Derbyshire

Catherine James was born in Sheffield, and spent part of her childhood on the West Coast of Scotland. Writing, especially poetry, has always been part of her life.
After a career in teaching, she now lives in Derbyshire. It is a county which she has come to treasure, and in which her travels have opened up a wealth of dramatic landscapes, ancient villages and lively towns.
On one such journey, she went to Wirksworth, on a mission for a friend to discover connections between the writer George Eliot and Derbyshire. Here, near the market place, she found the bookshop owned by Richard Barrett. During the search for possible literature, the conversation turned to the many writers who had visited the area. Several of them, too, had referred to the county in their books and letters. So, the idea was born of exploring the references to the places in Derbyshire in the writings of the authors who had visited them.
Since that visit to the book shop in Wirksworth, Catherine’s travels have now taken her to the villages and towns of the Peak District and Derwent Valley. At times, she has stayed in them, to gather impressions and information. Others have been revisited on many occasions, and at different seasons. All have been possible using public transport. The travels and visits have been fascinating, as there has been so much to discover. But it has been the meeting with so many kind and interested people which has given the writer great enjoyment too.
This book, then, is a tribute to the people of Derbyshire as well as to the beautiful county in which they live.