Colchester for the Day

After a 2-month hiatus, I have resumed my city trips. This time I have travelled 152 miles north to the East Midlands city of Derby.

Dating back to Roman times, Derby began life as an old fort. But in 917 AD, it fell under the rule of the Danelaw. It was the Vikings who gave it the name of Djura – a village of the deer. Others argue that the original Roman name of Derventio was a link to the river Derwent which the settlement was founded upon. Some argue it would mean a valley thick of oaks. I would lean more toward the Roman name.

My journey to Derby started at St. Pancras at 10.32. I took an East-Midlands train arriving in Derby Midlands station at 12.08. The two people who actually read this blog know that my city trips usually began with a nosey around the city’s cathedral. But the cathedral was a half-hour away from the station. And I was hungry, so I thought I would get lunch before I started touristing.

I headed into the Derbion shopping centre and although they had a big foodcourt with lots of different restaurants, I wanted something more independent. A bit more Derby. Intimate. Personal. So that’s where I kept looking. And that’s where I found the city’s CEX. As well as visiting every city in England, I am also watching and reviewing every film on the top 1000 films of all time. In CEX, I bought a few new films including Scent of a Woman, Sabrina and Roman Holiday. I also bought Crash. I have already seen this film, but I want to watch it with my parents. Brokeback Mountain controversially lost the Best Picture Oscar to Crash. Having seen both films, I would argue Brokeback Mountain was a more deserving winner. I want to know what my parents think.

On my way to the Derbion, I spotted a vegan Indian cafe, so I headed there for lunch. In retrospect, I should have gone to the food court. Not only did the cafe not have the jacket potato or soup, which suited me, but it also didn’t have the Vede roti wraps or the veg curry of the day. In a panic, I went for the chickpea salad bowl. (Insert picture) As the name suggests, it was chickpeas and salad. A little simplistic, bland and not all that filling. But the mango, pineapple and apple smoothie was nice though.

At half 1, I continued onto the cathedral with a pit-stop at the city’s Wilkinson’s. Wilkinson’s is a discount department store chain that is closing down. As such, they are having big sales, but, alas, I was too late to snag any deals. Even the 50% off pick’n’mix was all gone. Very sad.

Onwards to the cathedral. Like all the other cathedrals except for Canterbury, it was free. While it wasn’t quite as grand, it was still very nice. It had an underground chapel for some quiet solitude, as well as lots of pretty stained-glass. It also had some information about Elizabeth Countess of Shrewsbury who very might have been history’s first gold-digger. There was also a little memorial to the Derby-born Florrence Nightingale, but let’s not forget Mary Seacole who did similar things, but failed to receive the same recognition, because she was black.

St. Katherine’s Chapel

It was about two, so I went onto my next stop: the Museum of Making – a former silk mill. Derby has a strong history of silk production, which soon turned into a wider manufacturing industry especially of cars – with both Toyota and Rolls Royce headquartering in Derby. The museum focussed on this history with interactive exhibits that allow you to build your own machinery, as well as examples upon examples of everything that can be made in Derby.

Exhibit on Punjabi Sikh pilots in the RAF during WW2

Toyota Car

Rolls Royce engine

At three, I took a little walk along the River Derwent. It started by going under a bridge that I later learned that I shouldn’t have walked under due to the wooden path being rotten. Thankfully, I didn’t fall into the river. And soon I was led into the beautiful Darley Park.

On this day, I was very lucky in the river. And the 25 acres of grassland looked spectacular in the sunshine. And compared to the city centre, it was so quiet. Peaceful. Serene. Lots of dog-walkers were walking their adorable dogs and I couldn’t resist taking a cat-nap on the soft grass with the warm sun beating down on me. This was a close second to Chester‘s river Dee in natural beauty.

But by four, my mouth was parched, so it was time for a drink. For other city trips, I have frequented the local Wetherspoons, but I wanted something more authentic. Instead, I went to a pub called the Furnace Inn where I had a nice pint of light ale. Maybe I’m not used to drinking or I drank it too quickly, but it definitely went to my head. Lol.

As I said before, the chickpea salad was not very filling, so it was time for a pre-dinner snack. I went to the national bakery chain Greggs and bought a nice warm sausage roll with flaky pastry. I felt a bit bad about going to a chain instead of somewhere local, so I let myself be tempted by a kinder-bueno, cookie dough brownie in a local bakery. I have to admit that my eyes were bigger than my stomach. It looked great. But it was very rich and sweet and a little nauseating. But then it was five and time for dinner.

I returned to the food court in the Derbion and ate a Mediterranean platter – chicken, beef, rice, potatoes, couscous, salad. It was a lot to eat – a bit dry, but very filling. I finished at 5.50 and it was time to head home, so I headed to the station for my half six train back in London.

I did enjoy my Derby trip. Walking in Darley Park was definitely a highlight. It was funny. I spent a total of six and a half hours there, but the time didn’t drag by at all. This was a very pleasant East Midlands city. Doncaster! You’re next.