A Mad idea Is Born

This weekend I did something crazy. With the day free on Friday and the forecast of snow in the northern hills, I decided what better than complete a three hundred mile return trip to The Peak District in all in the name of winter fun. If it wasn’t going to snow down south, then I’d go searching for snow in The Peak District.

Until the night before, I had no plans at all of doing this. Originally I was set to head off to Wales with a mate, but he had to pull out. I had then made plans with my girlfriend Louise to head up to The Lake District over the weekend to enjoy the amazing views and get some quality walking in. A dose of twelve hour night shifts at the hospital ended any hopes of doing this for her. I had been looking forward to heading off into the hills and the thought of being stuck at home didn’t fill me with much excitement. I had to do something.

Most of Thursday evening was spent with me procrastinating about what to do on the Friday as I had the day off work and wanted to make full use of it. Should I head to my local woods and make a day of it? How about polishing off the cobwebs on the bike and hitting the lanes of North Hertfordshire? They were good, but I just couldn’t rid the thought of winter scenes and the crunch of fresh snowfall from my mind. I had also just received a new Google Pixel 6 phone and wanted to test out the amazing camera in a beautiful place. Searching for snow in The Peak District and capturing this on camera would be perfect.

It wasn’t until late in the evening that I decided the The Peak District would be my best bet. I know the area well as my mate Tom lives locally and we’ve explored much of it by bike over the years. It is also probably the closest area of decent hills to me in Hertfordshire and Met Office forecasts showed that high ground in the area would be receiving a healthy dump of snow. Perfect in my eyes.

The Journey North

By 8.30 am I was off and heading up the M1. I was filled with anticipation and excitement about what was to come, but also questioned my sanity and why on Earth I was doing this to myself. Many people would happily put their feet up and relax at home on their day off. At just before ten, I pulled in to the gateway of the north- Watford Gap services. Whether this is in fact anywhere near the north I shall leave you to decide. I then decided to give Tom a call just on the off chance that he might be free. Being a pilot, he travels to all sorts of exotic and non-exotic locations and there was every much chance of him being in New York as Poynton.

I’m glad I called. Tom was free and despite rightfully thinking I was out of my mind, agreed to meet me. The rest of the journey just got more and more fun. As I started to climb out of Chesterfield, so the rain showers turned to snow. Green fields turned white and thankfully the road was gritted and clear. It had been nearly a whole year since I’d last seen falling snow and it was such fun driving in it. I was even more excited about the prospect of walking in it.

After meeting Tom just outside town, he suggested we head to Castleton. It was good thinking on his behalf as the town is linked by main roads and would be much easier to exit than the place I’d originally planned to visit. We arrived without incident and parked just below the beginning of the stunning Winnat’s Pass. The last time I visited this stretch of tarmac was about three years before with Tom. We had cycled over from his house and proceeded to get blown off our bikes trying to grind out way up the savage 20% gradient of the pass.

A Winter Walk To Remember

From our parking spot, we loaded up our bags, got kitted up and headed off road. There was a good amount of snow on the ground even in the valley we were parked in and it just got deeper the higher we climbed. Tom knew exactly where we were going as he’d done the walk many times, so I was able to fully enjoy where I was without worrying about getting lost. We were aiming for a ridge a fair way above us, which would eventually lead to the summit of Mam Tor. At 517 metres, it’s no monster, but would still offer some amazing views if the skies cleared.

It wasn’t a particularly long walk, but was hard going with deep powder and at times boggy ground beneath the snow. Despite being a winter wonderland, we weren’t in the grips of a Beast From The East. The previous few weeks had been pretty wet and mild with very little snow at all and so the ground hadn’t had a chance to freeze solid. At least this was the case on the lower ground.

Eventually we made it up onto the ridge and it was here that conditions suddenly changed. The hill side, which had been sheltering us from the wind, had leveled and we were exposed. A frigid cross wind attacked us with horizontal snow for good measure. The ground was also now solidly frozen and very slippery in places. We were now in the grips of proper winter conditions and it was epic. I couldn’t help but note though how suddenly the conditions had changed and now understood how easy it was to get caught out in the hills during winter. Fortunately there were others around, walking this well-known route too. We also had a quick way down from the high ground if needed.

As we climbed towards the summit and we thoroughly enjoyed the wild conditions were were now experiencing, I took note of how well all of my equipment was doing. This was the first real test of winter conditions they’d had and they were coping brilliantly. I was most impressed with my budget winter gloves from Decathlon and waterproof trousers from Go Outdoors. All key parts of my body were warm and dry.

Proper Winter Conditions Up High

Soon we made it to the summit and tried to take some video footage. This proved a pretty pointless idea as all that could be heard were the gale force winds blasting my phone. The snow was now coming down heavily and the views in all direction had disappeared. It wasn’t quite white-out conditions, but we weren’t too far off. We had planned to stop for coffee and cake at the top, but decided against this and instead started making the journey back down. It was slippery in places, but my Vango walking pole proved again how useful it was. I was able to steady myself and take less strain off of my knees. Tom on the other hand just let gravity take it’s course as he flew down the hill almost as quickly as he does on a bike.

The rest of the walk back was absolutely stunning. There was at least five inches of snow on the ground and it continued to fall heavily around us. I had to keep pinching myself as I confirmed to myself how this journey had been more than worth it. Not a flake was to fall back home and there is a good chance none will fall during this entire winter. I don’t care now. Even for a snow lover like me, this would be hard to beat. Tom though was the voice of reason as I kept stopping to take photos and film. He was aware of how much conditions had deteriorated and reminded me how we both had to get home in one piece.

A Pint Is Earned

We took the most direct route back, but it still allowed us to enjoy Winnat’s Pass in all its beauty. It is stunning any time of the year, but the thick snow covering its many crags just took it to another level. Without sounding cheesy, I won’t forget it for a very long time such was its beauty. Thankfully the snow had eased off by the time we got back to the car and was nowhere near as deep. Because of this, we decided to reward ourselves with a pint of ale each in the local pub. Never has a beer gone down so well. It was the proper winter dream as we sat by an open fire while watching the snow fall outside. Tom also got the chance to dry off his trousers, which were saturated with now melted snow. I think he’ll be investing in a better pair very soon.

By just after four we said goodbye and headed off in different directions. Tom only had a short drive, but I was faced with another three hour jaunt back down south. I wasn’t too worried about conditions as I’d be using a main route across the hills back to Chesterfield. Unfortunately, the road conditions had changed, especially on the two high spots, where it was very slow going indeed. It was all fine in the end though as I made it home just after eight.

It’s hard to believe that in the space of twelve hours I managed to experience what I did. I am aware that I took a risk driving into winter conditions. The long drive also isn’t the best thing to do when thinking about environmental impact. It’s not something I do regularly though, especially just in a day. I am still so pleased I did it and feel I’ve learned a lot in the process. Here are the main takeaway points:

1. Sometimes spontaneity is a good thing. I usually plan trips in great detail and in advance. This was done at very short notice, but made it all the more special because of this.
2. Our country is small and so many beautiful places are relatively close by.It’s amazing what can be done in a day.
3. Respect winter conditions and plan accordingly for them.
4. You don’t have to spend a fortune to have proper winter kit. Many cheaper items do the job very well.
5. A pint by a roaring fire is a great way to end a five mile hike in the hills during winter.