Winter Hikes and Adventures in the Peak District
It is really easy to hate the winter. Or at least it was until I hauled myself away from a cosy warm home and pushed into the great outdoors. Or more specifically, The Peak District. This is the second of two posts, you can find part one here…..
This adventures episode began when I took a booking for a photography job in Stoke, I’m also a Fitness Photographer. Since I was going to be in the Midlands it seemed like a good idea to spend the week exploring the Peak District for hiking, regardless of how wet and muddy it might be!
Day 5 - Mam Tor - The sun is alive!
Waking up with the sounds of a bleating sheep I discovered the sun had been reborn and the storm had blown over. I had to grab this chance and quickly gathered my almost dry kit and set out for adventure. I had hoped to walk Kinder Scout while I was here, the highest point of the Peak District, but after yesterdays solid rain I decided to opt for something a little easier and more solid; a loop hike of Mam Tor. At the least it might dry off my kit, and my bones!
The lane leading through Mam Tor is a stunning scene. Seeing it I was reminded of an early adventure in the van 10 years ago. That time I had arrived late and slept the night. It was minus -6 and there was ice inside the van! At least I’m better equipped these days. Back to that road, you can see why I chose to stop here. The views in both directions are magical.
From there the walk to the top of Mam Tor is easy. It almost feels like cheating. Actually it is cheating but I was so desperate for sunlight I didn’t want to miss the opportunity in case the rain came back. I’d planned a circular walk so I was still going to get my fair share of hill walking in where ever I parked. There are steps going up the West side of the peak, not too many, and then a hard flagstone pavement to the trig point and onward to line the gradual ridge all the way to Lose Hill, the next summit. Usually I would think a man made path ruins the wild feel of a place but here it creates a scene of adventure as it lines the crest of the ridge and disappears in the distant curves of the landscape.
Sweeping clouds created ever changing light of the curves of the surrounding low land. The colour changing with the thickness of the cloud. I gave up putting my camera away as I was mesmerised by immersive nature experience. The problem became sorting through all the photos when I got home, there was just too many!
As promised, why Mam Tor is so called. The hill suffers from landscapes due to the constant rumble of bloated Range-Rovers around town centres (take that as unconfirmed rather than a factoid). The landslides form many smaller hills. These can be seen basked in the haze of the low winter sun in the next photo. Anyway, all this baby hills come from Mam Tor, meaning Mother Hill. (That bit is a confirmed factoid).
It felt about time to come down off the ridge and start forming a loop back round to the start. Not due to distance or tired legs but due to a rumbling tum; lunch was calling. The path stumbled down revealing a multi hued coloured palette of faded yellows and vibrant green. Adding the warm sun and lower-land wind shelter made this the perfect lunchtime rest stop.
The sun is getting real low but that isn’t a reference to all the green in these photos (*that’s for the nerds. Let me know you are here in the comments!). Time to haul ass, leave my lunch spot and finish the loop before dark.
As I continued around the southern base of the hill I came across the former A625 through road that had a large bite taken out of it in 1979 and the powers that be decided to give up the fight and let nature win this battle. It is good news for the hikers and lovers of nature too as it keeps this area peaceful with the passing traffic now a little bit further away.
Walking around the remains of the road I could clearly see the chunk the had slipped from Mam Tor, a sizeable chunk. Apparently it is still moving at around 25cm a year so if you ever want to make the move for someone you know now a beautiful place to make that happen!
Exhausted from my own bad jokes I sat and watched a paraglider take off from the summit of Mam Tor and glide down to land in the field beside me. A short flight but no doubt a thrill with some incredible views at this time of day.
The lay of the land now forming longer shadows, only the peaks golden, the sun was waving goodbye and as usual I made it back to the van shortly after sunset; but this time clean and dry. One last look at the stunning view out the window before setting off for the long drive south to Bournemouth.
I loved my adventures in the Peak District and I must come back for more. Hopefully at a dryer time when the ground isn’t trying to eat me all the way up to my knees!
Thank you for joining me on this adventure. If you like them please leave a comment as it will motivate me to publish many more of the adventure photos filling up my hard-drives!
Keep on movin’
Adam de-Ste-Croix
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