The Cloud, in a cloud, with Rach

And here we are again, another hill! We picked a bad day today in terms of hoping for a view. All the books say that The Cloud (343m) has fantastic views. I'm sure that's true, but from our perspective, once you've seen the inside of a cloud, the view doesn't really change much...

The Cloud can be found in Cheshire, just outside the Peak District, and can be seen from all around. The views (on a clear day) take in much of the Cheshire Plain. The walk was good. Starting from the picnic area at Timbersbrook you can follow the Gritstone Trail up the hill. The Staffordshire Way also seems to make it up here (obviously having lost it's way and ended up in Cheshire...) The trail is easy to follow and the walking straighforward, even if it's all up hill! The steepest section is up some steps climbing out of Timbersbrook, with easier walking once you reach the National Trust area of The Cloud itself. Again, Monty had a great time, as did we all walking up alongside the trees with (presumably) a drop and a view to our left. There are some rocks near the summit that were good for a bit of clambering over, and then a nice walk back down through the treees. The wood was great in the mist - very eerie, with echoes that you wouldn't normally expect to hear.

Despite the mist and lack of views, we had a great time as a family. I asked Bethan for a quote about today. She says "A very nice walk at The Cloud, but a bit muddy! I liked eating the Minstrels at the top! Yummy!"

We'd taken some snacks with us, but once back at the car we set off to find a pub for a late lunch. We ended up at the Cat and Fiddle (2nd time for me this week!) and enjoyed a good mid-afternon lunch before driving home.

So, that's 8 hills down, and I've enjoyed every one so far. The exercise, the company, the great outdoors have all been good. I feel like I'm getting back on track with the challenge, and looking forward to a few more hills over the next few weeks, with Mam Tor, Shuttlingsloe and 'Ringing Roger' all being considered! I'm planning to post more photos on my facebook page, and maybe some on Flickr.

See you after the next hill!

Shining Tor with Nick in the snow...

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 your 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!