As we approached the end of 2022 I once again led my “Castleton and The Lights” walk for ADRC. I was later than usual doing this as it was December 11th when I finally got round to it. The recent cold snap meant that there was snow and ice to contend with but 12 of us set off on the understanding that the planned route could well be changed during the day should the conditions determine that this was required. In the event we climbed the first section from Castleton to the Blue John Mine without too much difficulty. However, one of the party decided that they were struggling with the ascent and decided to return to the village by the old road following our coffee stop. The remaining 11 of us continued on after coffee to reach the ridge at Hollins Cross, which we then continued along as far as the branch to Back Tor. It was at this point that I decided to change the route and omit Back Tor and Lose Hill as the route and associated climbs looked particularly iced up, and of course we would also have the descent from lose Hill to contend with. The group were more than happy with this change, and so we continued on the alternative path under Lose Hill to regain the original route at the junction with the path coming off the summit. The following half hour was tricky as we made our way down to our usual lunch spot on compacted snow, with one or two fallers, including myself on the way.

The rest of the walk was actually uneventful and quite easy and pleasant, following the morning of snow and Ice. We arrived back in Castleton slightly earlier than normal, but the lights were all on and the village was as usual very pretty and bustling with visitors. All of our group decided against going back to the cars, and instead we took refreshments in the very welcoming “Ye Olde Nags Head” on the main street of the village. Overall, the day was again a success, despite the concerns over the underfoot conditions, and all the participants enjoyed a memorable day.