Peaky blinder
A BRIEF WINDOW BETWEEN VIRUS LOCKDOWNS SEES JASON BEATTIE CATCH THE WALKING BUG AGAIN
PLEASE don’t all shout at once when you read what I am about to say. Until last October, I had never been to the Peak District. This omission is all the more shameful from someone who is seriously into their walking.
In my 50-odd years I have covered most of the South West Coast Path, strode along Hadrian’s Wall (beautiful scenery but some of the brickwork needs looking at), wandered lonely around the Lakes and ambled across the Yorkshire Dales as well.
For some reason or another the Peaks never got a peek.
Covid provided the opportunity to put this right and it may end up being one of the few decent, positive things to have come out of the whole, hideous pandemic.
In a brief window between lockdowns when it was still permissible to travel more than 50 yards from your doorstep, my wife Lucy and I set off to Derbyshire. We chose to base ourselves in the Sheep Shack, a small farm house just outside the village of Hayfield. The location was decided by the walk – our accommodation was right on the path of the Kinder Scout mass trespass. In 1932, hundreds of ramblers committed one of the most worthwhile acts of civil disobedience ever seen in this country when they defied the bailiffs to walk on private land up to the top of the Kinder Scout.
Thanks to them, the idea of a right to roam was established, paving the way, literally, for the creation of the long distance trails such as the Pennine Way and the National Parks Act. It also meant that generations can now wheeze their way up the William
Clough path, admire the views from the top of the hills and picnic by the Kinder waterfall.
It was very busy the day we went but this is perhaps the one walk in the United Kingdom where you don’t want peace and quiet.
The large number of people was a vindication of those who broke the law, including six who were jailed, nearly 90 years ago. Walking the route was clearly not a sufficient
way of saying thank you. So we headed to one of the many pubs in Hayfield to toast the trespassers with a pint, or two. If you are looking for somewhere to eat, then the Pack Horse Inn is an excellent gastro pub. For a quick bite there was the Marmalade Coffee Shop and the Rosie Lee café which, as the name suggests, also does a pretty decent cup of tea.
As a Peak District newcomer I quickly learned the area is divided into the Dark Peak, characterised by Wuthering Heights-style rugged landscape, and the White Peak, which has softer, more rolling hills. To be honest, they are both stunning in their own way.
We were fortunate to be there just as the trees were moving into their full autumnal splendour of russet, gold and copper-brown leaves.
In the spirit of matrimonial happiness we divided our time
between walking up very steep hills, which I particularly like, and visiting country houses and tea shops, which Mrs B likes.
One day we went up Mam Tor, another Peak classic, and the next we wandered around the splendid Chatsworth House. Chatsworth is blessed with amazing gardens, fantastic interiors and possibly the world’s most expensive farm shop. We were very impressed by the smartly dressed attendants inside the house who were welcoming and extremely knowledgeable on the paintings and antiques on display. There was no need to buy a guidebook as they could answer any question you threw at them. After an hour admiring the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s taste in decor we wandered very happily in the autumn sunshine around their garden (chatsworth.org, house currently closed, gardens £10). The next day took us to Edale which sits at the end (or the beginning, depending on where you start) of the Pennine Way.
Edale is on the Manchester to Sheffield train line, making it accessible to those without a car. As a further inducement to visit one of the Peak’s prettiest villages, the cafe we visited did a particularly good lemon drizzle cake. A short drive to Edale takes you to
Castleton, another attractive village that boasts a fine Norman castle and a number of caves open to the public, including one called the Devil’s A**e. Did I mention Castleton also has a fine selection of tea shops? By the end of our week the cake and hill climbing had just about cancelled themselves out.
You can stop shouting at me now. I’ve been to the Peaks and, if you have been as foolish as me in ignoring one of the most beautiful and friendly places in Britain, I recommend you put it right whenever you get the chance.