White Peak Way Day 5

Sunday 18^th August 2019 Hathersage

 

Today I was supposed to return to Bakewell on the bus and then walk the section to Hathersage, but I was not interested in facing the crowds in Bakewell again.  Tomorrow I was supposed to walk the Hathersage-Castleton section but chose to do that today instead.

Very quickly I was thwarted, as high river flow covered the steppingstones I needed to use to get back to the White Peak Way.

I walked alongside the fairly busy road instead, which had a great footpath, although it was also a cycling path.

A little way past Bamford, where I was planning on rejoining the White Peak Way, I decided to take a more direct route straight to Castleton by walking up the valley instead.  At and around Castleton I chose not to pay to enter either the castle grounds or the few tourist caves dotted around, so walked on and over to Edale to see where the start of the Pennine Way was so I was ready for Wednesday.

In Edale I obtained a Pennine Way certificate from the pub and had them stamp it as they would not be open the morning I pass through.  Eventually, I did get that certificate stamped at the other end of the Pennine Way, in Kirk Yetholm, along with getting a different certificate for completing, but lost both from my pack when travelling back to New Zealand a month or so later.

I caught the train back to Hathersage as the hills around Edale were too busy with people for my liking.  I bought some food from a small grocery shop then went back to the bunkbarn where I had ice cream from the farm shop.  I read and snacked away the afternoon before having a microwave meal and then reading some more.

 

Epilogue: Monday 19^th and Tuesday 20^th August 2019 Hathersage

I did spend 2 more days and nights in Hathersage.  I spent the morning of Monday walking Stanage Edge and Stanage Moor (which I have already posted about HERE), and on Tuesday relocated to the YHA so I would be close to the train station for my early Wednesday morning train ride to Edale.  The rest of the time in Hathersage was spent reading and eating, as once the Pennine Way began, there was not a planned rest/travel day for over 4 weeks, until the 19^th of September (although I snuck one in a week earlier than that during the Borders Abbeys Way).