Today we awoke to another spectacular morning, after breakfast we headed out first thing to find some camping gas. We have an interview today with BBC Radio Derby on the Andy Potter Show. They are currently on the road and are covering the Derwent Heritage Trail, today the show is based at Belper North Mill, Derbyshire.
After a beautiful drive through the countryside we arrived at the Mill at around 2pm. We were very early so decided to take a walk around the site. Derwent Water Mills World Heritage Site is famous for spinning cotton and producing silk in the early 19th century using water power to drive the huge machines made famous by Richard Arkwright. It was a great way to spend our time whilst waiting to perform on the show. It’s a beautiful place and highly recommended for a place to visit. Its certainly the most unusual spot that we’ve ever appeared on a radio show.
We were then met by the wonderful Andy Potter and we introduced ourselves. Andy asked to setup in the courtyard outside, it seemed we were going to have the interview in the fresh air and sunshine. The courtyard was concealed down some quaint steps and surrounded by walls of stone, which made for impressive natural reverb. We tuned our instruments up and waited for Andy. Andy came down and we were interviewed about our “Sing for Your Supper” busking challenge for food banks. Andy also seemed very interested in our original music.
We performed a track off our new EP “Silly Things” which sounded fantastic with the birds in the background and even a helicopter flying overhead. The natural reverb of the courtyard worked perfectly. It was a fairly short interview as they had a busy schedule, we managed to discuss the main points about the Challenge and as they say in showbiz…that’s a wrap.
After we had finished we hung around for pictures. We thanked Andy and all the BBC crew and can honestly say what a lovely bunch of people they are. Just as we were leaving a Delorean (similar to the Back to The Future Car) turned up with its gull wing doors, sadly we weren’t transported back to 1885 and headed out back on the road.
By this point our tummys were rumbling and we decided to head up to Sherwood Forest with the intentions of not only finding a man in tights but to have our tea in a beautiful location (oh the joys of being on the road). Getting there was long and tedious as it was mile after mile of traffic. The Sat Nav predicted a 40 minute journey which in reality turned into 2½ hours. Once we arrived (pretty frustrated and extremely hot)it was worth putting up with the traffic. The heater valve is broken in the van so it was hot air all the way, the windows were open but since we were stationary most of the way, the fresh air of the forest was very welcoming.
We had a walk around the medieval forest soaking in the huge Oak trees that have been there for hundreds of years. We visited The Great Oak Tree which was approximately 1150 years old. The history behind it was fascinating. We even saw a laughing tree.
It was a great afternoon and topped off with tea on the benches in the forest. What a way to end a beautiful day, we are busking and have a gig with Dodgy in Derby tomorrow; so we headed back that way to find a suitable place to park overnight. Were feeling blessed today and appreciate the opportunities that are being given to us. A huge thank you to our maker.