Well, we timed the weather perfectly! The first really warm and sunny weekend of the year saw a small group of our unit headed off to Spitewinter campsite, near Chesterfield. Tents went up quickly and we were soon exploring the site, getting a fire going and chilling out. As the dusk became night we started the cheese board and talk turned to the impending Eurovision song contest.

Saturday dawned gloriously to unbroken sunshine, but also noisily as the cows in the nearby field were taken in for milking. The noise they were making was enough to convince some of us that they were actually being taken for slaughter! But, no, we were assured it was only for milking.

After bacon butties we headed out into the Peak District to stretch our legs over a 22km trek that would initially take us over Curbar Edge and then Froggatt Edge, typical gritstone crags with plenty of classic rock climbing routes. There were warning notices of the presence of adder snakes posted on gates along this section, although we didn’t have the pleasure of meeting one (I know one or two in our group would have squealed very loudly if we had!).

Gentle tracks then followed through the Longshaw Estate, with the convenience of the National Trust cafe to entice us with cold drinks and ice cream. The heat of the day was now upon us, making this respite most welcome.

Onwards! The route took us on a loop from there, taking in Burbage Edge, Higgar Tor and Carl Walk. From Higgar Tor we could see the entire route that we had followed and also the route ahead of us, a fantastic vantage point. It was here that we also spotted a few local lizards scampering between the rocks and heather (later research suggests that they may have been viviparous lizards).

We also found peat bogs during this section of the walk. And one of us hadn’t remembered their walking boots! Wet and muddy feet were almost guaranteed, a lesson learned, perhaps.

The final leg of the walk took us into the quieter upland areas of White Edge and the accurately named Big Moor. A final competitive sprint to the cars and we then headed back to camp to prepare a huge pasta dinner.

Sunday was much more leisurely, with a stroll around the town of Bakewell, the sun still shining on us. Sweet shops, toy shops and ice-cream parlours were definitely in order!