The mizzling mists of Moneyash, a bite of Bakewell tart and a snooze at the YHA …. good grief…

A wretched winter for walking so far, an adventure to the Peaks might satiate the needs of my ever greedy legs, so in spite of a forecast not to die for off we set. The silver steed once more into the breach for a swift 200 miles or so up to the YHA at Youlgreave.

Youth Hostel what were we thinking, £35.00 for three nights including my grub I know I was thinking crikey that’s cheap.

The sun is there but the mud is winning.

Glorious early morning mist above Youlgreave

Friday saw a morning full of mist and mood, a muddy stumble across the snowy dales with half the paths now rivers a walk that we would all remember.  Tough country attire would have done the trick, not for the flimsy modern tech fabrics, a good ole’ Harris Tweed jacket and some clunky wellie boots were the order of the day.  (We all had flimsy tech….ooops).

The footpath, now a river, forget the Goretex boots only Hunters would do…

This is a great area – just as you give in to the rain the sun makes a dash for the high sky and even tea shops seem to serve a pint, the Old Smithy at Monyash and their Derby oatcakes one of the best examples.  Delicious.  The multitude of river bank walks serve to highlight the industry of our Victorian forebears their water management evident across the entrances to the various mines that lined our path.

A “listening tree” strange little earlike fungus – is it “Jew’s Ear”?.

Back to Youlgreave for a pint at the Bull, luckily we were just in time for the weekly folk music gathering?  If I were bold I would question the gene pool of the locals, a strange crowd indeed with the recorders out, the harmonicas drawn, the catterwalling began, with a grimace here and a gurn there it was very much time to leave.  No worries Youlgreave has three pubs, off to the Farmyard Inn we went.

Escape from the Bull’s Head complete we had a glorious day in the mud of the dales

Mist in the valleys around Youlgreave

A few days in the Peaks, very easy drive up from London, great hospitality, walks that are easy to navigate, amazing Victorian infrastructure to support past mining needs.  If all else fails you can nip across to Bakewell for a tart or to Chatsworth to visit the home of the Duke of Devonshire and his Mitford sister wife.

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