uk roadtrip part 6: hathersage

After Swing Revs, we went to Hathersage! In the Peak District, that is. During our last long UK trip, last summer, we sprinkled two hotel nights - one in the Lake District, one in Northumberland - into the trip, and it was SO great. Being hosted with friends and family is wonderful - and spending time by ourselves is also wonderful, especially in the middle of a long trip like this. So we figured we'd repeat that this time. We knew we were heading to Manchester after Leeds, so the Peak District made sense. And Hathersage? That's just because we lived at Hathersage Road when we lived in Manchester, so that was a name that popped out on the map, and then I found a cute hotel there. :)

The drive there was quite moody! Just look at that tower ruin in the distance!

Here's where we stayed!

The George was a great find, I'd totally go back.

But first an afternoon snack at the tea room next door. By afternoon snack I mean something like pancakes. Liam apparently means a full English, for the second time that day. :)

Then I went out for a little walk while Liam rested.

It wasn't my best choice of walk. Very muddy. I had boots on so it was fine in that sense, but it's just such slooow walking.

Should you really be on that side of the fence, friends? :)

When I got to the stepping stones I realised the water was to deep for me to cross safely (or at least I would have wanted walking poles and my actual proper hiking boots like when crossing fords in the mountains). That was stupid, I should have thought about before I crossed the bridge much further down ... So now I couldn't go back across, and I wasn't very keen on heading all the way back to the bridge I crossed an hour earlier.

So in the end I left the path and walked up to the nearest road and called Liam, who came and picked me up. :) I could have walked the long way back, but I would have missed dinner, and I decided it wasn't worth it. Don't make my mistake, hikers! Remember that water levels are higher in spring ...

Anyway, we made it back in time for dinner and I was HUNGRY.

But happy!

We had veggie Sunday roast of course, and it was fine but maybe a bit bland.

And then we plonked ourselves promptly into bed with Percy Pigs and watched Grand Designs. :)

Good morning!

The hotel breakfast was lush.

I had time for a quick walk after breakfast. Hathersage is a really cute place! And this little walk in the sun definitely made up for the gloomy, muddy path I'd chosen the day before.