Youlgreave Weekend 27-29 Jan
What turned out to be a wonderful weekend away with good company, good weather and good walks started off for most people with a long and difficult journey due to snow and traffic.Saturday began dry & clear and after sharing the members' kitchen for breakfast and packed lunch making, 25 people set off walking from the hostel along Bradford Dale to Stanton in the Peak, onto Stanton Moor for coffee with 9 ladies( a stone circle), then following the edge path past the Earl Grey Tower and then the Cork Stone ( conquered by Campbell). We had a picnic lunch / pub stop at the Red Lion in Birchover. The next landmark was Robin Hood's Stride, then returned to Youlgreave via the Limestone Way. 8 miles approx.
As we were booked in at the hostel
on a self catering basis most of us dined at the Farmyard Inn and a
sociable evening was had by all.
Sunday's
weather was cold but fine. There were 2 walks on offer today. A longer
one via Bradford Dale, across the fields to One Ash Grange Farm
complete with monk! Across more fields and tracks past 'Icky Picky'
Lane into Monyash. Other people out for the day were driving the roads
on classic motorbikes and cars.
We returned to Youlgreave following the River Lathkill
from it's source which was in full flow (a first time seen for me). We
finished our walk in the daylight and just as the rain started to fall.
The shorter walk also started from
the hostel and followed Bradford Dale towards Middleton in Youlgreave
and then walked a circuit back to the hostel by early afternoon.
The journey home for us took half the time it took on Friday. GREAT!
Friends
were able to join us on walks who lived locally, members from London
made the long journey, members new to hostelling stayed with us as well
as 2 families. All in all an excellent weekend break in the beautiful
Derbyshire Dales. We can thoroughly recommend Youlgreave Youth Hostel
as an excellent place to stay.
Pam
