Trip Report - Northern England and Peak District National Park

[jay]

I wanted to share a few things about the experiences I had while over there.  All in all, it was a great trip.  the first several days were constant rain; there has been historic flooding in the region over this winter and I aw a lot of flood damage across the area.  The weather finally broke and we managed to get out and see some of the countryside.

One thing I like about England is that they have public footpaths throughout the country.  There are marked paths, even through private property, that allow you to basically hike to and from any given point in the country.  I spent a lot of time around Tormorden, Hebden Bridge and Dovestone Reservoir for the first week, and then went with a friend down to Peak District.

Peak District has some amazing views.  While not mountains by most standards, the valleys and views from high points will certainly make you stop and appreciate them.  for those interested, there are also a number of caverns that are open to the public as well.  Most of the villages and towns there are very touristy; supplies are pretty pricey.  This is due in part to this area being the beginning if the Pennine Way.  One of the areas we visited was Edele, where the Pennine Way officially begins.  there are places to camp but they are strictly regulated; "wild camping" is prohibited, so you have to camp in approved campgrounds.

One of the high points for me, personally, was being treated to a large group of Para gliders out around Edele.  I spoke to one of them when he touched down and he told me that Edele was one of the best places for this activity in England.  It brought out the kid in me, I must say.

Well, that's enough for now, don't want to ramble on.  Attaching some photos for your enjoyment.  Will answer any questions about the trip, just don't want to bore anyone with mundane details.

[wspscott]

Very cool, I was just reading this morning about hiking in Cornwall.

Did you hike point to point? Or a loop? Dayhikes and stay at a hotel/pub? Did you see many other hikers. I would definitely appreciate more details.

Edited March 20, 2016 by wspscott
more detail

[jay]

Most of it was day hikes.  There were a few loops that I did as well.  In Peak District, I ended up staying in a hotel; the weather was foul that first day and I didn't feel like trying to search out a campground where I would be allowed to have a fire.  The more established routes for hiking generally have hostels along the way where you can stay for a minimal fee, there were a number of them around the Peak District and I know that they are liberally scattered long the Pennine Way, as I have done multiple parts of it on previous trips.

If you plan on going over this spring or summer, I highly recommend you do some research as to how the flooding affected the area.  There were several trails I saw that were closed due to being washed out.  Not sure about Cornwall area but some areas of Northern England had flooding worse than they have had since they started taking measurements.