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THE PEAK DISTRICT BOUNDARY WALK – report by Hilary Kendall Whilst out walking in the Peak District most of us will have noticed these discs attached to stiles and signposts. They are the waymarks for the Peak District Boundary Walk, a circular walk of around 190 miles which keeps as close as possible to the edges of the National Park. It was devised by the Friends of the Peak District and officially inaugurated on June 17, 2017. There is a guidebook describing the route which for convenience has been split into 20 stages averaging about 10 miles per stage and the route description starts from Buxton. Before the official Grand Opening the Friends of the Peak District advertised for volunteers to walk a stage of the route on the inauguration day with the intention that the entire route would be walked on that day! Ray and I received an email from Marple District Rambling Club informing us that MDRC had volunteered to walk Stage 19, the penultimate stage from Bollington to Whaley Bridge. We asked for our names to be added to the list of walkers but later found that only one other person had responded! However, he brought along a friend so on a glorious hot day the four of us were waved off by the wife of the licensee of the Spinner’s Arms in Bollington at 10.00am and welcomed to Whaley Bridge at the Goyt Inn at 3.00pm by one of the local councillors. The entire route can be walked as a long distance challenge walk with overnight stops (Contours Walking Holidays can arrange packages of 10, 12 or 15 days of walking) or one can pick and select individual stages as required. Ray and I have just finished walking it stage by stage but mainly trying to keep to the correct order. In 2017 we walked Stages 19&20, in 2018 Stages 1&2 but this year we became seriously “hooked” and have completed the remaining 16 stages in the past 3 months . (Walking it this way had the big advantage of choosing to walk on days when the weather forecast was good!) The logistics of planning the walk were probably more challenging than the walk itself as the beginning and end of very few sections can be connected by public transport. We managed to walk the entire route without any third party back-up. 16 sections were completed entirely by public transport. We used a car to drive to the end points of three sections and then used either Derbyshire or Moorlands Connect to take us to the beginning of these sections. We could not have finished the route without these brilliant bus companies which provide pre- bookable transport to and from places where no regular public transport is available. On the remaining section Derbyshire Connect collected us from a completely inaccessible place and transported us to somewhere from where we could get public transport back to our car. We also had a couple of overnight stops (between Stages 7 & 8 and between Stages 10 & 11). Although the route is officially 189 miles, by the time we had added on distances to and from buses, trains and accommodation, we had clocked up 233 miles. Whilst most of us associate the Peak District with Derbyshire, much of the route is in Cheshire, Staffordshire, Yorkshire and even Greater Manchester as well as Derbyshire, with all areas having their own characteristics. I have been amazed by the diversity of scenery; exposed moorland, woodland paths, dramatic edges, cloughs, lakes &reservoirs, beautiful dales and pastures. Each day of walking is different and within each stage there is varied terrain. Although I have walked regularly in the Peak District for about 40 years I found beautiful paths I had never walked before and others that I had rarely walked. There is a good mix of the familiar and the unknown. This is a walk I can thoroughly recommend. A Friendly Local Walking Group for 50 years Affiliated to H F Holidays The Ramblers Association Peak & Northern Footpaths Society Bullock Smithy Hike, September 2019, by Stephen Hyslop Last year I rered from this event at Edale, aer a tough 18 miles and six and a half hours of walking. I was exhausted, and got back to Hazel Grove courtesy of Bullock Smithy transport. I benefited from this experience and have since undertaken various other challenges. The major event I completed was the Yorkshire Three Peaks a few months ago. This me round my goal was to complete the full distance, rather than worry unduly about the me limit. Using the experience gained from last year's aempt, I loaded up my bag with energy bars, protein bars and isotonic gel packs. I didn't carry any water as this was available at every checkpoint, thereby saving me a few pounds in weight. On the day, whilst waing for the start, I ate a 440 calorie fruit and oat flapjack and a good amount of strong coffee. This really gave me a good boost for the first phase. I used the en‐ ergy bars along the way and topped up with drinks and snacks at the checkpoints. I started with three other walkers. They unfortunately struggled and I had to stop frequent‐ ly for them to catch up. At the top of Cave Dale they insisted I carry on alone. That was good as the route was along easy tracks, although I was using a head torch by then. I passed several groups and I got through to Earl Sterndale alone. It was there that I joined a group of three chaps from Shropshire, for safety, as the terrain ahead was (as you may know) very tricky, especially in a limestone area. The weather was clear with a starry sky causing some frost, and the sles were Icy. The following stretch was over to Wildboar‐ clough and the checkpoint at Cumberland Coage. It was then geng lighter, and by Mac‐ clesfield Forest it was sunny and a beauful day - not hot, just fine for walking. Eventually we got to the last checkpoint all fine and connued on, looking forward to the reward of a full English breakfast at the end. Unfortunately, just a few miles from the finish one of the chaps twisted his right foot, but luckily it was only a minor twist and he was able to connue. We got lots of "well done" comments from passers by along the final mile. The finish was in sight, and Susan was poised with camera. I felt fine and fit at the end and could have gone further. But I enjoyed the warm welcome, and of course the breakfast! 3 OF 5 www.poyntonramblingclub.co.uk www.poyntonramblingclub.co.uk A Friendly Local Walking Group for 50 years Affiliated to H F Holidays The Ramblers Association, Peak & Northern Footpaths Society The National Three Peaks Challenge May 2019 A Personal Account By Malcolm Adams Not to be confused with the Yorkshire Three Peaks, this challenge com- prises Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in the Lakes, and Snowdon in Wales - all to be climbed in 24 hours! I was part of a team of seven, which included my son, and we were fortunate in having a dedicated minibus driver and re- freshment provider as part of the group. We started climbing Ben Nevis, the tallest peak in the UK, at 5.30pm on a Friday night, and completed it in 5 hours. Thankfully it was dry, although we were plagued by Scotland's infamous midges when we got down! I found that ascent and descent much tougher than I expected, and I therefore decided to sit out Scafell Pike to be in reasonable shape for Snowdon. Four younger members of the team did however manage it in less than 4 hours - starting at 4am on Saturday morning, in driving wind and rain. From there we crossed to Pen y Pass in Snowdonia, and started the ascent of Snowdon in the rain at 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon, taking the Pyg path up and the Min- ers' path down. Thankfully we didn't have to queue to stand on the summit, where it was cold, wet and windy. My son and I did Snowdon together, and supported each other to get it done (my son had also climbed Scafell Pike). We finished at 5.20pm, 15 minutes inside the 24 hour challenge, and the team kindly provided us with a glass of Cava and sausage rolls in the Pen y Pass car park! The team celebrated in the YHA hostel there, and stayed the night, be- fore parting company on Sunday morning. This was one of the toughest physical and mental challenges I have undertaken. I think my decision to omit Scafell Pike was sensible, but I was full of admiration for the four members who climbed all three peaks. From a personal perspective I took great satisfaction from having climbed Ben Nevis and Snowdon in 5 and 4 hours respectively on consecutive days. Apart from a 'lads outing' with great company and good banter, the most important part of the exercise was raising in excess of £4,000 for the charity Target Ovarian Cancer. www.poyntonramblingclub.co.uk www.poyntonramblingclub.co.uk A Friendly Local Walking Group for 50 years Affiliated to H F Holidays The Ramblers Association Peak & Northern Footpaths Society Pembrokeshire Coast Path May 2019 A Personal Account By Malcolm Adams I completed this 186 mile long distance path in May, over a two week period, with a rest day in St David's, the smallest city in the UK.