With our recent trip to Snowdonia proving to be an insightful and somewhat uncomfortable one, we turned out attention to a particular area of frustration within our living area – The Peak District looked to hold the answer, so we got adventuring!
We’d had a very wet and cold trip to Snowdonia back in late November, we were on the most part prepared for the weather, but we found ourselves becoming really uncomfortable sleeping on our original bed. Originally it comprised of an Ikea Lycksele bed system that was brilliant for what it was designed for.. the odd night in a spare room with a level floor – not ideal for van life!
With that in mind, we’d looked at so many options, from rock and roll platforms to MDF bench styles, but nothing was presenting itself as a viable contender, right up until a chance encounter with an advert on Facebook Marketplace (the oracle of budget vanlife) led me to an amazing system created by Hamish in the early days of Plyguys’ operation. It was owned by Gary, who is one of the kindest and wholesome human beings we have ever met, he lived in Halifax, so a road trip was on the cards!
Neither of us had ever ventured to The Peak District, or as far north as Yorkshire, so we were really, really excited to see what it had to offer. Being southern folk, there’s always been a stigma formed that anyone north of the Watford gap is a grumpy northerner… if you believe this then you are simply wrong. Yorkshire is home to some of the most fantastic and welcoming people that we’ve ever come across. Gary and his wife welcomed us in with open arms, made us tea, biscuits and bacon sandwiches, all before we’d even seen the bed system! We were utterly spoilt by them and as it so happened, we found that the bed system was everything we’d been looking for and a whole lot more!
With the bed system neatly installed within the living area of Dougal, it was onto new found territory – The Peak District! We’d made a very rough plan as to what we were planning to do/where we were going to stay, IF we managed to purchase the bed and we actually had somewhere to sleep! The planets seemingly aligned for us and our next stop was one of the jewels of the Peak District, but not before some truly epic scenery! We took a fairly main road across the moors which were still covered in a dusting of snow, as it had been heavy in the week leading up to our adventure north. Gary and his wife were very surprised that we opted to take the trip considering the conditions, but we very very lucky and didn’t encounter anything too tricky on the roads.
As we pushed on towards Glossup, our first destination neared – Dovestones Reservoir. Neither of us were particularly versed with The Peak District and little did we know at the time of first visiting, how many reservoirs it has and how beautiful they are! We parked up in a very well kept car park near the western end of the reservoir, before making our way around to some of the southern shores in search of a path up onto Saddleworth Moor and some very special rocks!
After seeing the Trinnacles online, I knew I had to see them in real life, they just looked amazing, but to witness them in real life and then to stand upon them was something else entirely! with the visible section pictured above reaching a height of around 10 metres, it looks less daunting until you reach the very top and the 300 metres or so of elevation gain becomes quite apparent to you, quite quickly! It was extremely windy at the top, but despite the wind and rain clattering on my hood, all I could hear was the birdsong of the THOUSANDS of grouse that call Saddleworth Moor home, they are just the most incredible little creatures!
The awesome views from all around are breathtaking, even in the moody winter conditions we encountered that day. The hike is very boggy and a pair of GORE-TEX® boots comes highly recommended for this. With us hiking this in early January, a pair of these would have been an absolute lifesaver, as it was very, very boggy! Despite the apparent bog and wet, wild conditions, we had ourselves a really awesome little hike, finished off with the most gorgeous sunset we had ever seen! It was one of those really cold sunsets, with the time of year meaning the sun had hardly an ounce of heat making it onto your skin, but the light was simply incredible! We made it down onto the path we originated from and chose to go a different route back, this then forming a 5-6km loop after doubling back and passing over the north wall of the Dovestones Reservoir.
As we plodded on back towards Dougal, the excitement and anticipation built, we were talking as a means to detract from our soaked feet, we were incredibly excited to hopefully sample the first comfortable nights sleep in Dougal that night. It was due to be a night of firsts for us, as we had planned to utilise something that we now see as a massive part of our van life adventures – A pub stopover! Looking back now, we’d planned more contingencies for a one night stopover in The Peak District than we had for some of our two week road trips… however we were glad of it as the awesome Ladybower Inn awaited our arrival, which was very much needed after the cold and wet day up on the moor!
We were treated very well by The Peaks on our first day in the National Park, we had just about every weather condition imaginable, but we loved every minute of it! after finding a suitable spot in the carpark at the Ladybower Inn, we headed inside for some much needed food! We opted to sit very close to the fire and warm our cold bones before indulging in a hearty meal and a cider or two. We settled the bill and in doing so had paid our way to stay in the car park overnight! In principle it is such a clever concept, with campsite fees forever rising and us not needing electric hookup, this kind of setup is becoming such a brilliant edge, whilst often offering a place to lay our heads a lot closer to the desired location – We can’t recommend them enough!
As the cold of the night drew in, frost already forming on the windscreen, it was time for bed, we faffed around a little, attempting to keep what little warmth we had inside the van, but eventually we got there and well, WHAT A SLEEP! Despite waking up with ice on the inside of the van, we slept so, so well! The trip to The Peak District was a complete success and it made us even more excited for our next adventure, knowing we could sleep in comfort from this point on was an absolute game changer, we both knew that this could pave the way to longer and more remote road trips in the future, we spent the entire journey home planning the adventures we could have, they say money doesn’t buy happiness, which it doesn’t, but it can buy you memories that you’ll never forget!
Before we hit the road, I had one little gem up my sleeve! I knew that we would be able to see the spot where we slept last night from it, as the views across Ladybower Reservoir were simply incredible – None other than the epic Bamford Edge!
The walk up to Bamford Edge is a fairly easy one, despite being moderately steep, it soon levels out and the views across the moor, down into the surrounding valleys appear and across to Castelton appear perfectly – it really is such a good viewpoint offering the potential walks for miles around, or to watch the sun rise or fall – Both HIGHLY recommended! Not in the least bit ashamed to admit that we missed the sunrise due to being very comfortable in our new bed and simply not wanting to get up, we did eventually drag ourselves out and the views were everything we thought they would be… sensational.
As we made our way up the slope towards the top of the moor, the strange rocks appear to break apart and reveal some of the most iconic (though manmade) features of The Peak District, the awesome granite millstones which spread across the landscape, some dating back to as early as 1066 – a reminder of a bygone era and testament to the people that lived and worked within the realms of the UK’s first National Park. they are amazing to look at, with it seemingly impossible to feel like you’re not stepping your way through history, wondering who put them there and the stories they would have.
As we made our way along the remainder of the edge and out onto the moor, we were having so much fun looking at all of the perspective hikes, hills and climbs that we could do in the future, little where we aware just how big of a part of our adventures The Peak District would become! We reluctantly began our descent from the edge and towards the comfort of Dougal, knowing that our time in The Peaks was soon to be over. Whilst we both feeling deflated by the prospect of work the next day and the fact we had a couple of hundred miles to cover before we were home, we were SO EXCITED for what the future held for us in our ‘local’ National Park.
“and so the adventure begins”
The Peak District – Jan 2022
Dougals Adventures 
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