Saturday Ramble: Edale

It had been a stressful week and I was longing to feel the cold, crisp winter air on my face, to take photographs of the ever changing landscape of the Peaks and to feel the warmth from the post hike cuppa.
The working week had dragged, as I longed for my escape to the Peak District; it was the one thing keeping me going. 

Saturday rolled around fast and despite my alarm being set for 5.30am, I woke at 5am, excited about the day ahead. Pottering around, I packed my rucksack in-between sips of a strong black coffee, before heading to the local station with our pup in tow. There is something so magical about this time of day, where the sun is still yet to rise and it feels like you are the only person awake. 

We arrived in Edale just before ten but it was already quite busy with hikers milling around. Edale is one of my favourite villages in the Peaks; it is surrounded by some of the best walks the area including the iconic Mam Tor ridge and the dark, moody Kinder Scout plateau. As a lover of the dark peak, I could feel myself being drawn to Kinder, but with dark cloud and rain already looming over it, I decided to stick to my original route.

Mam Tor via Hollins Cross is one of my favourite walks, you have such immense views all around you and always feels a bit more isolated than taking the steps up to Mam Tor. With the pup finally allowed off lead (always read the notices and keep an eye out for livestock) I threw myself into it and made steady progress. The wind was definitely picking up, which made for some stunning photographs as the clouds raced across the sky. With the light dancing across the Kinder Plateau, I couldn’t stop snapping away.

As someone who loves her own space and company, I was delighted to see that the ridge was pretty empty, so took the opportunity to snap lots of photographs with my camera and relish the chance to take in the views; it is quite rare to get this part of the Peaks to yourself after all.

When it came to heading back, the winds had picked up quite significantly and pretty much blew us back down, it was bitterly cold and I was looking forward to a nice cuppa once back in Edale. With a sleepy pup I headed into the Penny Pot cafe for a well deserved brew whilst the pup slept in front of the log burner.

What are your favourite walks for blowing the cobwebs away?