I had come to the Peak District without a lot of planning or research. I had the impression there was some lovely scenery and lots of places for hiking, but I pointedly hadn't dug deep into guides or maps. This time was for recovering from some intense deadline work – I just needed to live freeform for a while.
After a hearty breakfast I figured I would just head out and see what I could find. A sign by one of the Main Street shops noted that the slope just north of town was called "Win Hill" so I decided to see what it was like.
I wandered the side roads towards the hillside until I came across a sign:
Looks like I was on the right path. I just needed to go under the bridge, turn right, then bear left at the gate. I found myself in the prettiest early autumn countryside:
I passed by the first of what would be many sheep on this hike, and even a sign saying "Caution Lambs" (though I didn't see any).
Soon I left the charming bucolic landscape behind and started climbing up the hill. Climbing quite steeply actually, though I was clearly on a path others had used before.
When adjusting these photos to post here I kept having to stop myself from dialling back the glowing yellow-green of the grass when the sunshine hits it. It looks unreal but that's the real colour.
Through some gates and up more slopes I climbed above the level of grassy pastures and into dense patches of heather. I saw in the distance what I later learned was Win Hill Pike, a rocky outcrop at the top of Win Hill, known locally as "The Pimple".
As I got closer I wondered if it was climbable – and then I saw someone else had gotten there ahead of me.
There was not just a trail up to the top of the "pimple" but the remains of a fitted-stone road, clearly made by someone who cared about getting up here.
It circled higher and higher.
Then I finally made it to the hilltop!
The white object is a Triangulation Station used for survey work. As I had spent a lot of 2024 playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla, I had a strong urge to climb on top so I could synchronize and turn this into a fast-travel point.
The scenery was not dissimilar, though for a change real life was more intense than the video game version:
(I did check later and the Peak District is recreated in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but it's a snow-bound area and doesn't unlock until near the end of the game – there are a few recognizable names but it otherwise isn't very similar to the real landscape.)
The view was spectacular in every direction: in one direction a sweeping vista across the valley to the hills opposite that made me think of Blake's "green & pleasant land":
Another view was down from the peak to forests, reservoirs, and bridges:
In the opposite direction, a trail led across the hilltop ridge into the distance:
After reaching a peak and a view, you want to soak it all in as long as possible - but eventually you start feeling cold in the wind, and maybe a bit hungry, and the need to move on takes over.
According to the map on my phone, it looked like the best bet was to take a direct trail straight down from the peak through some forest and into the valley. I saw some people coming up from that direction, a few carrying walking poles, and I thought, hah it's a good thing I'm a Canadian hiker and don't need that kind of thing just to get up and down an English hill.
Well, I soon regretted those thoughts, as the trail quickly became narrow stone steps alongside a steep rock face, extra slippery with rain and fallen needles.
The photo (looking back upwards) doesn't really give the full impression of the steepness, although I hope it shows the slipperiness. I occasionally ended up on all fours, pivoting awkwardly on nearby roots and branches. I was reminded of the challenging slopes of Cape Chignecto. I guess those walking sticks would have come in handy after all!
Later, when I got my hands on a guidebook, I learned that this steep hillside was one of the most challenging trails in the entire Peak District! At least it was only about a kilometre and I was going down, and there were lots of other people around in case I did wipe out. The nice thing about hiking in Britain, unlike in parts of Canada, is you're rarely very far from other people.
I felt accomplished, but I was now on the far side of Win Hill from the inn at Hope. My phone map showed a trail that skirted the lower slopes of the hill, and ended up passing through some utterly charming countryside, with sheep pens, cozy cottages, and grander-looking estates.
I passed a lovely house next to an orchard, and discovered a tray of recently picked apples with a small cashbox and a note saying to please leave one pound per four apples - an Honesty Box! I wasn't that hungry so only took two apples, but still put a pound coin in the box.
The path crossed under the railroad tracks again, through a ridiculously scenic tunnel.
I passed through more fields and finally into the village of Hope and back to the inn, where I had a hearty lunch stew and a refreshing pint by the fire, in among the Hallowe'en decorations.
What I like about hiking in 2025 is that afterwards I can look back at where I went through the automatic tracking from my watch and phone.
You can see the exertion levels as the colour goes from leisurely green and yellow to intense orange and red. Can you guess where the steep bits were?
I then spent the rest of the day recuperating, and looking forward to another hike tomorrow.