White Peak Walk – July 1999

This is one Eric and I did, on behalf of a bone marrow trust. Eric has also donated his marrow on one occasion. We did prepare for six weeks or so, but not on walks of sufficient length, and we were surprised by how bad we felt at the end. The walk has no ascents to speak of and takes you through beautiful Derbyshire, skirting Bakewell on the old railway, then taking a long curve south and north west back to Monyash, before returning to a car park on the A6.

We had no problems through Rousley and Youlgreve, but the early afternoon’s session to Monyash was boring, long and tiring. Ice creams and drinks were welcome, but we had a further six miles.

I drove home, but spent the rest of the day, what was left of it, on the settee. Unusually I’d developed a blister, but I was fully kitted out and managed it very well. I’d worn a pair of Andrew’s socks and they were too rough. I completed the walk in trainers.

As with the Yorkshire 3 peaks, this walk did not have a lot of memorable events attached to it, other than the excess soreness and fatigue at the end.