Last weekend I spent four days in The Peak District with a group of friends to celebrate my husbands 40th birthday. He is not one for parties and so some time out and a mini adventure seemed a much better option.
He thought it was just us and the dog so it came as a total surprise as his closest friends started to turn up.
We had hired the Farmhouse at Benty Grange through Peak Venues and it was absolutely perfect. There were twelve of us (six couples) and this property had six double bedrooms all with their own en suites. Real log fire, fresh eggs put out daily to purchase at the end of the driveway, sheep in the adjoining field, and enough of everything in the house for a small army – you name it they had it.
Originally there was mountain biking on the agenda but as the snow in Monyash covered everything we figured this was probably not the smartest idea so instead we decided the weekend would mostly consist of hiking and eating. The two go hand in hand right?
The first day saw us head to Mam Tor, translated as Mother Hill, for our first hike. It was a clear day and that meant the views were amazing. There were several falls, one of us nearly taken out by a child on a sled and a wrong turn that took us up the steepest side of the climb, which I admit I was worried I was literally going to slide straight back down again.
The second day saw us head to the Monsal Trail. the snow was started to melt but there were still very snowy and icy patches as we progressed. This was a much easier hike than the day before but on each day the dogs were in their element bounding up and down from the front to the back of the group. We started and finished in Bakewell, famous for their tarts so it would have been rude not to purchase some to take back to the farmhouse.
The property we were staying in also had a number of books which listed all the local walks and things to do in the Peak District and we didn’t even come close to seeing a fraction. Which means just one thing – more trips there are needed!
Now hiking was new for me. As a child I would holiday with my grandparents every year and always in the UK and walking was a part of our daily routine but aside from hiking most of Beachy Head Marathon I can’t say I have ever been on an actual hike until now. It will compliment my training and actually form part of my husbands as he is doing the Marathon de Sables half in September so I am keen to get more of this done.
In terms of kit I had no idea where to start. There seemed to be so much out there and if I had the budget could end up spending a small fortune. Luckily I had the help of Decathlon, who are a favourite of mine and whatever I need I know I can pretty much always get it in there and this was the same for the hiking. Everything I am wearing in the pic below is from Decathlon.
When I say everything I literally mean everything! Here is a list:
- Breathable underwear
- Base layer
- Thermal trousers – these were the best
- Jacket – waterproof, which came in handy in the snow!
- Hiking boots – so comfortable and not once were my feet cold
- Gloves
- Hat
- Hiking socks
So what did I think of the kit? Amazing! I had used the boots previously a few times and they are so comfortable and no need to wear in at all. You can work up quite a sweat whilst hiking and at some points it was really quite windy but everything I wore was just amazing. Not a single thing on the list I would change for my next adventure.
Where to go next?
I was gifted the kit, but all opinions are my own.
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