Attendees: Sarah, Andy D, Dan S, Nick “Hero” Piper, Maggie, Tricia, Mark, Alan “last minute” Tinkler
Worse than usual Friday night traffic to arrive at the large Castleton Youth Hostel that is Losehill Hall. Brief discussion of routes revealed 2 different priories for Saturday: to watch the Rugby or not.
After agreeing an RV on the North west of Kinder Scout, I went from the Hostel as shown on the route below, everyone else driving to Snake Inn. Weather couldn’t have been better – if anything it was too warm. Clear skies and easy navigation. I didn’t get as far as the RV as no-one I met had seen 6 walkers, so I headed East along the edge of the Kinder plateau, which according to the map was named “The Edge”. Eventually found Maggie, Alan and Sarah, who said Dan, Nick and Andy had “buggered off to find the summit of Kinder Scout”. When I left Alan was adamant he’d be down 15 minutes before kick off.
I headed down to Snake Inn and met Tricia around 2pm. Bad news: no TV in the pub, which left 2 problems: Where to watch the Rugby? And how to get Alan & Nick there in time?
We came up with a pub and a plan. It was down to the wire, but Alan and Nick were determined, and running parts of the Pennine Way, they missed only 30 seconds of the game.
The rest of the crew completed the route back to Snake Inn, the last 45 minutes in the dark.
On return to the Hostel, Sarah and her sous chef squad zealously started on the food preparation – pumpkin soup, lasagne, apple pie – all prepared from scratch in record time, and all excellent. Fancy dress murder mystery evening told us what we already knew: Maggie did it. Great fun, and am sure pictures will appear shortly.
Sunday was another warm, cloudless, summer day on the hills, with a gently paced walk over Lose Hill and Mam Tor to the Blue John Caves. We stopped to watch the rare and spectacular sight of a double-headed steam train go past down in the valley below. Nick re-united a mobile phone with its distraught teenage owner. Much fine conversation – ask Andy what women inject in their bottoms to make them bigger. Some of us went down into the caves; others had ice cream; some did both. Back to the Hostel and a race back to Bakewell to buy tarts before the shops shut.
Thanks to Sarah for organizing such fantastic weather, and such a memorable trip.
Mark.
Mark’s route
