Six things we learned about our gear from our weekend in the Peak District

Autumn in the Peaks

We recently spent a long weekend in the Peak District, as part of our apparently annual practice of going camping when the weather probably doesn't warrant it. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend ahead of a few intense weeks coming up for both of us. We're currently planning a more serious trip (more on that very soon) which made for lots of reflection over the course of the weekend about our gear choices in particular. I found it to be a very informative trip in that sense. In particular we learned:

1. GPSes are great, but not to be relied upon: Our GPSes have been a bit funny lately, so we decided to leave one at home. Upon arrival to Sheffield, we discovered that the route we'd plotted from Sheffield to Hathersage was no longer on the unit! Fortunately, we had a map as well. It may not have been as quiet a route, but we managed to get out of Sheffield without a problem. This is why we'll always cycle with maps in addition to our GPS unit. (Note to my mother: We've recently updated the software on them, so the problem should be fixed!)

2. Dynamo lights are great, but not to be relied upon: Alberto recently invested in a dynamo hub and was excited to use his bright light on the dark lanes in the Peaks--we had plans to ride in the evening to a nearby town for the fireworks display (it being Guy Fawkes Night). However, on the way to the station for our 6am train the light suddenly stopped working. We're not sure what the problem was, but it was definitely with the light rather than the hub itself. Since we hadn't brought another light (besides our head torches) we were confined to Hathersage for the evenings.

Our trusty Hilleberg Staika

2. Hilleberg tents... hell yeah: We've had our Hilleberg Staika for close to a year now but had never used it in bad conditions until our weekend in the Peaks. We've had a night or two with rain and one night of slightly obnoxious wind, but nothing major. On Saturday night, the had wind and rain so bad that we actually decided not to try and cook dinner - we just ate food that didn't need to be cooked. It wasn't the quietest night's sleep, but the tent felt totally secure and we had no leakage issues. All to be expected with a legendary brand like Hilleberg but it was good to have our expectations confirmed.

3. Wool really does keep its insulation when wet: Sunday dawned with some serious rain and we spent the morning reading and napping, hoping the day would improve. When it didn't we decided to hike up to Stanage Edge, as there is a footpath from the campsite. We put on full waterproofs - trousers and jacket - but my cycling waterproof doesn't have a hood, so I was left to use my merino wool Buff as a hat. It of course got totally soaked over the course of our 1.5h walk, but still kept my head remarkably warm.

Wet but warm headwear

4. I should get a waterproof jacket with a hood: I mean really, there was no need for that.

5. Sealskinz waterproof socks... seriously, hell yeah: As per normal for a short camping trip, our only non-cycling shoes were Crocs. We went on the hike anyway, with waterproof socks overtop of a normal pair. Not only did we have rain coming in from the holes in the Crocs, but there were some parts of the trail that were literally rivers of water. It was impossible not to step in some puddles. Our feet sometimes felt the cold from the water but when we got back to camp and took our socks off, the inner socks were still dry. Awesome!

Peak District in November

Autumn is my favourite cycling season. You can´t beat the colours and the roads are much more quiet than on your average summer day. Here in the UK, the temperatures are still very reasonable...so what's not to like?

With that in mind, we got some cheap tickets to Sheffield and cycled over to the Peak District National Park for a three day relaxing camping trip. It was rather wet and windy half of the time, but we also got some sun on our third and last day. Rather than boring you with more text...I will just leave you with some pictures.

Leaving Sheffield on the Ringinglow Road - up to 400 m in the fog, luckily there's an off-road path most of the way

After we set up camp, we rode up to Stanage Edge. Can't beat those autumnal colours!

The famous rocky ridge in the background as we climb out of North Lees Campsite

Leaving the ridge

Ladybower reservoir

The promised rain about to hit, but then we got the rainbow

Pissing it down meant some hiking

On top of Stanage Ridge with strong winds and lots of rain

After a bad night storm, we woke up to this

Nightime at the campsite - trying to be creative!

Monday morning was sunny and crisp, allowing us to do a 50 km hilly route

The climb up to Mam Tor, after leaving Castleton. At least 20% inclines!

Mam Tor

Blue skies as we descend Mam Tor

Heading back to Hathersage

Quiet roads all around

About to break out camp - hard to believe we were back in London 3 hour after this!

*Note to all of you that travel by train: 1) trans out of London early Saturday morning can be really cheap, even if booked not so far in advance (three days in our case), 2) sometimes it is cheaper to buy two singles than the whole journey as one combined ticket (e.g. London to Sheffield and then Sheffield to Hathersage was way cheaper than a combined ticket) and 3) if you return on the Monday night, then you can get bargain prices...

We have been published!

Arrivée is the official magazine of Audax UK. It's produced on a three-month basis for us members of the UK Long Distance Cycling Association. It will never be as big or popular as other fancier magazines, but we enjoy it so much. Yes, it may be a bit nerdy, but it is so much fun to read about others adventures-long rides.

So, when we went to the Peak District last March to ride the Monyash Monster 100 km Audax, the organiser asked me to send some of the pictures to the Arrivée editors. To our surprise, some of those got published!

Myself at the top, pretending to be under stress (took us three times to get this picture right!)

Lucy making good progress on the hills

Doing the Audax thing: ordering tea & cake

Ride report: Monyash Monster 100 km Audax

This was our third time in the Peaks, but only our second with bikes. We wanted to get away from the Southeast, and head North for some hill (ish) training. Although, again, the UK is not the Pyrinees nor the Alps, it does have some steep and short bumps.

I happened to come across a couple of Audax events starting/finishing in Hathersage, a very convenient location for non-motorised people like us. Sent the forms in one mad day, along with the registration for some other events. We had signed up for 103 km, in March, with 2200 m climb. This meant 2.25 AAA points by Audax UK standards. Great stuff.

Despite some rain hitting our tent overnight, and a very misty morning along with light rain and cold, we somehow managed to get in to Hatersage's Pool Cafe in good spirits, just past 8:30 am. The atmosphere was picking up, and you could see plenty of riders departing already. The official departure was at 9 am, however the organiser allowed a rolling start from 8 am. We took it easy and went for the "full value for money" option. That is, start after the official 9 am kick off and take it easy throughout the ride. English breakfast, and a bacon roll, were eaten within minutes. We're becoming so English, aren't we? Oh yes, we also had the obligatory tea.

Admittedly, Brits win over cooked breakfasts!

Just minutes before 9 am, we were off with a bunch of others. The first hill came very quickly, turned off a main-ish road out of Hathersage and up we went. One rider was already walking here! The hill was actually quite gentle and very enjoyable, again, reminding me of the North of Spain with all the green fields and wetness after a night of rain.

I reckon Lucy's got climbing potential!

Quiet lanes at the start of the ride

Ups and downs followed, with a few step descent sections that we would not like to do in reverse. Which is what, by accident, we did on the following day! The ride had various category 5 (the easiest categorised climbs!) and a couple of category 3 climbs. At around km 40 into the ride, we hit one of those category 3 hills. Oliver, the organiser, was taking pictures of riders going up that hill. I pretended to look cool and strong, stood on the pedals, accelerated, and almost fell in front of his camera. The roads were still wet and as the road turned left, the gradient increased. Not a good combination for my tyres' gripping abilities. Somehow I managed to sit down quickly, recovering the grip and putting the smile back on time for Oliver to shoot at me. Once I got up the hill, I took a few pictures of the people behind me.

Lucy follows Oliver (the organiser) on the way up 

A few km later we reached the half way stop, which was also a control. Brits love their cakes on bike rides (and in every other situation, I guess) as much as we Spaniards love jamón. The pub did not obviously sell any jamón, but the cakes were delicious. Sticky toffee cake, tea, and scone time it was! No guilty feeling here, as there were still plenty of hills ahead that would make good use of all the extra calories that we had just ingested.

Audaxers controlling at a cafe in Monyash

The route continued on heading back North. More ups and downs, though legs were still feeling ok. More info controls went past, where you are supposed to answer questions such as "miles on descent sign" and the like. One of them was strategically situated in the middle of a complicated descent, with gravel, but we were pre-warned on the brevet card. Got the answer and carried on downhill. To just then go back up. Relentless hills here. A sign that reminded us that the Peaks was only made a National Park in 1951 was a cement factory, with its giant chimney, that could be seen from here on until the rest of the ride near Heathersage. Quite contrasting, definitely.

Passing very close to our final destination of Hathersage on our right, we got on a road that circumnavigated our campsite (North Lees area) and went past the famous Stanage Edge, a climbing mecca in the Peaks. Despite the uphill gradient, we were nearing the end of the ride, and the views were spectacular, so we did not mind. 

Stanage Edge, and Lucy

Myself and the rock in the background

Soon that last hill was over and we joined the downhill back into Hathersage. I particularly enjoy this, hitting the maximum of the day here at 68 km/h.

5 km to the end, all the way downhill. Lucy merges with the sheep

Back in the Pool Cafe, we handed over our brevet cards to Oliver. I think we completed the ride in just under 7 h including stops and faffing, at a moving average of 16 km/h or so. Pretty slow, but it was a hilly one. And Lucy's got her first AAA points. I now need to persuade her to do more of these bumpy rides. She seems to enjoy the hills after all. And she's pretty good at it, not walking a single one this time. Some more food at a local cafe and a great view of the rainbow over the Edge was a nice end to a perfect day of cycling.

Lunch at 4 pm, never losing my Spanish traditions!

Hathersage, bottom right corner. Stanage Edge ont he left.

The route looked like this for those interested. Definitely recommended, especially if done clockwise. Much steeper if anticlockwise!

Our weekend in the Peaks

Mid march might seem like a strange time to go on a camping trip in the north of England, but that's what we did last weekend anyway...

We decided to head up to the Peak District National Park to take part in the Spring in the Peaks 100km audax and get some hill training in. We did some cycling in the Peaks last year, and have done some hiking there as well. The area has great hills, quiet roads, cute towns, and is not too hard to get to from London -- pretty much a perfect combination!

We had previously stayed at a lovely campsite in Hathersage, where the audax started from, so decided to head there again -- this time with warmer sleeping bags. Still, I was pretty apprehensive when the forecast called for rain all day Saturday and snow flurries Saturday night! Our bike touring capabilities are a bit of a work in progress -- we don't actually have racks for our road bikes, so we had to use our big hiking backpacks which we quickly discovered were impossible to cycle in! Luckily, the campsite is walking distance from the village.

After leaving London on a packed Friday afternoon train, we reached Hathersage about 7:30 pm. We headed to the campsite and pitched the tent in the dark. We've practiced pitching it before indoors, but this was the first time we had done it properly. After that, we quickly headed back into the village for some dinner, and then back to 'home' -- our tent -- to get some sleep before the audax. As I say, we were worried about being too cold, but actually we were both too hot and had to unzip our sleeping bags during the night! What a great feeling that was!

Cosy reading before bed

The audax on Saturday was great, but we'll leave that for a separate blog post. But on our way back to the campsite we were treated to the most spectacular full rainbow above the famous (amongst rock climbers) Stanage Edge.

We encountered some snow flurries as we left town on Saturday evening, but knew we would be warm and toasty in our sleeping bags! Almost as soon as we turned in for the night, however, the flurries turned to rain. It rained all night long, and when we woke up at 7am the next morning it was still raining. We took that as an instruction to sleep in and by 8:30am the rain had stopped! I guess we have learned that the tent is indeed waterproof! So we decided to head out on a shorter route of 70km on Sunday, due to the late start.



The route took us out of Hathersage along familiar roads, taking the same climb as we had in the audax the day before. We then headed through the cute town of Eyam and past Foolow to Litton, where we stopped for tea and cakes to round out our cold breakfast of the early morning. We recognised some of the roads from the day before, and others from our cycle ride here last year -- but it was interesting to see all the different ways that they connected. The weather had cleared and we enjoyed some lovely morning sunshine.

After Litton we headed through Tideswell and Peak Forest, cycling up some of the very same roads that we had cycled down the day before! After a short stretch on the A6187 -- the only road with any traffic to speak of of the whole ride -- we passed by Mam Tor and rode down the fabulous descent into Castleton. The thrill was short-lived as we immediately began a long climb up again. We were averaging much lower speeds than we ever have before, but eventually we looped back to Foolow and soon afterwards enjoyed a long descent back to Hathersage. It may have been a 'short' ride but it was intense!

We got back to the campsite, packed up the tent (which had fortunately dried during the day), and made our way back to Hathersage for a final meal and our train back to London. It had only been two days, but something about the combination of cycling and camping really made it feel like an escape. We'll definitely be looking forward to our next opportunity to get away like this.