Exploring the English Countryside is something that has risen higher on my to-do list each year that I age. 2024 has been a high travel year, of which I am very grateful for. This trip included a few days in the Cotswolds too, but I'll leave that for another post.
We stayed in an Airbnb in the Peak Forest, just outside of Castleton. The house was a mix of old and new, with a gorgeous fireplace and beams, contrasting the modern hall way and bathrooms. The house was located on the edge of a farm I believe, with a walking trail running along the side. This wasn't an issue throughout out stay however, and we only saw one group of walkers using the gate to get through our small car park area and back onto the main road.
The rooms all looked out onto the most beautiful sceneries of hills and grass. The garden was equally as gorgeous, with stone walls and steps leading down to the seating area, surrounded by flowers and shrubs. We visited in May and despite the windy and wet weather we had for the entire week, the house itself wasn't cold, but the fire could have been used if needed.
For the few days of ur stay, we drove down to Castleton and took on various walks.
Mam Tor was our first walk, of which we started at the Castleton Visitor's car park. We realised we could have parked at the bottom of the mount, walked up the oath and eventually landed at Mam Tor. However, we started far further back than needed (novices!), walked past Speedwell Caven, ignored the sensible path, hiked up the very vertical incline and along the top and down and round to where Mam Tor actually starts.
Whilst again, the weather wasn't great, the views were stunning from the top and it was definitely a personal success to add to the list.
The cave walk however was far less of a success. The entire walk was slowly uphill, which I found worse than a climb? We didn't see a single cave, and for the end leg, the directions given were very wrong, and we ended up almost walking back the way we came before taking a chance on a gate, just for it to be the right way (although completely full of angry looking sheep). From a city girl who is dipping her toes into the country life, research and plot your route before you go, and have a back up map.
The above makes me smile even writing it. Even though the weather wasn't great and the caves were hidden, the trip was very much a needed reset, and I can't wait to explore more of the Peak District in the future.
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