The year I turned 8 years old saw my first summer cooped up indoors while my friends enjoyed the world outside. Why? This was the year I developed hay fever and, unlike today, it was quite rare and there wasn’t the array of over the counter remedies to choose from. That’s not to say I didn’t spend any time outside during the summer as my grandparents lived very close to the beach so I spent many a happy hour in the sea, come rain or shine. As I got older nothing much changed (except for the amount of exercise I got) and any thought of venturing beyond the beach as spring warmed into summer was soon dismissed with the first sneeze and the uncontrollable urge to scratch my own eyes out. Holidaying in the UK was unthinkable and, once I had my own little family, our summers saw us jetting off to warmer coastal climes. So, I spent my time doing lots of exercise, swimming in the hotel pool or the balmier seas and wandering round vibrant market places and ancient monuments. Well, not so much. Holidays are for relaxing so I would bed myself down on a sun lounger with a trashy novel whilst my significant other (SO) played in the pool, sea or on the sand with the child. How lazy was I?!

I am pleased to say that, as I have got older, my hay fever symptoms are much more manageable and I barely notice them now (there is hope for you all!). This has meant that trips to the countryside are no longer a complete no – no for me. And, with my new – found zest for exercise, sitting around for the whole of my holiday is an anathema. As a consequence, SO and I have discovered the great and beautiful British countryside and are now ‘ramblers’, sorry, enjoyers of the countryside. Whilst reflecting on the ‘Walk this May’ challenge, I said that walking is free and all you needed was a stout pair of shoes. Well, SO and I almost have shares in ‘Go Outdoors’ (other outbound stores are available……..) considering the amount of money we have spent on getting walking ready (great dog friendly store, BTW, which provides refreshments for our dog Poppy). But, for the type of walking we were going to do, the correct footwear at least is essential.

Where is all this leading, I hear you ask? Well, for the past few days, SO and I have been on a walking holiday in the Peak District. We rented a little cottage just outside the Peak Park area (in Last of the Summer Wine country) and off we set, the car packed to the hilt with boots, jackets, fleeces, waterproofs and every type of legwear to cover all eventualities. Oh, and the dog, her bed, blankets, food, treats, coat and leads.

Day One took us to Chrome Hill. I have absolutely no idea how this even got into a book of walks in the Peak District. It is lethal! A one metre wide trail across ancient limestone reef knolls that tower 425m above sea level. Not for the faint hearted; I, I’m afraid, am faint hearted and skirted round the base but even that was challenging. Still the treacherous terrain meant we clocked up over 25,000 steps in 5 hours and climbed 89 floors (I have since found out that a ‘floor’ is an elevation gain of approximately 3 metres). Our day would’ve been slightly shorter were it not for SO getting us lost. Oh, sorry, changing our route slightly to take in more of the beautiful scenery.

Day Two saw pretty fair weather, a few spots of rain but nothing much so we headed off to the Derwent Valley to begin our walk to Alport Castles. My app said I walked 25,208 steps and an elevation gain of over 300 metres. Believe me, it felt like it as the wind speed at that height was about 45 mph and our energy expenditure to stay on our feet must have been immense! To lighten up a really tough walk across the exposed hilltop pastures (I would never recommend you do this walk in anything other than completely calm weather), we burst into song to boost our flagging morale (pretty much everything from the Sound of Music) and this helped make the whole thing a lot less torturous. If there is one thing the walk taught me it was that my next career will not be as a hill farmer. Still, I think we thoroughly deserved the Indian takeaway we treated ourselves to that evening.

Day Three. A clear blue sky and bright sunshine heralded the arrival of the day so we packed our rucksacks, jumped in the car and set off for our planned ‘two counties, two reservoirs’ walk. Our route would take us from the Derwent Dam, training ground of the famous Dambusters, in Derbyshire along past the Howden Dam into Yorkshire and back again. The whole walk was 10.5 miles long, clocked up over 30,000 steps for us and achieved an elevation of approximately 50 metres.

Day Four. The day dawned grey and overcast but we jumped (well, more like crawled or did SO physically drag me?) out of bed and set off for the Meltham Way, a circular walk that skirted the village where we were staying. The funniest thing about the whole walk was Poppy having to be hoisted over the large stone stiles as they were totally unsuitable for dogs. The least funny thing was seeing the words ‘follow the inclined path’. If you ever see this phrase in a guidebook, proceed with caution and be prepared for a pretty steep ascent that will have your heart racing and you gasping for breath by the time you reach the top! Still, we managed it and I can honestly say it was a beautiful walk. I even patted a couple of horses on the nose even though I am terrified of them (don’t tell my goddaughter, the equine physiotherapist). Total elevation was approximately 110 metres and our step count was 26,535.

I now love being outside and regret that I haven’t been able to enjoy our beautiful country quite so much in the past. I will be making up for lost time and would encourage you to get yourselves outside for some fresh air, gentle (or not quite so gentle, depending on where you go) exercise, look around you and marvel at what a great thing nature is! So, with May being National Walking month, I think I’m doing pretty well having clocked up in excess of 100,000 steps and over 30 miles in just four days. Now, where did I put that foot cream as I am in desperate need of a foot massage………….?

Ceri Spain
Statutory Returns Officer
Planning Office