To conclude the account of my first walking holiday back in 1998, I finish with the second week, which was spent in the Hope and Edale valleys in the Peak District:
Stanage Edge
Monday 13th July 1998
This was not been a good day, in fact it was a bit of a disaster. I managed to catch a train to Sheffield all right, but when I got there I discovered that the train I had planned on catching to Hathersage was a “Saturday Only”, which seems like such a small mistake (!). I had an hour's wait in Sheffield so I walked into the city centre to relive my Uni days, but discovered that Sheffield has changed a lot and is still being changed (there was a lot of building work going on around the area). It almost made me wish I hadn't destroyed my memory! In the end I came back to the station and bought the ‘Dreamwatch’ magazine and read that until the train arrived.
When I got off at Hathersage I had my lunch and realised that I had forgotten to check the route I was taking (I had meant to do that on the train on the way up, but in fact I had been finally finishing off the Silverstone supplement from the Autosport mag). Due to my mix-up with the trains I was now late and unsure of my route. Undaunted I changed into my boots and set off for Stanage Edge, and soon got lost. I had taken a wrong turning towards Brookfield Manor and then I had some difficulty finding my way back to the road (I basically had to walk through the training ground), and then it started raining. After all my claims of being ready for any weather this gave me a lot of problems.
At a key moment in the pouring rain, I decided to abandon the walk as dictated in the guidebook since I didn't have enough time left so I walked straight up to the nearest point on Stanage Edge from where I was standing. When I got onto the Edge I had magnificent views but the wind was really strong. I could hardly do anything except just stand there with the rain drenching me. I stood with my back to the wind but the back of my jeans were getting drenched; I was despairing at the weather conditions and my own belief that I could walk in any weather. I soon came back down into Hathersage choosing to take the route that I should have taken onto the moor. At times I was getting particularly annoyed with myself as I couldn't seem to be able to do anything right. This day forcibly showed up my inexperience of hill-walking (and it showed that the most important thing is preparation). One thing is for sure, I would do Stanage Edge eventually, and ultimately it would not beat me. I got to the youth hostel for 5pm and settled in. I must say I quite liked this medium-sized hostel especially since I had a room all to myself! There were five other beds in this room but they are all unoccupied.
This was a very significant walk as it was an early lesson for me in how savage the weather on hills can be. It showed that I needed to have the right clothes to cope with the weather and be ready to adapt to the ever changing weather conditions. I reacted well in the circumstances as I was prepared to abandon the walk in view of the poor weather even though I did still manage to get to the Edge. I would continue to be intimated by bad weather for years after this, for example, I didn't go onto the fells when it rained during my first visit to the Lake District. It would be more than five years before I became confident in my ability to walk in bad weather.
The Win and Lose Hills
Tuesday 14th July 1998
This was a much better day. I had a thoroughly enjoyable walk to Edale following the route of the White Peak Way (I really must do that sometime) beside the River Derwent to Shatton and then up Win Hill through the village of Thornhill. From the top I descended into Hope and then climbed up Lose Hill before walking along the Great Ridge to Mam Tor.
Finally I completed the walk by dropping down into Edale and walking along the valley to the youth hostel. I enjoyed myself tremendously; the views were magnificent especially from Win Hill with the Hope Valley to the south and Ladybower Reservoir to the north. It didn't rain all day and at first it was even sunny, though later on in the day it became overcast and exceptionally windy, particularly on top of the Hills (especially on Mam Tor), but fortunately the rain didn't start until I got to the hostel.
This is a large youth hostel and I was in ‘Kinder’ Cottage high above it. It was alright, but Ravenstor remained my favourite. I remember this walk with a lot of affection, but not for the actual walk itself. It was the first time I had ever walked from one hostel to another and there was something about carrying everything I’d need on my back that I found exhilarating and exciting. I was abandoning all ties to home and all the safety nets; I was totally on my own having to survive with whatever I had with me. I have repeatedly done this again preferring to leave my car behind whenever possible, but still using the car when necessary for it’s convenience. I really enjoy walking from one hostel to another and it all started with this walk.
Kinder Scout
Wednesday 15th July 1998
I was not sure whether to tackle Kinder Scout and had actually decided not to when I saw a misty start to the day, but this changed, however, when I missed the train to Hathersage from where I was going to attempt the Stanage Edge walk again. While annoyed with myself I stubbornly walked up Kinder Scout not caring what the weather would be like. Although it was tough getting to the top I was rewarded with good views and the wonderful challenge of a moorland crossing. I didn't really have any problems as the weather improved wonderfully and the path was clear. It was great, if a little boggy and the going was often awkward. When I eventually arrived at the Pennine Way on the other side of Edale Moor I followed it back into Edale. The walk didn't take me very long, but that didn’t bother me too much as I just lazily looked around the Info Centre before catching a train home. This was a good holiday and I was sorry to see the end of it.
These two weeks were the start of something that has virtually taken over my life and dictated what I do during all my holidays. Looking back you could say my life was leading up to this, but I could so easily have not pursued it and missed out on all the wonderful times I’ve had on mountains. On many occasions I have stood on a mountain and thought I didn’t want to be anywhere else. Why would anyone not want to be at the top of a mountain?
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