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The Independent
30-06-2025
- The Independent
Offgrid adventures: Connecting with nature and friends in the Peak District
There's a certain rhythm my friends and I have settled into over the past year. We might all live in different corners of the city – some of us juggling busy jobs, others leaning into the transitional periods that seem to be the foundation of our twenties – but nothing brings us together quite like a good hike. What started out as a solo venture to spend time off-grid, slowly grew into making new friends with shared passions that go beyond just our love of walking and nature. But wherever our lives take us, we keep finding our way back to where it all started – getting together in the Great Outdoors. So when the idea of finally ticking Kinder Scout off our hiking bucket list came up in the group chat, there wasn't much convincing needed. The Peak District had been calling our names for a while – a mix of dramatic moorland, rich history, and the unbeatable feeling of being fully immersed in nature. The perfect weekend to come together and conquer a new challenge. The great escape After wrapping up our busy weeks, we met up at St Pancras train station ready to leave the chaos of our lives behind for a few days. We opted for the train as a way to kick back, decompress and focus on catching up without the stresses of having to navigate traffic or busy roads. With our 26-30 Railcards in hand, we excitedly boarded the carriage, with the money saved on our train travel put elsewhere toward our weekend plans. The train journey was full of the usual – anticipation for the weekend ahead and moments of panic that we'd somehow managed to pack completely wrong. Then, before we knew it, we had arrived in Hope, Derbyshire. Arriving at our stay for the weekend – the charmingly named Mushrooms and Mullions Cottage – we excitedly ran through its cosy rooms to claim beds and take in the views. A simple midnight dinner of the viral Gigi Hadid pasta recipe fuelled us for the next day, and we settled into the space feeling sure this would be the reset we'd been craving. RDG 1 Carousel with one slide shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate between slides. Image 1 of 3 Saturday morning delivered exactly that. After a week of screens and city noise, we were ready for fresh air and an excuse to switch off. We set off from Upper Booth, picking out local ice cream from a vending machine – between us we had a mix of chocolate, honeycomb and mint chocolate chip. Spirits and blood-sugar high, we began the Kinder Scout trail. The landscape rolled out in every direction: endless green hills, stone paths underfoot and a gentle country breeze. It was a near-immediate transition to a steep climb, but with the consistent support and encouragement from one another we pushed through. We laughed through the struggles and gave ourselves room to pause and take it all in (or pretend to take it in while catching our breaths). But really those breaks came as a reminder of what the weekend was really about: connection to ourselves, nature and each other. RDG Gallery 2 Carousel with one slide shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate between slides. Image 1 of 3 We passed through the dramatic and winding gorge that is Grindsbrook Clough, which left both ourselves and our worries feeling small. The views throughout offered everything we could've hoped for: a proper challenge and some of the Peak District's most striking landmarks. Jacob's Ladder was our first major moment of awe as we navigated yet another steep but rewarding ascent – but this time giving us glimpses of the valley opening out behind us. We passed through the dramatic and winding gorge that is Grindsbrook Clough, which left both ourselves and our worries feeling small. These landmarks reminded us how much of a climb is about the journey, not just the summit. Between the outbursts of rain, we took time to take in the experience through stillness, singing along to favourite songs and in noticing the small things we often miss in everyday life, like bugs catching a ride on our sleeves. The further we hiked along the Kinder Scout trail, the stronger our feelings of a need to return. The trail humbled us. Each time we thought we'd reached the top, another hill revealed itself just beyond our view. But eventually, we came out the other side. Refuelling and resetting After the hike, we stopped for a celebratory pint at Ye Olde Nags Head in Castleton, soaking in the good weather with locals and other walkers. Even here, the scenic views continued as we took in the view of Mam Tor overlooking the quaint village – a perfect spot to take in all we'd just accomplished. From the backstory of Peveril Castle to its ties to Game of Thrones, it was clear to see how this charming village could hold such a rich history. We headed back to our cottage for a much-anticipated BBQ in the garden. Our legs heavy but proud, we quickly showered and prepped a well-deserved feast just in time for Golden Hour. We sat in the garden for hours until the sun had set, sharing plates and reflecting on the day. RDG GALLERY 3 Carousel with one slide shown at a time. Use the Previous and Next buttons to navigate between slides. Image 1 of 3 We hopped on the train feeling full – not only from the fruit and pancakes and the miles we had walked, but from the sense of togetherness we'd found along the way. Sunday morning came too quickly. We used it as an opportunity to soak in the weekend one last time as we enjoyed a final breakfast in the garden. We hopped on the train feeling full – not only from the fruit and pancakes and the miles we had walked, but from the sense of togetherness we'd found from the moment we hopped on the train at St. Pancras. While hiking is in many ways about the summit and views, it's also about the moments in between: carrying each other's backpacks, the moments that don't quite go according to plan and the shared appreciation while taking it all in. These are the moments that have stayed with us most, as we begin to plan out our next adventure. Enjoy great value British adventures by train From stunning nature and the Great Outdoors, to culture, cuisine and incredible scenery, there's no doubt Britain has it all in spades, and these unmissable adventures are just a simple, enjoyable train ride away. So there's never been a better time to start planning some Great British getaways, from day trips to weekends away or a longer staycation. With Railcard, whether you're travelling solo or with a friend, on a couples weekend or off on holiday with the family, you can save on all sorts of train journeys around Great Britain. Railcard helps you save a third off rail travel and for just £35 for the year, it pays for itself in no time. With nine different Railcards available, find the one for you at So make this your year to get out, experience and explore everything on your doorstep and enjoy truly great value getaways.
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Walking the Pennine Way put everything into perspective for me, including my right to be here
Dear Pennine Way: I'd like to wish you a happy 60th birthday. Many thousands have trodden along you, and so have I. You've brought us blisters but also beautiful views, buoyed spirits and a renewed sense of belonging. I got the idea to walk the Pennine Way – which on 24 April turns 60 – after being racially abused on a TransPennine train journey. A man asked me if I had a British passport, threatened to set me on fire and told me to go back to where I'm from. The latter hit a nerve: I am from the North of England and proud of it. One day I was looking at a map of that journey and saw the Pennine mountains rising up. I zoomed closer and saw a place called Hope, and I determined that I'd walk through the glorious place I'm from and try to channel hope throughout. Walking was transformative to my physical and mental health. I'd been suffering from anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder – racism and inequality affect mental health. Walking was ameliorative as I focused my attention on the wonders of wildlife, burned away stress by the River Ribble and felt my heart beat louder as I hiked on up through the Yorkshire Dales, stopping to marvel at the view from Pen-y-ghent as the clouds began to clear. I walked along the 'backbone' of the country – as the Pennines are known due to their astonishing limestone cliff formations – as a way of showing backbone myself: I won't let racial abuse stop me adventuring in a country where I belong. My journey was inspired by the Manchester Ramblers from my home town, who walked against exclusion in the Kinder Scout mass trespass – which celebrates its 93rd anniversary also on 24 April. Their walk helped improve access to the countryside, paving the way for the formation of the Peak District (the country's first national park), the Pennine Way, and the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The Manchester Ramblers – immortalised in Ewan MacColl's song – showed that they could help walk the world to a better future. It's important to ensure that their hard-won freedoms aren't eroded: England's national parks are imperilled due to budget cuts. It's vital we speak up for their existence, for their belonging here. There were moments when I thought I couldn't go on – not least after almost toppling off Malham Cove – but what fuelled my footsteps, alongside the extraordinary landscape, was a burning sense of defiance. In Settle in the Yorkshire Dales, I saw a plaque commemorating the journey of Alfred Wainwright, who walked the Way in 1938 and wrote A Pennine Journey, published in 1986. Reading it was enraging on account of the misogynistic stereotypes – Wainwright writes about 'the wild joys of boyhood' and comments: 'I've wondered many a time: have the ladies the same capacity for enthusiasm? … I have not yet witnessed genuine enthusiasm in one of them; often I have seen a pretence of it, but the divine spark was missing.' I may be missing the 'divine spark', but my enthusiasm powered me on over mountains, valleys and considerable obstacles, all the way to the sadly now felled Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian's Wall. Toxic prejudices still persist about who belongs here and who is capable. My book, titled I Belong Here, is a chronicle of my Pennine journey and also a clarion call for rightful belonging in the face of hostile and persistent exclusion of minorities from societal power structures, and media, and publishing and literary landscapes. Ironically one agent advised me to take out the word 'Pennines', because 'the book won't sell as no one cares about the north'. I was also told that someone like me couldn't be a travel and nature writer – the subtext being that I was not white and/or male so I did not fit with the 'lone enraptured male' profile prevalent in this genre (Wainwright might be turning in his grave to know I was shortlisted for a nature-writing prize named after him. My PE teacher would be surprised too. As we celebrate this great walking path, it's worth remembering how far there still is to go for all to be safe and free and welcome while walking through the world. In England, 92% of the land is not covered by the right to roam, contrasting with Scotland, where the public has access to walk through most of it as long as they do so responsibly. England's land is still entrenched in centuries-old feudal inequality. And as women walking, we face greater levels of harassment outdoors, the vulnerabilities heightened for a woman of colour with risk of racist harassment. Long-distance hiking is a lesson in stoicism in the face of obstacles. It's an apt metaphor for the journey through life – little wonder that the walk has been a literary trope for centuries. But rather than approaching the Way as a competitive sport, I did it my way, as it were; I didn't care about finishing fastest but wanted to savour each step instead. So happy birthday, dear Pennine Way. Five years on from my epic journey, I'm trying to keep walking a hopeful path. I hope if anyone who's reading this today (or in 60 years), feels stuck or lost in life, or crushed by discrimination, that you don't give up, that you keep on going; that you believe you belong here, because you do. I hope you'll keep going for the view along the way as well as from the top of the mountain. Anita Sethi is the author of I Belong Here: A Journey Along the Backbone of Britain and is featured in the new exhibition A Trail of Inspiration: the Pennine Way at 60
