Peak District

A two-hike Peak District adventure ticking off Ethel #90 in the 95 Ethels Challenge on Croker Hill and Trig #80 in the Peak District 88 Trig Point Challenge on Ladder Hill. The day takes in Ratcliffe Wood, Bosley Minn, Bosley Reservoir and the Macclesfield Canal, before a spontaneous second hike from Combs Reservoir to finally reach Ladder Hill after three failed approaches six months earlier.

Discover the Dovedale Little Dipper, a stunning circular walk in the Peak District. Starting from Hartington, this route passes through Sheen, Warslow, Wetton, Alstonefield and Milldale before following the River Dove through the beautiful Wolfscote Dale to Beresford Dale. Read my honest route guide, including terrain, elevation, highlights and tips for one of the White Peak's most underrated long-distance walks in Derbyshire.

The Matlock Skyline Challenge takes in a fantastic mix of Derbyshire landscapes, from the Limestone Way to the villages of Bonsall and Winster, the heather and bilberries of Stanton Moor, the woodland around Darley Dale and the views above Rowsley and Riber Castle. Typically, I couldn't leave the route alone and added diversions to Peak Tor, Bumper Castle trig point and Farley Moor trig point, creating my own extended version of this already challenging Peak District Skyline

The Derwent Valley Skyline is a demanding Dark Peak circuit in the Peak District National Park, linking Ashopton, Crook Hill, Alport Castles, Alport Moor, Bleaklow Stones, Bleaklow Head, Featherbed Moss, Margery Hill, Outer Edge, and Back Tor. A 46–50 km moorland expedition with relentless navigation, bogs, peat hags, groughs and featureless terrain, it tests endurance across one of the UK’s most remote-feeling upland landscapes.

A 20 km journey through the far North Peak District starting at Dovestone Reservoir, climbing Alphin Pike (Ethel and trig), crossing Saddleworth Moor to Saddleworth Trig, and sweeping past Raven Stones Brow and the dramatic rock formation of The Trinnacle. From Ashway Moss ethel to Dean Rocks and Great Dove Stone Rocks, with constant views over Greenfield and Dovestone and Yeoman Hey Reservoirs. Finished with an unplanned bonus Ethel at West Nab, completing the Far North regi

Circular hike from Crowden taking in the ethels Featherbed Moss, Black Chew Head, Black Hill, White Low. Also bags 3 trigs including Hey Edge. A summer-like day in April in the far north of the Peak District.

The Dambusters Challenge was long, committing, and intimidating, mapped in winter for “maybe June.” Nine hours later, 37 km and 1180 m of ascent done. From steep climbs to calm reservoirs, quiet moors and shaped tors, what sticks isn’t the distance or climbs but the feeling: exploring new areas, sunshine on my skin, endless views, and that sense of being fully alive. That is what I remember most.

Edale Skyline in March - The coldest Skyline I have done, and somehow one I will never forget. I started the day giving directions to lost runners and ended it fighting a snowstorm straight to the face. Somewhere in between, the Peaks decided to throw everything at me, and my brain is still pretending it was fun.

After weeks of grey skies, a sunny day in the Peak District was too good to waste. Starting from Whaley Bridge, this walk delivered two more Ethels, a beautifully positioned trig on Sponds Hill, a shiny toposcope pointing to distant peaks, and an intense standoff with four very large cows. The only thing missing? The elusive Ladder Hill trig.

Blue skies, brutal gusts, and the stubborn streak that carried me through nearly 8 hours of the Edale Skyline.

A solo circular walk from Grin Low to Oliver Hill, featuring Solomon’s Temple, panoramic views, spontaneous route changes and the quiet freedom of hiking alone.

Clockwise Edale Skyline in January was a choice. 31.6 km, 1,306 m, 3°C (feels like -4), five hours of fog and savage wind with no views until km 20. Hope Station to Lose Hill wasn’t a warm-up, the Lose Hill trig was being hogged, Brown Knoll was bog theatre, and Kinder Low tried to exfoliate my face. Somehow it turned into a PR by 3 minutes. Unplanned. Unhinged. Loved it.

A cold winter solo walk in the Peak District, starting from Winscar Reservoir and crossing frozen moorland, empty edges, and invisible summits. The route took in South Nab trig and the Ethels of Britland Edge Hill, Dead Edge End, and Snailsden Pike End, all requiring careful navigation rather than visual cues. With solid ground underfoot and very few people around, the day became about precision, movement, and quiet focus, from bleak moorland to the drama of Ramsden Clough.

A fog soaked November hike in the Peak District that turned bad weather into atmosphere. I set off from Tittesworth Reservoir and climbed the Ethel Gun, then wandered across the Roaches and over to Hen Cloud. Mist hid the world and revealed the landscape in a new way. Drizzle, silence and rock shaped the day, proving that visibility may disappear, but imagination and wonder certainly do not.

A violent-wind, bright-sky day in the Peak District ticking off four new Ethels: Mt Famine, South Head, Eccles Pike and Chinley Churn. A route from Hayfield with cow stand-offs, Highland cows, an overgrown “path”, a missing trig ripped out by a farmer, and a winter-grade wind that felt more like February than late October. Finished cold, feral and satisfied. Still convinced the Peak District is my endurance training ground and still full of surprises.

Fog, sunlight, and self-belief on the Edale Skyline. 32 km of calm focus, one sandwich, and a finish I never thought possible - 6h 58 min

Whetstone Ridge, Highland cows, and a surprise COM- two Ethels, a trig, and a perfectly timed Peak District adventure before the rain.

I went to a Linkin Park concert, slept four hours, forgot my trekking poles and my jacket but still hiked 34 km in the Peak District heat without sitting down once. This final pre-Welsh 15 training hike was messy, sweaty, and wildly unplanned… but it showed me I’m ready. Sort of. Probably. Hopefully. Let’s find out.

Today was a lesson in preparation and pure joy on Derwent Edge. I set out to bag three Ethels and the Back Tor trig, and somehow fell in love with every rock on the ridge. The weather turned fast, but for once I was fully waterproofed and stayed dry the entire time. Twenty kilometres later, fuelled by a cheese sandwich in a rainy pine forest, I finished warm, happy, and proud. A perfect Welsh 15 training day.

06 June 2025 There was a time not so long ago when I’d take one look at a forecast saying “rain and thunder” and say, “Absolutely not, I’ll be inside with snacks.” But now? Now I’m lacing up for a 16 km hike in the Peak District… on purpose . Why? Because this Welsh 15 challenge I signed up for, the one happening on the 5th of July is slowly reprogramming my brain. I'm now the kind of person who chooses to hike through storms because missing a weekend of training feels illeg