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| One Day I'll make it to the top. |
"Let's just take a drive up to the Top Brink." We had just been to the post office to pick up a parcel and were on our way to the supermarket to do a weekly shop. I hadn't planned it, honestly, but what happened next is the most spontaneous and awesome thing we have ever done in a long time. As we drove along the tops past the farms and looked at the breathtaking views over Tod Stoodley Pike came into view. I stopped and took a few happy snaps. As we got closer to Harvelin Park (the house estate below the Pike) I convinced GO to park the car and we'd just walk a little way up the road to get a better look. The path was iced over as we'd had a snowfall a few days previously and it was still very cold, we both kept slipping. "We'll go to the end of the path" I was concerned about how we'd get back down, the path was quite treacherous in places. As we reached the gate, a lady and her daughter caught up with us, "you carrying on?" She asked. I explained that it was slippy, she told us there was an easier path with steps that might not be too bad. We grudgingly decided to carry on, we followed the lady for a while but as I kept stopping to take photos, we soon lost her. It was then that I realised I was actually walking up to Stoodley Pike. I was ticking off two of my bucket list items, not only was "doing Stoodley" I was doing a winter walk. I was woefully unprepared, we didn't even have any refreshments. We passed others on the Pennine Way, who were on the descent, everybody was in a good mood. People stopped and told us which way to go, which was less icy. I won't pretend it was easy, I am not as fit as I like to think I am. 2 miles in Tod is a thousand times harder than 12 miles in Oxford. At the highest point we were at an elevation of over 600 feet. As we reached the summit it we were bathed in a glorious winter sun, the battery on the camera and my phone gave out (both worked fine again as we got back to ground level) and I stopped looking for photo opportunities and just took in the wonder of the view. What a view! I could see for miles. There were all kinds of "walkers" at the summit; hard core runners who hard run up and would now run back down, fully kitted out hikers who were doing the Pennine Way, families with kids and dogs, teenagers trying keep themselves out of mischief. It would be lovely to say we all chatted and shared stories, but we were all so tired that nobody said a word. GO and I decided to walk down the other side trying to find the steps. We never did, but the walk down was just as awesome as the climb up.
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| Just a short walk |
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| We won't go all the way |
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| Hometown boy |
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| Shall we give it a go? |
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| Perfect day for it |
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| Let's go |
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| Snowy Walk |
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| Winters Day |
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| This looks safe... |
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| He ran the whole way without slipping |
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| What a view |
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| I live here now |
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| Icy |
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| Will it take my weight? |
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| It took his |
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| Countryside Code |
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| Not a bad place to live |
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| Pennine Way |
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| Proper walkers now |
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| I'm not tired, honest |
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| Low winter sun |
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| I am storming ahead |
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| Might give this a go one day |
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| We didn't follow any of these arrows |
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| It's behind you |
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| Up and over |
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| Deep snow |
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| I'm nearly there |
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| Gotta take a happy snap |
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| Yeah, of course he picked it up |
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| Moody/tired - same thing really |
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| I look well chuffed |
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| The view from the top |
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| My Brittany moment |
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| Top of the world Ma |
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| We began our descent as the sun set |
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| Sunset from the summit |
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| We went down with the sun |
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| Epic Hike |
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| Magical |
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He can't believe we did it either
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