Edale

The night of Halloween was the start date for the most recent GWC trip in the Peak District. The Bunkhouses at Thorpe Farm near Hathersage were our home for the weekend, as they had been the previous year and fortunately or unfortunately, depending on one’s love of the supernatural, it was a ghoul free weekend but not a cagoule free weekend!

This was my first GWC event (but not my first with GUCH) and I had been keenly anticipating testing myself against some seasoned walkers, however, my amateur status as a GWC novice was soon exposed as I had to borrow a spare pair of Vicki’s over-trousers for the walk on Saturday!

Paul, Charlie, Mike and Vicki had arrived earlier and had been able to go on a scouting mission the day before to Stanage Edge, an en route beauty spot on shining sun and some incredible views that provided them with some fantastic pictures. The rest of us the following day, however, were treated to a blizzard!

This I personally loved (thanks once again to Vicki – lifesaver!) but being someone that laments the overreaction we tend to get in this country to a quarter of an inch of snow, the need to turn back and return to base camp was still very apparent! This was quite a shame, not least because the short and long walk around Stanage Edge and back was our main walk but because Paul’s fibrous bean surprise from the previous night had provided us all with plenty of energy!

Not all was lost though. We did get to Stanage Edge where we just about managed a group photo before the blizzard besieged us and we were able to have a go at putting up the safety tent. Little did we know at the time that, as well as being a good laugh, the safety training somewhat foreshadowed the weather to come!

Being in the Peak District meant that there were plenty of less hostile places to go walking so instead we went for a pleasant walk around the grounds of Chatsworth House. In the evening we warmed up at the Edale Bonfire show and enjoyed some delicious burgers as well as the fireworks of course! So despite the weather, we still had an eventful and enjoyable day but it wasn’t quite over after the fireworks. Once back at the bunkhouse, we soon realised that the heating wasn’t working and it was not a warm nightI assure you! Thankfully we soon warmed up though and it did provide us with plenty to laugh about as we sat around looking like Michelin Men in our 5 layers!

On the Sunday we went for a final walk around Hathersage during which we walked by the local church where we saw Little John’s ‘grave’ – the closest we came to anything remotely spooky on the weekend of Halloween! So, a cold but fun weekend it was. All that was left was to grab some grub before it was time for some au-revoirs but not goodbyes.