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On Saturday 29th April eight intrepid ramblers (3 men and 5 ladies) met at Ravenstor Youth Hostel
for a three-day walking extravaganza in Derbyshire. We were pleased to welcome a new member,
Caroline, who wanted some practice for a sponsored walk in the Himalaya; Mum having volunteered
her for the weekend. The convoluted plan was to leave our luggage at the Youth Hostel, drive to
Hartington, where our cars would be left, then walk back to the Youth Hostel. The walk started as
all good walks should with a refreshment break in the local teashop. Suitably revitalized we
started the walk in earnest, taking in The High Peak Trail, lunch at Flagg (pub shut), on to
Chelmarton where the pub beckoned. Continuing on we stopped for the afternoon break overlooking
the Youth Hostel. The view was superb and enhanced by the fact that the Cobblers had won their
match; celebrations all round!! Ravenstor Youth Hostel was excellent and our stay was on a B&B
basis. That evening we ate out at the local pub, a ten minute walk away.
Next day we set off for Monsal Head with excellent views, the beautiful village of
Ashford-in-the-Water, Sheldon, Monyash and a superb section of the Limestone Way into Youlgreave.
The Hostel was a converted Co-operative store and the rooms were labelled accordingly. The men
wanted to stay in the room labelled Ladies' Underwear but ended up in Haberdashery. Again we
partook of our dejeuner at the local pub, which served more than adequate portions.
The final day we set off along the picturesque Bradford River, from Pikehall to Biggin, where we
stopped for lunch at the local. It was most welcome as the morning weather was inclement, showers
combined with a biting wind. We stayed long enough for the weather to improve then set off down
Biggin Dale to meet the River Dove. This part of the Dove Valley was less frequented than the more
popular section further down river and was equally as scenic. From here we returned to Hartington
and ended the walk as we began - in the same tea shop.
The whole weekend was super, excellent walking, good food and convivial company and thanks go
out to Chris and Gill Eilbeck for the arrangements. We completed about 43 miles. Congratulations
to Caroline for completing her first hill walking holiday; she did exceptionally well.
Allan Davies
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