A dry day in Hope Valley: Mam Tor hike report

On Easter Sunday, we went for a hike in the Peak District, a quick 40 min train ride east of Manchester.  Fitted out in our hiking boots* and matching vintage Penn School of Medicine fleece jackets, we got to the train station in time for the first train of the day (holiday schedule, 9:20 AM).  A block before the station we spied another couple in rugged boots and outdoor gear, and by the time we got to the platform there was a crowd of 40 or so hikers: young and old, in flimsy sneakers and in heavy, mud caked boots and gaiters.  I felt a bit of the tribe-gathering thrill I get when I board Septa to go to a Phillies game or see other people with poster tubes when I fly to a big conference.

We detrained at Hope and set off for Castleton.  Our goal for the day: hike a 6 mile loop around the head of the Hope Valley, including Lose Hill, Back Tor, Mam Tor and Peveril Castle at the end, then a hearty dinner of cliche English food in a touristy pub.  My mouth was already watering thinking about fish and chips.  We walked along the main road from Hope to Castleton, which was okay, but the cars whizzing past detracted from the experience.  Later we discovered that there's a public footpath through farmland that we could have taken instead.  Lesson: consult the Ordnance Survey map closely first!

In Castleton.

It's spring, which means Lambing Season, of course.  There were loads of adorable lambs snoozing, eating, nursing and gambolling.

About half way up Lose Hill (yes, there is a Win Hill nearby!)  Check out those sunbeams!

We finally got to the top of Lose Hill, our first climb of the day, which felt like the hardest.  The climb was warm and mild, but when we got to the top we felt the cold, steady wind that seems to blow across the moors perpetually.  Behind me you can see the path leading to Back Tor, with Mam Tor in the distance.

On the Posing Stone on Back Tor, where people have taken triumphant hike photos since neolithic times.

Descending Back Tor.

Laurel: "That horse is so emo!"

Great photo, Laurel!  This was taken somewhere after Mam Tor.  We ate our snacks and took a short, pleasant nap on the hillside, but didn't take any notable pictures.

We returned to Castleton around 4:00 pm and paid the steep (pun intended) £4.80 admission to climb up to Peveril Castle.  A bit of background here: there is a pub in Manchester called Peveril of the Peaks, named after the Walter Scott novel, in turn named after this castle.  The pub has a beautiful yellow and chartreuse tile exterior, and has been one of my favorite Manchester sights since my first visit here in 2012.  We couldn't pass up an opportunity to see the original.

At 5:00 we decided to skip the pub dinner in the country and head straight back to town instead.  We thought we had more than enough time to walk back to Hope Station for the 5:41 train.  We took the public footpath back.  Around 5:35, we were close to the station, but not quite there yet and got nervous.  We started walking fast, then ran, just to see the train pull away from the station at 5:39. It was early, we were late!  2 hours until the next train!  We were very tired at this point, and didn't really feel like walking back to town for the dinner we'd earlier decided we didn't want.  But 2 hours of sitting still seemed like a bad choice.  So we walked back to town, skipped the Hope Valley Beer Festival and the local pub (reeking of cigarette smoke) and picked up supplies for a picnic at a micro Spar.  I talked Laurel into taking the scenic route back to the station (a series of public access footpaths I found on the trusty Ordnance Survey map) which turned out to be fantastic.  The sun was setting behind a cloudbank, we were away from the noise and smog of the road and the other tourists that crowd Mam Tor and Castleton.  Just birds, stream burbling, and sheep, including these little guys:

That first tangerine of our picnic dinner was, naturally, the most delicious thing I've ever eaten.  Nothing beats hike food.  We stuffed ourselves on bread, salami, a local brand of cottage cheese with chives, olives, crisps, grapes and tangerines.  Hopped on the 7:41 train exhausted and happy.



*Thanks to Dave and Kacy for Ed's boots!