I went hiking through some quiet trails and some busier paths, and lots of friendliness along the way. Even the sheep and cattle seemed to welcome me to the Cressbrook Dales.
So where did I start?
I took an hour drive to get into the base of the Peak District and found a great and affordable car park called White Lodge. £4.75 for a full day of parking. Gladly there was a machine that accepted card payments. A great way to start the day. The fact they had a toilet block was a real help after the coffee I had necked on my journey there.
What was my plan?
I had already checked out my route on Alltrails.com which is a great site for hikers of any ability. I was loosely following the Sheldon and Derbyshire Dales circular, and managed to find a spot for the car smack bang where I needed it.
How was the trek?
Pace yourself! I think that is good advice for any activity but I was bold when I first set off. The beginning of the route was an up hill climb through the forests that ran alongside the river Wye. The Monsel Trail starts on a nice wide path but when you head over to the other side. The path narrows and becomes more muddy and root ridden. It was here that I realised some hiking poles might have been a good idea. Especially since the previous days of rain had made some areas quite slippy.
I was hiking like I was against a timer. That was until a thoroughly pleasant walking group I passed reminded me of an important trait, take your time. I might have been easy to lose footing on this section, and to pass them I had taken to small amount of climbing through the over growth. It was definitely appreciated but it did mean that me knees were muddy less than 30 minutes into my trek.
Cressbrook Village
The route continued through the small village of Cressbrook which was full of period buildings. A rather nice looking property that resembled a castle particular took my eye. Throughout my journey I spotted many signs to “Save Cressbrook Dale” from developers who threaten the natural environment. You can learn more about the here, and find out how you can help.
Then came the only part I didn’t like the look of. I am not amazingly fond of walking on the road, but luckily I did not encounter any traffic on this small section of my trek. It soon moved back into the wildness, as the path lead through more forest.
Then I got to the valleys, this was the main point of my trip. I won’t give any of my book away but the sense of being surrounded by rolling hills, fitted nicely, it was excellent inspiration.
Leaving the valley the public footpath lead through farmlands. I still encountered few people on this part of my journey but there were plenty of cows and sheep to keep me company. The path lead directly few their fields but the farmers that I met along the way were more than happy with me utilising the stiles and covering ground through their farm. One even holding back his sheep until I had left his field which I greatly appreciated, I looked back when he released them and I did get the feeling they may have been excited to see a stranger as they charged quite quickly in my direction.
The return journey was a rather more tiring one, and involved some retracing of steps although i did try to chose alternative paths.
These paths did turn out to be a bit of an uphill trek, so I took a couple of breaks. They did treat me to a beautiful view that overlooked the entire valley of the Wye River.
When i did eventually reach back to the White Lodge carpack it had reached 3pm. I decided that it had been a great day out and I felt amazing from taking in the bueatiful views and the wildlife that called it home.
Gallery
Here are some more of the photos I took on the day.
Get in touch
If you want to follow more of my journeys, you can follow me on Instagram. If you try my route let me know how you find it on my contact page.
Please respect our countryside and make sure to leave it in the same state that you found it.