Yesterday evening I booked myself on today's walk with my Ramblers, 15 miles from Chatsworth, along the Edges and back via Grindleford and Baslow. I didn't think too hard about it, I didn't check the snow level in the Peak or think about how that might affect our walking, I just signed up and agreed to give Rhian a lift. Nuts!

We arrived at Chatsworth and, because I hadn't considered it, I was slightly shocked at the amount of snow on the ground, but we gathered and set off. The walking wasn't easy, with slippy, slushy patches alternating with deep (mid shin) patches of proper snow, but over uneven ground of course.

I won't bore you with any further description but after 2 hours we'd only covered 3 miles, one fifth of the total distance.... we should've started at 8am not 10, and it would still have been a long walk. By the time we reached Curbar Gap at 1pm our leader, Julia, called a meeting and proposed that if we'd had enough here was a suitable place to leave the walk and detour back to Chatsworth. 

I'd definitely had enough, we'd only walked 5 miles, leaving 10 still to go, the conditions underfoot weren't going to improve and it was exhausting! I didn't say that though, said I'd go with the flow, but thankfully Rhian had had enough too and so, with a couple of others, half of the group left and walked down the snow/slush covered hill to Curbar village and had a pot of tea in the café. Three of the four of us had a boot full of water due to stepping on snow, sinking and submerging in the meltwater underneath. I wasn't wearing gaiters, I don't like them and so rarely do, but to be honest I don't think they would've saved me.

Great to get back to the car and remove the wet socks, I had a spare pair in the boot (I keep a full set of spare clothing in there) but unfortunately Rhian hadn't. 

The main is at Curbar Gap after we'd eaten our lunch, after leaving the group. The extras are... extras!

10.16 miles
1,103 feet elevation gain