Right. So, first of all, I know it's been a while. A combination of swine flu, a wedding, Christmas and the weather has kept me away from the hills for far longer than I would have liked. I'm a little behind schedule, but planning to crack on now!Bearing all that in mind, I was delighted when Nick found himself with a day off that coincided with mine. We decided to head for Shining Tor, which is in the Cheshire part of the Peak District. It was only our wives who then pointed out that 'there's still snow up there', and that 'Sally Traffic said the road was closed!' We decided to press on regardless, deciding that if it really was that bad, we could always find a cosy pub for for lunch...
As I mentioned, Shining Tor is in the Peak District, right on the border between Cheshire and Derbyshire. We had planned a decent enough walk starting from the Cat and Fiddle pub, but on arrival at the pub, it became evident that Rachael and Andrea knew what they were talking about. The road wasn't closed, but the walking was much more challenging than we had anticipated. I've never really walked in snow quite like it. One moment you are happily walking along on impacted snow, then next you have lost your foot down to y
our knee in the snow! Our efforts were compounded by Nick trying to get his phone to work in order to take an important call. As I pointed out to him at the time - "Edmond Hilary didn't have to put up with this" (the phone calls - not the snow!!) Suffice to say, Monty loved the snow, and spent a lot of the time running around madly. He's particularly fond of chasing after (and then eating) snowballs! We decided to walk directly up to the summit, rather than walking down into the Goyt Valley which had been our intention. The summit is at 559m elevation, and I'm sure the views are great on a clear day. Our walk was great fun, but the views were not the best! In the end, we just walked up to the top, along the ridge for a few minutes, then retraced our steps. Even so, we were out for a couple of hours and felt we had earned our lunch at the pub. We both enjoyed the food, washed down with Mr Scrooge ale.
our knee in the snow! Our efforts were compounded by Nick trying to get his phone to work in order to take an important call. As I pointed out to him at the time - "Edmond Hilary didn't have to put up with this" (the phone calls - not the snow!!) Suffice to say, Monty loved the snow, and spent a lot of the time running around madly. He's particularly fond of chasing after (and then eating) snowballs! We decided to walk directly up to the summit, rather than walking down into the Goyt Valley which had been our intention. The summit is at 559m elevation, and I'm sure the views are great on a clear day. Our walk was great fun, but the views were not the best! In the end, we just walked up to the top, along the ridge for a few minutes, then retraced our steps. Even so, we were out for a couple of hours and felt we had earned our lunch at the pub. We both enjoyed the food, washed down with Mr Scrooge ale. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 
It was great to get out, and the snow was a bonus rather than a hindrance. So, we didn't end up walking quite as far, but it's not all about kilometers walked, or meters climbed is it? Spending time with a friend and having fun in the snow? Much more important!
It was great to get out, and the snow was a bonus rather than a hindrance. So, we didn't end up walking quite as far, but it's not all about kilometers walked, or meters climbed is it? Spending time with a friend and having fun in the snow? Much more important!
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