Mellow Expeditions - @matthew.phillips

This week’s feature comes from @matthew.phillips who talks us through his hike in the Peak District back in summer. If you’d like to feature one of your adventures on our page feel free to DM us!

Back in August 2021 me and my friend embarked on what was to be my first through hike. It was relatively short as through hikes go, being only a duration of 2 days. It was right at the pinnacle of the heather bloom, the hills were flooded with purple and the scent of honey from the pollen lingered in the air. The hike consisted of both established foot paths and a respectable amount of off piste, stretching over the challenging terrain that is the British moorland.

In total our walk summed up to around 55km, split pretty much equally over the two days. We began in my hometown, Hathersage, and made our way over to Bamford edge. From there we walked way over Derwent edge and beyond Back Tor, ending up at our camping location right by Slippery Stones, located at the far end of Bamford's reservoirs. Anyone who's been here before knows it's a class spot for wild swimming during the summer, and luckily we had it all to ourselves, which unfortunately has become a rarity over the recent years.

After a lovely summer's night by the campfire, we once again set off and followed a beautiful track which led us deep into the moorland. From there we headed to bleaklow head, and way over to the beginning of Kinder Plateau, Hayfield side. At this point the weather had become increasingly warm, and due to the entire walk being planned in my head, and without a map, we consequently misjudged the slog of Kinder. Despite having walked it many times before, the sheer distance covered by kinder is a tough one to tackle, especially for already weary travellers carrying weighty bags. Nonetheless we managed to smash our way past the downfall and far over to the Edale end, finishing with a lovely meal and a cold pint from the Rambler Inn pub at Edale, where my very tired dog lay sprawled across the pub floor, fast asleep.