Society for Chromatic Diversity: Peak District Weekend

What a fun weekend that was!

On Saturday morning Mum picked me up and we drove to Hathersage in the Peak District, where we met Lukie (he was enjoying a cup of tea at an outdoor cafe table, well wrapped up in his woolly hat and ski jacket). We purchased a copy of the Independent (essential Saturday reading and crossword-completion in my family) and drove off to the car park by Ladybower Reservoir. We had a pleasant if slippery walk (the most treacherous part being the pavement leading down from the car park to the dam) and contemplated climbing Win Hill, but decided that we'd prefer to go back to Hathersage for hot chocolate in the Outside cafe. Which, confusingly, is inside.

Lose Hill (sorry Luke) and Back Tor
Hollins Cross is where the ridge dips on the very right hand side of the photo.

On Sunday morning we set out from the youth hostel to climb up to Hollins Cross and over into Castleton. We weren't totally sure about how we'd get back, but thought we'd probably reverse the way we came. Luke needed to catch a train back to Sheffield that evening when Mum and I returned to the hostel. But the way up to Hollins Cross was quite frozen over, all the paths slick with ice. We had to scout our own way up steep snow-covered fields because there was absolutely no purchase on the tracks leading up. Of course we got to the top to find children in wellies strolling along, being overtaken by fell runners who somehow managed to stay on their feet and - greatly to our surprise - by mountain bikers. We soon discovered that conditions on the ridge, and on the Castleton side of the hill, were much better (due we presume to greater amounts of sunshine on that side). We walked along the ridge to the top of Mam Tor, then took the broken road and a muddy stream-side footpath into Castleton.

Luke contemplating the broken road

None of us felt like coming back down from Hollins Cross in that ice, so we checked a railway timetable and, after exploring Castleton, headed over the fields towards Hope station. The idea was that Luke's train would leave for Sheffield at 4:38 and ours would depart in the opposite direction, back to Edale, two minutes later. Luke's train came and went. Ours was announced, but... no sign of it. We waited fifteen minutes, then went to check the timetable. Alas! A small z, printed at the top of the column, was intended to indicate that our particular train would not be running until April. Fortunately there was another train later, but by the end of our hour-and-a-half long wait we began to feel that we'd have been better walking. We were on the train for eight minutes, followed by a risky walk in the dark back to the hostel.

On Monday, and Mum and I felt up for a slightly more strenuous walk than we had yet attempted. We decided to go round from the youth hostel up Win Hill (taking a slow, gradual ascent up the long end), down into the valley, and back along a path by the river. The weather forecast had promised us that the early mist would dissipate, leaving the peaks under blue skies. As we approached the top of the hill, shrouded in mist, the wind blowing chill rain into our faces, we speculated that "in just a few minutes" and "by the time we reached the top" the weather would be beautiful.

Sunshine trying to break through the mist over Castleton

Our best 'view' of Ladybower Reservoir from Win Hill

We were wrong. A quick iPhone photo from the top and we certainly felt inclined to descend, post-haste. So down we went, steeply now through the lumpy bumpy fields to Twitchills Farm, and then following the lane down to the road. We had a slow picnic, drinking most of the hot chocolate and munching our sandwiches on a bench. Almost as soon as we sat down there was a change in the weather: the sky turned blue, with occasional wisps of cloud, and down out of the wind it was far warmer. I have to confess to becoming a little grumpy.

So, as we turned from a little lane through a gate into a field to follow the riverside path, I consulted the map. If we continued up the lane, we would very quickly be making an ascent to Lose Hill* (at the other end of the Mam Tor ridge we had climbed over on Sunday). I said to Mum, "Are you sure you don't want to go up Lose Hill?" - and, once I'd said it, it simply had to be done. "I will if you will," said Mum - and off we went. It's a steep climb up from the valley, but not too long a climb - and it was most definitely worth it. The good weather held, and although the wind made it very chilly up at the top we got some wonderful views as we walked along the ridge and descended via Back Tor. A most satisfying walk!

*Again, sorry Luke... it's just a better name!

PS. A few more photos: