A 7.45am start as Jeff picks me up for the drive over to Hope in the peak district where we met up with Paul and Debbie around 9.30am. Conditions were mild but windy as we got kitted up for the circular route around the Hope valley which we expected to be around 8 miles in distance.

The first section was low level across fields as we made our way over to the neighboring town of Castleton. From there we began our ascent up the side of the valley up the narrow and rocky “limestone way” up past Peveril castle. Progress was noticeably slower on this steep, wet and tricky section as the ground was difficult to get stable footings on. After what felt like forever the limestone walls opened out and we made our way back onto open ground across higher fields dotted with sheep and lambs.

A few more miles in brought us out over a high fell road and to the base of Mam Tor where we paused for lunch.  Looking up at the route to the summit we were envisaging burning calves and puce faces however as we got closer we found that whilst is was certainly steep in places the inclined felt more manageable due perhaps in part to the stone path work that had been laid.  The views from the blustery top were magnificent as we gazed back down into Hope valley on one side and over the Edale valley to the other.

After a quick photo stop around the summit trig point we were off along the hills ridge line for the next few miles as we descended and then rose again over multiple smaller peaks. In this manner we worked along the northern side of Hope valley until we made our final descent back to our starting point in Hope village.

From today’s hike I think everyone’s fitness is coming on nicely and we all seem to be handling ourselves and equipment with aplomb. With just over 6 weeks before we leave for Kilimanjaro we only have a four more weekends where we’re all free to train together.

I’ve posted the climb stats (which seem shorter than 10 miles Paul’s phone recorded using the same app) and uploaded photo to the Kilimattjaro facebook page.

Jeff and I got a cheeky little evening hike in today up to Darwen Tower.  The circular route was about 4 miles and took around 1 hour 15 mins although the climb stats from my phone say otherwise for some reason (I think I was in “bike” mode rather than “hike”). There was a good mix of elevation changes so we got a bit of a work out.  From the tower we enjoyed pleasing vistas over Lancashire  to the North West coast and across to Pendle Hill in the North East. I’ve posted a few photos in an album on the Kilimattajro facebook page.

We’re planning to get more of these weekday sessions in as the nights get longer and our June Kili climb approaches – 54 days to go at the time of writing!

Last night we did a night hike over our perennial favorite Pen-y-ghent organised by Mark Reid of Team Walking.  We booked this walk many months ago with a view to getting some prior experience of handling ourselves and kit in low light as preparation of the final ascent night on Kili.

We met up with Mark and the rest of his group at the Crown pub in Horton-in-Ribblesdale around 6pm and Mark gave us all a quick briefing around the route, expected timings and also the differences to expect when walking at night such as allowing your night vision to develop by protecting your eyes from direct light, using your other senses to augment your understanding of your environment etc.

Conditions were mild and the first part of the ascent was done just in T-shirt and long-sleeved base layer top but as we reach higher ground the sun began to get low in the sky and the temperature dropped. Off comes the backpack and outcomes my fleece. I’m now getting reasonably adept in changing my layers quickly and more importantly anticipating when to do so.  This means I’m keeping comfortable without overheating too much.  We reached the summit just after 8pm and stopped for a hot drink and snack as the sun set.

All the snow has now gone and the steeper section of initial descent is now much easier and quicker to get down although you still need to be controlled in your pace over the areas of looser ground. There was still plenty of ambient dusk light as we came off the mountain but as we reach the lower flanks the light began to fade and out came the head torches.

Most of the pathways are limestone and so of a light colour – that certainly helped pick them out in the moonlight / torchlight. We took a 15 minute detour to walk over to hull pot – an impressively sized sink hole when the water course disappears underground into the local cave systems.  While we gained a sense of scale under the moonlight I think I’d like to go back for a look and photography of it during the day.

On the final few miles back into the village we turned off the torches and just walked in the moonlight. Most of the pathways are limestone and so of a light colour – that certainly helped pick them out in as we made swift progress. I’ve posted the hike’s map and  stats and some photos on my Kilimattjaro facebook page.

Throughout the hike Mark interjected our stops with commentary about the landscape, questioning the group on our thoughts and understanding of the environment we were in. He’s clearly a passionate advocate of the benefits of getting outdoors and his views and philosophies come shining through in conversation.

Things I learn from this hike

• With just a little moonlight you don’t really need a torch at all.
• Low power mode on my head torch is more than adequate to illuminate my foot fall
• I don’t yet know how to take photographs in night time conditions and so need to read up on that