I'm more than a little behind on blogging about the Peak District and feeling more than a little guilty about it. We spent Easter weekend in the Peak District and, as we headed to the Broads just 11 days after we returned home, I had little time to catch up before prepping for the next trip. Since returning from the Broads, I've been busy at work and at home, and haven't had time to focus on our trips as much as I would like. As it is, we will be heading to Dartmoor and Exmoor soon and I am feeling woefully unprepared, not least because we are planning to wild camp for the first time... Anyway, I want to do a quick summary of our time in the Peak District before I forget it all! As much as I would like to write in more detail, it isn't conducive to relieving my stress levels and I figure a summary post is better than none at all. The photo gallery might be a better record of our time, once I get round to updating that. Friday 14 April 2017 We arrived at our Travelodge (Macclesfield Adlington) late afternoon, having spent the morning canoeing at Clyn Cwellyn and the early afternoon visiting Betws y Coed. It was not a happy start to our time in the Peak District as we were drawn into a road rage situation when we slowed down whilst looking for the entrance to the Travelodge carpark. The rather angry driver behind was irritated by us slowing down and, after much honking, followed us into the carpark, climbed out of his car and proceeded to shout at us. He couldn't quite seem to believe that we were simply unfamiliar with the area and weren't actually out to irritate him. It was all rather frightening. ![]() Saturday 15 April 2017 We bought a great walking guide by walking-books.com, called Making Tracks in the Peak District, which is designed for kids to lead. We did the walk around Eyam, which took us about 1hr 45mins and visited some interesting sights like Mompesson's Well, where food and medicine was left for villagers during the Plague. In the afternoon, we drove to Bakewell and had a Bakewell Pudding (not tart!) at the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop. Yum yum! ![]() Sunday 16 April 2017 As this was the Peak District, we had to visit a cave. We went to the Treak Cliff Cavern, which is known for its large deposits of a unique stone called Blue John. We went on a guided tour of the cavern which, being Easter weekend, was inhabited by the Easter Bunny. He hid chocolates around the cavern for the kids to find, which was an unexpected (and slightly incongruous) activity but one we appreciated nevertheless. The tour lasted a bit over an hour and was a great way to get out of the rain. (We had carefully planned this part of the trip in conjunction with the weather forecast). After the tour, the kids got the chance to polish their own slice of Blue John stone, which is a great souvenir. ![]() In the afternoon, we visited Lyme Park, a National Trust property close to where we were staying. It was still raining, so we got rather wet as we wandered around the gardens. Sure, we could have gone inside but we are much keener on National Trust gardens and landscapes than their buildings. We did a circle around the gardens, feeling sorry for the staff who had set up the Cadbury's (Easter!) Egg hunt that was being ruined by the rain, then walked up the hill to The Cage, an ex-hunting lodge turned poachers' prison with great views. For all you Pokemon hunters out there, there was a slugma nest at Lyme. There won't be slugmas there anymore but we've found that once a nest, always a nest. It's worth checking it out to see what's there now. ![]() Monday 17 April 2017 Happy 66th birthday to the Peak District National Park! It was the UK's first National Park, created on this day in 1951. We spent the morning doing a little hike around Dovedale. We crossed the Stepping Stones and then followed the River Dove for a short while, before turning back to head home. For once, we weren't following a pre-planned route and just thought it looked like a nice place on the OS map, so we were surprised to arrive to crowds of people queueing to walk over the Stepping Stones. There were a few too many people for my liking, probably thanks to the fact it was Easter weekend, but it was a lovely place and worth exploring further in future. We enjoyed our time in the Peak District and I feel I haven't done it justice. It's probably not my favourite Park, as I much preferred the big mountains of Snowdonia, but I am conscious we didn't explore the wilder, northern half of the Peak District so I am probably making unfair comparisons. Once day we will return and explore the rest!
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I'm conscious I haven't written much about our adventures in Snowdonia yet but there hasn't been time. We did two back-to-back Park visits and there were far more interesting things to do with my time than blogging! ![]() So, after we waved a sad farewell to Snowdonia, we spent Easter weekend in the Peak District. That's four Parks visited now! It was a bit damp at times but as we knew it was going to rain, we planned to be underground in a cave or in a tearoom eating cake during those times. And when it rained when we didn't expect it to...? Well, we just put on our hoods and waterproofs, and head outdoors anyway. It didn't seem to bother the kids so I tried to not let it bother me. It helps that Eve's endless enthusiasm and good humour, whatever the weather or situation, is infectious and humbling. She is the best adventuring companion! The Peak District National Park was designated as Britain's first National Park in 1951. It covers 555 square miles, mostly in northern Derbyshire but also parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. It is often described in two halves: the Dark Peak, which is the higher, wilder northern half, known for its moorland; and the White Peak, which is the lower, southern half, where limestone caves and dry river valleys are common.
Since we are planning to drive straight from Snowdonia to the Peak District, we will have our canoes with us. I'm not sure the Peak District National Park is hugely known as an area for canoeing but we may as well make use of all the kit we are bringing to Snowdonia, so I think we might paddle part of the Peak Forest Canal using this route I downloaded from the British Canoeing website. It is not technically in the National Park but never mind... As we are aiming to experience something that is special about each National Park, visiting a cave is a must. The current plan is to visit the Treak Cliff Cavern (http://www.bluejohnstone.com/) near Castleton, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and is famous for its large deposits of Blue John Stone. Blue John is a blue-purple semi-precious stone, which looks a bit like amethyst in the pictures but I'll let you know what it's really like when I've seen a real life piece. On certain dates (including when we are visiting) you can choose, prepare, polish and take home a piece of Blue John, which sounds like a great souvenir. I'm trying not to over-plan our trips, so that we have time to fit in anything exciting that we come across while we are out there. As such, we have planned just one short walk. We will probably have had enough of the mountains after our attempt to climb Snowdonia, so we're going to keep it simple in the Peak District. However, I still want to do something a little bit different, so I purchased 'Making Tracks', a set of walks for kids. The directions are written in a fun and easy style for children aged 5-12 and the intention is that they lead the walk. I reckon Eve and Jay will love taking charge. Currently we are thinking of doing the 2 mile walk around Eyam, as it is only a 15 minute drive to Bakewell and we can pop over there in the afternoon for tea and a tart! |
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