Where It All Started.

Where it all started.

‘Where are we going?’

‘There and back to see how far it is’. Standard response to a frequent question. Followed by groans and eye rolls and lots of daaaaaaad.

01/01/2017.

Mam Tor looming in the distance, the cold wet landscape showing slithers of snow capped summits. Being New Year’s Day I naively expected the hills to be quite bare but walkers strolled out of nowhere, all with the same destination as us. Tentatively we stepped out of the car and questioned whether the frost nipping at our cheeks would be worth it. Of course it would.

And so our love for the peaks was born. We walked up towards the summit, putting together resolutions for the year to come and reminiscing about years gone by. There is no struggle, the strides go by effortlessly. The boys running ahead and a little red headed straggler hopping her way along.

Accidental Mountain

We had actually stumbled upon the hill by accident. Originally we had planned to walk to The Roaches, as recommended by a colleague but had somehow missed it and ended up by Peveril Castle. We had had a walk around there, couldn’t get in the caves so pushed on towards Mam Tor. And I’m so glad we did.

The views are liberating, a sense of freedom overcomes and those stresses of the year gone by are pushed into the distance, a little farmhouse in the folds of the valley. Only when you are driving back away from the hill, the farmhouse gets bigger and bolder again. There then becomes a need, to make the house smaller again, to crave the need for space and distance between you and the house, to leave the stress behind, even for an hour and to liberate yourself atop a mountain. To walk away from it all. Discover new places and hidden beauties of the landscapes, the caves and coasts and castles. To immerse yourself in history and surroundings that marvel the eye.

I want to show the children that the world exists beyond the 4 walls they live in. That if they look far enough, they can achieve whatever is in their view. And as they ask ‘where are we going’ , I can answer; wherever you want to go.

Read about our adventure at Thors Cave.  Where it all started.