Their story, in their words…
From the 4th to the 9th of August, we went hiking in the Peak District as a group of 5 with varied levels of experience camping. Following an arduous but rewarding first trek over Mam Tor to reach our campsite, we set up our tents, cooked our first meal, and enjoyed the sights and stars free from the light pollution of the city. The following days were comprised of hiking along ridges and hilltops round the Vale of Edale and out westwards to Castleton to resupply on fuel. After carrying all our equipment on the first day and a long meandering path with large changes of elevation on day 2, we were amply prepared for the days going forward and continued to push ourselves to go farther and faster.
We all enjoyed the experience immensely, as stress-checking our cooking and orienteering skills helped build our independence and naturalised us to the independence required of us. Coming back, we were each appreciative of the new experience and, even if physically weary, immensely proud of each other and thankful that we pushed ourselves to do this hike, getting a flurry of both experience and skills encouraging us to try this again in future.
