It feels like some people are so obsessed with international travel and saying they’ve been to all these far-flung places that actually they forget what is right on their doorstep.
I have to say that I am guilty of this too, despite living in the UK all my life I have visited so little of it. David has definitely set foot on more of the UK than I have, so he is the expert of knowing good outdoorsy places to go. Now David and I have a car that we can both drive it is going to be a lot easier to just hop in the car at the weekend and drive a few hours and spend the weekend away.
Anyway, back to the point of this post. Over the Easter break David and I, along with his parents, drove down to Hope Valley in the Peak District where we lived in a tent for the long weekend. I had a really enjoyable time, it reminded me of being on DofE as that is the only time I’ve really camped in the past but David and his family were pros so everything was thought of.
The Peak District was declared a National Park in 1951, and is spilt into the Dark Peak (where the geology is grit stone and most of the moorland of the Peak District is found) and the White Peak where it is mostly limestone. Both are equally as beautiful so I would encourage you to visit parts of both, but for this break we were mainly on the Dark side.
One of the highlights of the weekend was climbing up Mam Tor and walking along the ridge. I’m not going to lie, I did find the ascent very difficult, but I think that was because I am recovering from a hip injury, and probably also because it was the hottest day of the year so far! However, it was so much more than worth it when we got to the top – the views were beautiful.
Once the uphill walking comes to an end, there is a lovely ridge that extends along the top of Mam Tor which is easy to walk along and offers fantastic views of the surrounding area, it all looks so green! There was also added excitement due to the many para gliders that set off from the top and seem to fly forever with their brightly coloured parachutes. I had never seen how much preparation goes into even beginning to take off in one of those things, props to people who have the experience and the faith in themselves to do that.
All in all, we had a fun and active day and we were all exhausted by the end of it! And, surprisingly, none of us got burnt which is always a bonus.
On the Sunday we decided to take the bikes for a spin along the Monsal Trail. The trail follows an old railway line that has been transformed into a relatively flat gravel path which was great for walking and cycling on. I hired a bike from Hassop station which was actually quite reasonably priced considering it was Easter weekend and it was really busy. Bike hire can also be found at Blackwell Mill at the opposite end of the trail – which is really helpful because it means you can start at either end. If you are going to hire a bike especially in the summer, I’d highly recommend you get there early as they run out rather quickly at peak times.
After a bite to eat for breakfast as Hassop Station cafe, we set off towards Blackwell Mill. The route is around 8.5 miles long which is easily do-able on a bike in around an hour or so (depending on how leisurely the ride is!). Once we reached the end of the trail, we stopped off for a well deserved ice cream from the bike hire kiosk. Then, we hopped back on our bikes and cycled all the way back to Bakewell (just past Hassop Station where we started – see the map below for more information).
Bakewell is a lovely village in the Peak District, and the birth place of Bakewell Puddings (not the same as Bakewell Tarts, a mistake lost of people make). We bought a good old pasty each from ‘The Original Bakewell Pudding Shop‘ which were so good, we went back and got another one! It was nice just sitting on the edge of the River Wye and just taking everything in for a little while, before we got up to have a bit of an explore around. Unfortunately, we didn’t have as long as we’d hoped for as the bike hire closed early as it was Easter Sunday, so we had to cycle the short distance back to Hassop Station to return my bike in time.
The whole route has some fantastic views so make sure to stop every now and again to enjoy them, it is by no means a race. Another cool (literally, cool) thing about this trail is the tunnels. As it used to be a railway in the hills, tunnels had to be dug out in some of them to allow passage. You still travel through these now, and it is surprising how long they are and how cold they get in the middle! It was actually quite nice on a hot summers day to get out for the heat for a few minutes.
I would suggest to everyone who enjoys a good family cycle to go here, even when it was busy there is plenty of room for everyone and cycling is a great way to exercise for pretty much everyone.
I really enjoyed my weekend in the Peak District and I think its safe to say that everyone else did as well. There is so much to do up there, I’m sure we will be back again at some point soon!
Where have you explored in your home country that you want to share with others? Let us know in the comments.
Happy travelling!
Zoe & David x
Written by Zoe
Not-So-Trendy Travellers 