Edale Skyline

This was the big one!
Distance 22 miles

This walk has been planned since before any of the training has started. I have been told over and over that if I can manage Edale Skyline, I'll be able to do the LSW!

So off we went...


I did this walk with Darren (as always) and we dragged Josef Dawes along with us as well this time.
We started by ascending Lose Hill which was a lot of effort first thing in the morning. Once we were at the top though I could see pretty much the whole of the walk we were about to do. It is a massive route and seeing it all was a little intimidating but also quite exciting. We set off on the ridge towards Mam Tor, which is the second summit you reach. We had gone on a bank holiday so it was very busy with people walking, kite flying and paragliding! We stopped for a quick break to have a drink then pressed on.

 Next up was Rushup Edge which I most certainly did NOT rush up!! After Mam Tor, Rushup seems quite a lot steeper (not sure if it is or not). But we took it steady and made it up in good time. Then we pressed on to Brown Knoll. For me this was the worst part of the walk. I really dislike walking on Peat and this was a long, flat stretch of Peat. I think I must have muttered the words 'I hate Peat' at least a dozen times as we leaped over bogs and pulled our sinking feet from it.

After what seemed like an age, we emerged onto Kinder Low. This is another busy area and was full of dog walkers and climbers!! I had a rest to recover from the Peat while Joe and Darren had a quick scramble about on the rocks. We walked on a little further and sat down for lunch. It was nice to sit in the sunshine and watch families and hikers walk past us while we ate. Although, there were a few dogs eyeing up our food!

Once we had eaten it was time to press on. Darren said we were about half way round so this spurred me on. We walked on to Grindslow Knoll where I got stuck in traffic! There were so many people going up and down the narrow path next to the river that I got stuck waiting for people to come up and lost Darren and Joe for a bit. They did wait for me though so they had a nice break while I got past. We decided to try and march on a bit once we were past the busy areas and soon made it onto the long stretch towards Win Hill. This bit was psychologically the hardest bit because no matter how much you walk towards it, Win Hill never seems to get any closer!

When we got on to the final approach to Win Hill we had slowed the pace somewhat. I wasn't tired but I think it just felt like a natural pace to fall into. All of a sudden, Win Hill was right in front of us. We had a quick scramble up to the summit. It was a great view from up there and a most satisfying feeling to have made it all the way around Edale Skyline. Now there was just the small matter of getting back to the car. Something I had completely forgotten about until this point.

Fortunately, the walk back was only about a mile. It was all down hill and quite steep. My knee had started to hurt by this point and this made the descent quite slow going. We made it from the summit to the car in about half an hour and I was glad of the rest on the journey back home to Whitwell.

This walk gave me two things. One, is the confidence I needed to know I can complete the walk in June. The second is a better understanding of the psychological side of walking a long distance. I think I am better prepared for that side of things now and I feel more ready to complete the LSW now than ever before.

Bring it on!!!