Robin Hood Stride (Circular) – (White Peak District) - (Derbyshire) – 07/05/12 – 7.23 Miles – Helen, Ally & Grant

Whilst our numbers were swelled for this bank holiday jaunt by young people Ally and Grant, we also had to leave behind Molly currently nursing a dodgy paw. Now as May day bank holiday weather goes this one was distinctly below average, with a sharp chill in the air and a constant mizzly threat of rain.

So having parked in a layby we made our way up a short incline to pick up the Limestone way with Robin Hoods Stride (mock Beggars Hall) ahead of us (see pic). Our first stop being the hermits cave (not much to see there then) before carrying on over the hills towards Bradford Dale. Here we found ourselves running the gauntlet of one field after another of killer cattle, before eventually having lunch under a rocky incline outside Youlgrave. During the course of the day I became something of a quartermaster, handing around assorted: hats, gloves, plasters and binoculars. Unfortunately I had run out of forks for the consumption of tuna.

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Following an inconclusive post lunch diversion for coffee and cakes (never happened), we then found ourselves negotiating some boggy ground. This was every man (woman) for themselves, best illustrated when I put my foot down on a ‘dry’ part only to sink straight down to my knees. My frantic cries for help, as I then fell forward sinking both arms in as well, went unheeded as the others fell around laughing. Realising I was on my own in this survival situation, I heroically managed to get myself out. However the laughter around me soon began to die out, when I pointed out that two of our party were going to have to eventually take me home in their cars.

We continued on with me scraping bits of mud off as I went, whilst the two people with maps faffed around so much, I felt like jumping back into the mud to relieve the boredom. Anyway we did find some Lama’s and young lambs to gawp at, all the while keeping a wary eye out for more of the killer cattle.

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Eventually we came out by a series of troughs on Cliff Lane on the way to Elton. Here we were greatly amused by some passer by’s chocolate lab who thought he could swim from one trough to the other. We later came across this group again by a churchyard in Elton having negotiated another climb up to that point. Our descent down again from the church yard found the two youngest members taking their turns at falling over. Eventually however we made our way back to the car, before making our way home for lashings of cake and ginger beer. Alright I made that bit up as given the state of my boots/trousers, invites for tea were a bit in short supply. Anyway a fun day, although given how long it took us to do, we should have completed seventeen miles not seven.