Yes I know, it was Christmas Eve, but needs must I’m afraid and so I donned the boots and led this pre-Christmas jaunt in the Peak District for ADRC The day didn’t get off to a good start in that I had purchased some festive mince pies to hand out at the meeting point, but unfortunately I had underestimated the appeal of the walk and was way short of what was required. I was however saved by a couple of the participants who had also brought along some festive treats so all was not lost. There were in fact 19 of us out on the walk today which I must say was quite impressive and pleased me no end. It was a relatively short walk of 8.5 miles and this together with a dry forecast perhaps combined to entice people to join me, or was the alternative of last minute Christmas shopping just too much, who knows?

We left the transport at the Bowden Bridge car park and then climbed steadily above Coldwell Clough via  Stones House before contouring under Mount Famine and South Head, where at this point our morning coffee was taken. Unfortunately, although there was no wet stuff, there were no views on offer either. Suitably refreshed we continued on the Pennine Bridleway before turning south to Shireoakes and then west to The Over Fold and Dewsnaps, beyond which lunch was taken. The next section of the walk is a bit of a grind if you have done it a few times before, particularly the climb on tarmac from Lower Ashen Clough to Peep-O-Day, but the troops were still smiling and enjoying the day which was the main thing. In no time at all we reached and crossed the A624 to complete the final undulation of the day up to Stubbs Farm and from here the route dropped gently via Elle Bank to reach the outward path and then returned to the car park.

Overall, having  the walk on Christmas Eve was a worthwhile exercise given that there were 19 of us out enjoying the countryside, an exercise that I may will consider repeating in the future.