I didn’t want to write another post on the holiday my husband and I recently had in England. But I decided I will. Simply because it’s a happy way to relive it.

After the Lake District, we spent another three nights, with my mum-in-law, in the Peak District. In a little village called Tideswell. Like many other pretty English villages, it had narrow roads with cars parked along the pavement with little room to manoeuvre, neat houses that were once wool shops or banks, a few pubs and cafes, and a grand church.

My first three standouts. The host, accommodation, and Well Dressing. Our host, Lynne with an ‘e’ was trusting and friendly. A 25% deposit was required to reserve the accommodation but it didn’t happen due to online banking issues. An email assurance that we will turn up on the agreed days was enough to guarantee our reservation. Really. No money was exchanged. Lynne even offered us an earlier check-in, and no rush or reminder of payment.

The accommodation. Wow. A converted chapel. Now a tastefully furnished two-bedroom avant-garde apartment. Each item from the paintings (there was one of three cows that fitted perfectly in the kitchen), vases ( a porcelain face with local fresh flowers in our bedroom) to the mirrors (a silver starburst in the lounge) appeared to be carefully chosen and thoughtfully positioned. It was so pleasing to the eye that all three of us commented that if we were considering moving house/condo, there were some good ideas that we might borrow/nick.

Well Dressing. What? Yes, never heard of it. Lynne told us about it when we finally met. Moi undercounted the amount to be paid, and almost unwittingly shortchanged her. OMG. Embarrassing. Anyways… Well Dressing, we learnt was being celebrated that week in Tideswell. Every year, the young and the older, got together to build beautiful mosaics to give thanks to water sources like wells and springs. She warned that the usually quieter village would be a hive of activities at the weekend. And, right, she was.

There were many people out and about. The church bells rung on Friday evening, albeit a practice run, for Sunday service. A tad long and loud, especially since our accommodation was within earshot and eye sight of the magnificent St John the Baptist church. Almost all the houses and shops displayed fabric buntings and banners in their front yards, and entrances. During our walkabout, we came across two meticulously put together mosaics titled King Charles and The Westminster Abbey. The first thing that came to mind was the attention to detail and hard work that had gone into the two masterpieces.

Built on large wooden frames, soft clay was packed and levelled like plaster into the frames. Images/designs were then drawn and outlined. Using natural materials like leaves, flower petals, beans, lentils, moss and even grass, they were painstakingly filled or pasted onto the canvas of moist clay. The mosaics, apparently, last for about a week. 

In addition, one of the local pubs hosted a party with a live band, familiar music, and dancing until about midnight on Saturday. My husband and I enjoyed the entertainment. There was an air of festivity that was nice to see and be a part of. Why hadn’t we heard of Well Dressing? Hmm… because its unique to the Peak District and Derbyshire area with some 80 participating villages. Sounds like an excuse. It is.

My fourth standout was the experience we – my husband, my mum-in-law and I – shared at the Extremescape in Disley village, just outside the Peak District. Extremescape is like the Escape Room we have in Malaysia. Only this one’s escape rooms (there were three) were in a 400-year-old barn on a 55-acre/22 hectare farm. On offer were the Pirate Ship, the Lost Tomb and Vikings (also the latest introduction.) We did the Vikings.

The last Escape Room my husband and I did in Kuala Lumpur with sister number 3, niece number 3 and nephew number 4 involved handcuffs, a very dark room, and crawling in a long and narrow tunnel-like structure. During the briefing, my fear of closed and dark spaces, and creepy crawlies were forefront on my mind. My only question to Jessica, the host, was if we failed in our quest to help Thor save the human race in our allocated 75 minutes, would she open the escape room door for us. Yes. Yay!

We had a fabulous time, not immediately. Once we sort of knew what to do with the keys, spears, puzzles, codes, and symbols, we made progress. With a few clues/help from the prompter/voice behind the escape room wall. Seriously, my mum-in-law’s skill at assembling jigsaw puzzles and playing toss/throw games at amusement arcades helped significantly in escaping the room with 30 seconds to spare.

A fun, and happy holiday to have had, and relive.