In July, I took a few days off work to head up North (well, North from Bristol) to visit my adventure buddy Asia who is currently at university in Derby. We took the opportunity, whilst I was there, to get outdoors on some hikes and swims and find some new gems in the Peak District.

Mam Tor, Castleton

The first stop was Mam Tor.

The journey to get here was the MOST scenic drive!

We drove up Winnats Pass, which actually reminded me a lot of Cheddar Gorge, probably because of the dramatic hills either side of the windy road, and up to Mam Nick car park. STUNNING!

We got suited and booted and headed up the very steep but short footpath up to Mam tor. Instant panoramic views. Absolutely breathtaking — especially after the hill!

We did the recommend trail ‘Mam Tor walk‘ on the National Trust website which took us along the flagstone path where the views continued to amaze us. It definitely blew away the cobwebs being up here surrounded by stunning scenery and views of the Edale Valley and Derwent Moors.

This was only a 3 mile walk, so after some lunch we headed on to our next adventure!

Slippery Stones, Derwent

It’s a bit of a mission to get here.

It is a long country lane all the way along Derwent Reservoir, which is great to look at, but a bit of a narrow road and a struggle when overtaking cyclists or meeting oncoming traffic.

However, it was worth it for the beautiful Slippery Stones.

From the end of the road, it is a 1.3km walk to the stones which are located under a quaint little brick bridge.

Warning: Often this road is closed on weekends or bank holidays so check before you go, otherwise it’s an additional 10km walk to get there.

I was recommended this spot from a wild swimming Facebook group so I was excited to try it out. I have to admit it was more of a paddle spot as it was too shallow to properly swim (when I did, I kept getting beached on the rocks), but the current was fun to play in and it was such a beautiful place to explore.

Tired from a full day of fresh air, and a lot of driving on Asia’s part, we warmed up with a cuppa tea when we got back to the car, and then went back home to Asia’s house in Derby for a cosy evening of pizza making followed by watching Harry Potter in bed.

Chee Dale, Buxton

The following day, we headed to Buxton. I was so so so excited to do this walk.

I had actually been inspired to do it from a reel I found on Instagram months before and sent it to Asia saying “We have to do this walk when I come to visit.”

And I’m so glad we did as it was a 10 out of 10 walk.

We parked at Millers Dale (£4.75 to park all day).

From here we followed the Monsal trail and took a right on the footpath just after the bridge to adventure through farm fields to a tiny village called Blackwell.

We then followed signs from there to Chee Dale where we met the river and followed the waters edge which was picturesque (although a little overgrown at times!).

The path itself felt super adventurous and unique with two sets of Stepping Stones.

Asia and I actually stopped for a wild swim between the two sets of Stepping Stones which was so refreshing!

We could properly swim here too which was lovely, but it was also shallow enough that we could stand up at any point, so it felt super safe.

Carrying on, the riverside footpath then re-joins the Monsal trail which looped us back to the car. It was a really easy to navigate loop (although, I did have to use OS maps on my phone until we got to the river).

It was rocky, uneven, and slippery underfoot in some places, so make sure you’ve got the right footwear if you do this walk.

In total it was an 8km loop, and at a relaxed pace with stops for a cuppa tea and lunch, it took us about 5 hours. We also grabbed an ice cream back at Millers Dale which we finished just in time before the rain came.

As always, I had a fantastic time staying with Asia and it was great fun exploring different parts of the Peak District with my favourite adventure buddy.

Asia, thank you for letting me stay and for taking me on adventures!