Edale — Europe's Most Underrated Hiking Destination?
About my visit to the Peak District
Many of us Brits know about the Peak District, but don’t know much more about it than its mere name. Before I had visited it, I had no idea where it was, what there was to do, or why people would want to visit.
I have always wanted to know more and since my girlfriend's dad is from Manchester, I would hope he would know the good spots. I was in luck as he could sympathise with me with the fact I didn’t have access to a car which would make the whole expedition a bit more difficult, so recommended Edale.
I had no idea what an ‘Edale’ was or why it should be visited, but when I researched it and it was only 45 mins on the train from Manchester Piccadilly, I realised that this could be the place to see the peak district. I was sure that it might not be the best, but it is very popular and there were lots of hiking routes.
I decided I wanted to go to the Peak District when I knew it was that close to Manchester, as it is only around 25 kilometres from the centre. Whilst I am stuck at uni and can’t go travel around the world, I might as well go and travel around the UK and see what it has to offer.
I bought my ticket for £12 for a day return to Edale, not long ago, which made me go. I had planned to go for ages but life got in the way, but by actually buying a ticket FORCED me to go. I got up as early as I every do, as I wanted to make the most out of it, and set off to the train station and got the 9:45 train to Edale.
I had a rough plan of where I wanted to go, with the best thing about Edale is the hikes start pretty much as soon as you step off the train. This meant I didn’t have time to sort myself out, as I was stepping off the train with other budding hikers (these ‘budding hikers’ were 65+ years old) and I was on my way!
My route in general was: a gentle rise up to Mam Tor, along the top of the peak, back down, back up to Lords Seat, down to lower levels and to Upper Booth and back to Edale. I thought this route was long, yet beginner friendly, with lots of different parts like streams, long stretches of higher altitude, marshes and not too busy.
It was a brilliant experience with so much beauty in my home country which I really didn’t expect, at a time of year which is very miserable. Edale is also brilliantly ready for hikers and has coffee shops, local pubs and places for people to stay. It is really well signposted when you’re there and there are lots of possibilities of different hikes to do. Not to mention it is very popular so there are plenty of people around to talk to and get help or direction if you need them (or if your phone runs out of charge).
There are a few reasons why I believe that the Peak District has the possibility to be one of the best hiking destinations around Europe:
- Location — situated only 25 kilometres from Manchester and even closer to Sheffield, and within striking distance of Nottingham for a day trip, it is close enough to many big cities that day trips can happen from. This allows people to visit just for the day, and gives people options of where they want to come from.
- Set up — I can only speak about Edale on this one, but the whole area seemed really well set up for tourism and hikers. Really well signposted, has lots of high quality paths and is well maintained, it’s not somewhere off the beaten track and has some real quality about it.
- typically English — Most locals will take it for granted, but if you want a real English feel about the place, Edale is the place. Classic stone walls, local pubs and everyone walking everywhere with a dog, it really is something out of a book. It may not mean much for people that are familiar with this but it really is ‘propa British’.
- Endless routes — Whether it is camping, waterfalls, wildlife, or rural villages, there are a variety of things to see. As previously stated, there are plenty of places to stay and public transport routes to make it easy to get around such a special and remote place.
It’s worth noting that I went during March so it was rainy and I had to change my route because some parts were just submerged in mud and water. It didn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, but it would be AMAZING in the summer months; no raincoat, no wet feet, it would be perfect.
There were some negatives, like the animals. I’m not sure why I was so scared (I can’t be the only one tho), was the animals. I found it so scary to have to walk through a field of cows and sheep, like what if they charge at me?
I did get lost, cause my phone ran out, which did play a big factor in me getting mad and was completely my fault as I should have bought a charger with me. I also kept standing in puddles and getting really muddy, which was instantly a morale crushing, especially when I was wearing work shoes and I had work the next day.
Even with these negatives, I have to repeat I had a great experience and will definitely be going again, as it really is like exploring a new country, with going abroad. It is really refreshing to know that there are amazing places within your own country.
I may wait till the summer before I go again, as the thought of my wet feet does give me PTSD. But that’s it, for now, any questions — SHOOT.
