PeakDistrict #Derbyshire #ShallCross #WhaleyBridge #AngloSaxon #VikingAge #LocalHistory #PeakDistrictHistory #HiddenHistory #WalkingHistory

Trip to the Dr's first thing. Managed to capture a few pics of the temperature inversion on the way back. #thepeakdistrictviking #peakdistrict #peakdistrictnationalpark #inversion

Some cracking light pver Winnats Pass on my after walk work yesterday. #thepeakdistrictviking #winnatspass #crepuscularrays

🚗🐑 Traffic Jam on Winnats Pass 🐑🚗 Winnats Pass was brought to a standstill today by these three amigos. Not a 💩 was given as they casually strolled up the middle of the road, apparently under the impression that the Highway Code does not apply to sheep. 🤣 🐑 They even stopped to sniff the front of a few cars as they made their way up. Presumably checking whether they were roadworthy. 🎺 Not sure why some people felt the urge to pip their horns at them though. That’s either going to startle them or make them even more determined to take their sweet bloody time. 😂 I do love sheep. There are some proper characters in the flocks around here, and these three clearly had places to be... eventually. 🤣 #thepeakdistrictviking #peakdistrict #winnatspass #sheep #trafficjam

📍 SAVE OUR TRIG POINTS – PROTECT THE POINTS, PRESERVE OUR HISTORY This is my favourite trig point. Like thousands of others across Britain, it represents an incredible chapter in our mapping history. Between 1936 and 1962, more than 6,500 triangulation pillars were built as part of the retriangulation of Great Britain. For decades they helped Ordnance Survey accurately map the country we know today. But their job is largely finished, and many are now deteriorating, damaged or disappearing from our landscape. I think they deserve better. That’s why I’ve launched the Save Our Trig Points campaign, calling for greater recognition and protection of these iconic pieces of our national heritage. ✍️ SIGN THE PETITION: petition.parliament.uk/petit… And I want to see yours. 📸 Post a photo of your favourite trig point in the comments and tell us where it is and why it means something to you. Then please sign the petition and share this post. The more people who get behind the campaign, the harder it becomes for those who can actually protect them to ignore it. They may just look like lumps of concrete on hilltops, but they tell an important story about British surveying, engineering and exploration. Let’s make sure they’re still standing for future generations. Protect the Points. Preserve Our History. #SaveOurTrigPoints #ProtectThePoints #TrigPoints #BritishHistory #MappingHistory #OrdnanceSurvey #WalkingUK #Heritage #PeakDistrictViking

Just managed to avoid that downpour by a few minutes after nipping to the post office on my lunchbreak 🤣 Looks like a damp weekend ahead. We bloody need it though! #thepeakdistrictviking #rain #weather #peakdistrict #Castleton

Door in St Wulfram's Church in Grantham. 15th Century I believe #adoorablethursday

🚶‍♂️Little wander to Hope for supplies yesterday evening. Then back along Peakshole Water. 🐑 Did my good deed for the day and rescued a lamb which was stuck at the bottom of a steep bank alongside the stream. Good to stretch the legs over 4 miles as not been out for a while. #thepeakdistrictviking #peakdistrict #walking