The Peak District

At last the SUN. ☀️ 🌞 ☀️. What a relief after all the grey. And a view. Lots of wondeful beautiful views everywhere. What a difference it makes. I am in the southern Peak District, one of the UK’s national parks.

First call is Youlgreave. I stayed in Youlgreave hostel when I was a student. It’s in an old shop and each of the dormitories was labelled after one of the shop departments. The warden amused himself by having the women sleep in “Mens Underwear”. One of the most memorable dorm names ever. Its now a private hostel and was not open.

Next up is Bakewell. The Peak District is hilly and steep so serious work is required. I arrive and indulge in a slice of Bakewell tart :-). Bakewell is a very touristy town these days.

Then its up and over to Castleton and the Winnats pass. On my way, I am joined by a friendly cyclist who slows to chat beside me. How nice. The first time on my whole trip. Winnats pass goes under and past Mam Tor and is graded at a serious 20%. There is a fair bit of traffic and I am not sure whether I can make it (so no stopping for photos as I may not manage to restart) - but slowly and surely Maisie and I hang in there.

Now we have moved from the softer southern area into the Dark Peak. The higher wilder moors. I have great views all afternoon. Its absolutely wonderful. A kind elderly camper offers me a cup of tea when I arrive on the campsite that evening. Even better is a chair to sit in whilst I drink the tea. Its so noticeable how small kindnesses have increased as I head North. And it does really help.Read more