I call this almost a TR because I don't take photos, so it isn't as colourful as most people's are. I hardly know the Peak District, but the grandchildren live in Sheffield, so I am having to learn my way round a bit. A few months ago Trail magazine had a load of Peak District walks, so I bought it to read on the train and took the opportunity to try one of them out.
So, 2nd April, circular walk from Castleton taking in Lose Hill and Mam Tor.
I parked in one of the car parks in Castleton, and was startled at the cost. (As my user name suggests I live on an island, I am accustomed to just stopping) I walked through the village and picked up an excellent pasty at one of the village shops for lunch, then turned down a farm track signposted towards Hope. Route finding was pretty simple, the track became a path through fields by a small river. In Hope the route notes directed me up Edale Lane. The only thing I could find was Edale road, so I followed that and hoped it was right. Actually, I found the route notes a bit confusing, and in the end relied on the map and a few way marks.
The path climbed up through fields to Lose Hill farm, then out onto Lose Hill. The route from the final stile was stone surfaced to the summit marker, so it was easy going, if steep. The view from the top was pretty good, but there was an icy wind blowing, so I didn't hang about for long, but followed the ridge along to Hollins Cross along a broad, easy path. I paused there to look across to Edale and work out where I had gone at the start of the |Pennine Way a few years ago, and to eye up the path up Mam Tor and debate whether I had time to go up there; I had promised to be back in time to take the kids to the park. Decided it was Granny's day off and carried on up. The way was paved and I was able to go quite fast - it's quite a novelty for me to actually overtake people! I had promised myself I would stop at the top and eat my pasty, but in addition to the icy wind it was now hailing, so I beat a retreat down to Mam Nick and on to Blue John Caverns.
I was a bit taken aback by the fact that the route notes suggested I took care when descending the old Castleton road - it was only when I was on it that I remembered the landslides, and realised it would be quite easy to fall off some of the more damaged bits. I found a spot out of the wind to eat my pasty, and walked back into Castleton, grinding my teeth a bit when I realised I could have parked for free on the road down. It was a nice, varied circuit with plenty of interest and good views, a great start to exploring a new area.
According to Trail Magazine it was 14km and 488m of ascent. It took me about 4 hours, which meant I got back in time to take the grandchildren to the playpark.