Peak Pilgrimage Day 1

The pilgrimage is designed to travel through villages with small churches, open to the public, where one can collect a bible verse and be contemplative. I left Christianity over 45 years ago but am happy to sit (briefly!) in the shelter of a quiet church, especially if it requires a walk through a new area to reach it. Even though we walked yesterday, the route officially starts today, and fortunately any rubbing shoes and stiff shoulders have resolved overnight.

Most of today's 18km was along the River Dove, with a detour uphill to Alstonefield around midway. The morning was in the ever-so-popular Dovedale, but despite pleasant weather we found the dale generally peaceful. After coffee and snacks from the popular Polly's Cottage we headed uphill to the minature Milldale Chapel.

Sunshine through the chapel windows

The route continued through farmland to Alstonefield before descending into Wolfscote Dale to rejoin the river for a few more kilometres. Here the limestone gorge is wider than in Dovedale, not so dramatic, but also usually less busy. After a few field paths that felt longer than they really are, we reached Hartington YH. 

Ropes into the belfry at St Giles Hartington

St Giles was reportedly a cave-dwelling priest, perhaps a hermit, with the power to heal animals. Other saints regarded locally are from caves which perhaps reflects the significance of caves in this limestone area?

Once again there was a school group in the hostel, who although quiet, caused some disruption to the catering which struggled with the combination of a large group meal and the varied orders of other residents. If I were to stay here again I'd be tempted to book a meal in the village if a group was eating in the hostel.

Peak Pilgrimage Day 0

We've planned to walk the Peak Pilgrimage  over the next 5 days. This will give us an opportunity to explore parts of the White Peak and perhaps have time for quietness and reflection. Our timetable is relaxed, taking 4 days to cover the approximate 70km. Our schedule can be seen here which you may copy and adapt to suit your own goals.

Today we travelled to Ilam, the start of the route, and hard to reach by public transport. We took an express train from Sheffield to Derby and connected with a local bus to Ashbourne. The bus had minor mechanical problems but completed the journey largely on schedule. At the time of writing, there are two bus routes between Derby and Ashbourne. One, is a little slower and direct from the train station. The other is more frequent, ten minutes faster, but has to be found at the bus station. Other buses travel to Ashbourne from, for example, Buxton.

Such is the difficulty in reaching Ilam by bus, that the guidebook recommends walking from Ashbourne, an easy 8km. We set our pace for the journey by pausing for a coffee in Ashbourne and taking 2.5 hours to cover the gentle field paths and riverside walk to the Youth Hostel. We had time to explore the grounds and adjacent church before eating in the restaurant.

The medieval St Bertram's bridge across the River Dove

The hostels seem to serve a standard menu which is fairly good value with adequate, but not generous, portions. They are mostly licensed for alcohol sales nowadays as well. The hostel was fairly busy as it was hosting a school party, but as our room was in an annex, and the children being tired from an afternoon of playing in the grounds, we had a quiet night.