MADELEINE HOWELL WALKS THE OLD STONES WAY IN THE PEAKS

An icy, peaty stream cools my blistered feet as I survey the mysterious prehistoric fortresses of Carl Wark and Higger Tor, having clambered down from the weather-worn rock formations moments before. The night before my meander in search of meaning among these forgotten relics of paganism, there was a severe weather warning with thunderstorms expected here on the Dark Peak (the higher, wilder, northerly edge of the Peak District).

Thankfully, tentative rays of sun illuminate the lilac heather, soon to turn into a glorious carpet of dark pinky-purple buds. I had risen with the sun in order to reach Hathersage Moor before the lightning – just as I imagine my ancestors might have naturally done as they rose to defend the hill forts or to observe the solstice.

These landmarks harbour a decidedly spooky aura, and are the starting point for The British Pilgrimage Trust’s

Old Stones Way. Their secrets can only be imagined; excavations have been inconclusive. There’s debate as to whether the cairns were built as a place of ritual and burial, and whether or not they were the site of battle in the Dark Ages.

In any case, they make for a mightily scenic walk, as long as you don’t mind a bit of scrambling. Two or three families with young children scamper around; one couple are here on their inaugural walk having chosen hiking as a hobby, now their children have left home. Other than them, it is quiet.

I should spend more time out in the open like this: human, exposed to the elements and traversing terrain slowly, on two feet. That said, after my paddle, the nearby Fox House pub and lodgings (the beer garden boasts a fantastic view of Carl Wark) beckons with refreshments to slake my thirst in its cosy interior.

The cooling stream – a tributary of Burbage Brook – leads to Yarncliff Wood and Grindleford, and the suggested 38-mile route continues past Chatsworth House and the Nine Ladies, an equally mysterious circle of stones, eventually winding up at Minninglow after three or four days. I’m confident I could find my way, because I downloaded an offline map via a GPX file the British Pilgrimage Trust provides – and can access it via the Guru Maps app even with no Wi-Fi or data.

I pick a spray of mauve heather to take home. There’s no doubt that choosing a special location such as this to visit ascribes more meaning to the exercise of going for a walk in nature; the experience will linger in my memory long after my souvenir dries out.

The full Old Stones Way from the Dark Peak to the White Peak is 38 miles. A shorter section starts at Over Haddon (DE45 1JE) and follows Lathkill Dale, a hidden limestone valley, to Youlgreave