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December 1986

Scout Y.H.A. Holidays

Me, Annette, Matt, Vanessa, Charlotte,
Brendan N, Issac S, Luke N, Josh B, Sam A, Jack W, Jude A.

Saturday 18th - Annette decides to drive to Rowsley, I will go on the bus. We all meet at Derby, at 7:40am. Get on the TransPeak at 7:50am. Get off at Rowsley about 9am, Annette arrives shortly afterwards. We walk to Eyam YH. Jude and Sam are on cook team. We do two pans of Chicken curry with onion and four pans of rice. Goes down very well. The leaders have some drinks from the bar, they have bottles of Pedigree. The scouts have showers etc. and then come down to the lounge. It is a bit short of games, but we improvise a Trivial Pursuit challenge between leaders and kids. We are in bed for 11pm.

Sunday 19th - Up at 8am. Get Luke and Josh on breakfast duty, they do bacon and sausage sandwiches. Check out of the Youth Hostel just after 10am. We all walk down to the village and they spend till 11:15 exploring. Head west to Foolow, stop for a little break. Down to Wardlow Mires and into a very wet Cressbrook dale. At 13:30 as we are walking down Cressbrook dale the sun comes and we stop for lunch. We get into Taddington with 15 minutes to spare for the 16:55 TransPeak. It is the same driver as on the way up. Annette, Matt and Vanessa get off at Rowsley and drive the cars back.

Me, Annette, James T, Adam B, Edward B, Ethan B, Austin W

Friday 17th - Catch the train from Derby at 16:30. Change at Sheffield, then get off at Hope. Walk from Hope over the fields to Bradwell. Buy more sausages there. Up behind the cement works and into Castleton youth hostel. About the right distance, 3.8 miles. We have good views across to Mam Tor etc. and can see the lone tree. We cook hot dogs for supper. Almost get annoyed at them for not going to sleep. They are noisy till late into the night.

Saturday 18th - Start walking at 9:45, after a couple of them have to run back to the hostel for gloves, hat etc. Walk up the old Mam Tor road they are all interested by the movement of the earth. Have elevenses on the top of Mam Tor and then lunch by the lone tree. Carry on along the ridge and into Hope for a cup of tea at the Blue Apple tea shops. Buy some more food at Hope Spar and have a relaxed walk over the fields back to Castleton for 4:30pm. After a cup of tea we all go up Cave Dale to explore. Back and cook Chicken curry and Chicken sweet and sour with rice. Go for a late wander round town to try and find the 24/7 fudge shop, it is shut! All tired and in bed by 11pm.

Sunday 19th - They are all fast asleep when I go to wake them at 8am. We have a good breakfast and leave the hostel at 11am. Call at the fudge shop. Walk back over the fields to Hope and then up past Twitchill farm and the very steep path to the top of Win Hill. Lunch on the top. Annette navigates all day. Some mountain bikers come shooting past us on the way down Parkin Clough. Walk along through Aston and on to the Old Hall for refreshment. Catch the train at 16:38 from Hope. No room on the Sheffield train, stand up all the way back.

Me, Annette, Rachael, Tom F, Glen R, Callum R, William A, Charles P, Tim A, Tom B, Toby K

Friday 14th - Annette and I get the 2pm TransPeak up to Taddington. Have a quick pint in the Queen's Arms whilst we phone Rachael to tell her she is on her own with the scouts on the TransPeak. We walk through Great Shacklow woods into Ashford, Annette navigates. Have a nice meal outside at the Ashford Arms whilst we wait, very hot. The bus is a little delayed and arrives shortly after 7pm. Walk the scouts along by the river into Bakewell, take the footpath up though Endcliff woods and arrive at the hostel over the fields, total of just over a mile. Try to catch out Charles with the sleeping bag hoax, but he does not fall for it. Check the scouts into the hostel and they explore. Only a couple of other people in. Walk them into town and we buy a football and go to the chippy for tea. They seem to have run out of everything except chips. Annette and Rachael go to buy food for tomorrow and relax in the Wheatsheaf. Play football on the park till gone 10pm, lovely warm evening. Callum and Toby get dropped off at the hostel late on. We all watch a bit of telle when we get back. Annette and Rachael have some trouble finding the hostel again. After a bit of noise they all seem to go to sleep.

Saturday 15th - Most of the scouts are up for 7.30am. Cook bacon and eggs. Leave the hostel just before 10am. Charles navigates us along the Wye above Haddon Hall. Frequent rests since it is very warm. Call by the Grouse and Claret hoping to eat in the next field. The landlady invites us in and we make our sandwiches on the pub tables outside sheltering from the sun. Walk along to Darley Bridge, and we send a good hour playing in the river. Whilst we are resting just before Matlock, Thomas Fitchett thinks that Rachael looks a bit too hot and cools her off with a load of water, everyone ends up getting soaked. All tired when we get to Matlock. The final walk uphill to the hostel is tough. I am impressed by the hostel since I have my own private room with telle, wash basin and chest of drawers. Get the scouts together to decide what to eat. In the end decide on Chicken curry and stir-fry. I go down to Somerfield with Annette to buy the ingredients. The scouts cook, the curry goes down well, the stir-fry not so well. The scouts have a room to themselves and enjoy a pillow fight.

Sunday 16th - Awake at 7.30am, the scouts are a little quieter than yesterday morning and a bit more difficult to get out of bed. Bacon and eggs again for breakfast. Play football in the park whilst the girls buy some dinner supplies from Somerfield. Start walking at about 11am, walk over the top of High Tor, good views from the top, very hot. Walk though Matlock on the road to start with and then cross the river. The footpath unfortunately runs out at the boundary with Willersley Castle. Annette and I climb to the top to try and find a way round, but to no avail. We have to turn back for a short way. Cross back over a bridge which the council had obviously closed by mistake, since there is nothing wrong with it. Get to Cromford meadows for about 1.30pm. We all go for a refreshing dip in the Derwent. Have sandwiches and crisps by the river. The scouts decide that Annette and Rachael need to be cooled down as well with loads of water. Set off again at 3pm. Nice shady walk along the canal. Finish at the Derwent hotel at Whatstandwell. We all have a nice cold drink round the back in the shade. Catch the TransPeak at 17:34 on schedule, Derby Morledge for 18:10.

Me, Helen, Jo W, James P, Nick H, Tim S, Tim S.

Friday 23rd - Bay 13 at 9.45am. Get off at Buxton. Walk up through Small Dale to Peak Forest and then Castleton. At the Y.H. for 5pm. Lots of lying snow. Me and Helen cook tea, Spag Bol. The scouts play in the quiet room. We have a private room at the hostel.

Saturday 24th - Bacon and eggs for breakfast. Catch Helen and Tim out with 'But elephants don't lay eggs'. Mr. Bugg brings William up and takes Helen home. Set off for Bradwell, it starts raining very heavily, we all get soaked. Walk through Great Hucklow. Down Silly Dale and then Cressbrook Dale. Nick and both Tims navigate. Have some nice drinking chocolate at Water Cum Jolly. Not many people at Ravenstor. The scouts play a lot of pool downstairs. We have a large room to ourselves and the scouts are very well behaved.

Sunday 25th - Full covering of snow in the morning. Sausages and beans for breakfast. One woman is in fits of laughter watching them cook it. Walk along the railway trail to Monsal viaduct. James does the map reading. Buy them fish and chips in Bakewell. TransPeak home.

Me, Edna, Pat, William B, Paul F, Steve H, Steve M, Matt S, Tim S, Joseph M, Tom D.

Thursday 28th - Catch the TransPeak at Bay 13. It takes two hours to get to Chapel due to lots of road works. Gloomy weather, walk over a golf course towards Whitehall Activity centre. Edna and Pat call in at the 'London Road' for coffee. Burgers, beans and waffles followed by steam puddings for tea. The scouts play a lot of chess. We are in a room by ourselves. They don't shut up so I throw my torch at Tim.

Friday 29th - Usual fried breakfast, takes a long time, leave by about 10.30am. Tim leaves his wallet behind. Usual route, Staden, Deep Dale, Chee Dale, lots of stone throwing. We have dinner by the river. Good cups of tea at Miller's Dale. Walk along the trail to Ravenstor. Paul F drives up to the hostel through the back garden. Spag Bol for tea and then play scrabble with Edna and Pat, the lads sleep well.

Saturday 30th - Walk along Monsal Dale, then up Deep Dale to Sheldon, Magpie mine for lunch, bitterly cold. Haddon Grove and into Lathkil dale. The little one's get tired. See lots of fish from the bridge at Raper Lodge, feed them cheese sandwiches. At Youlgreave have fish and chips for tea. On the way Tim gets a black eye somehow, he goes home for a party. Go to the Bull's Head, play snooker, the older scouts come with us. Back to the hostel, get told off for turning on the lights.

Sunday 31st - Not much left for breakfast, away by 10am. 'Bowling Green' at Winster for lunch. Rush all afternoon, via Upper Town and Bonsall, get separated above Matlock Bath, meet up at the bus stop. We just missed the 3.30pm bus, some parents come and pick us up.

Me, Christine Taylor, Robert Taylor, Richard B, Matt S, Ian G.

Friday 19th - Bay 13 at 6pm. Very nearly catch the 201 to Leek instead of the TransPeak. Get off at Matlock and walk up to Wensley, first time in this village. On though Winster to Elton, nice evening, lots of tea and biscuits. Edna is highly amused by the warden. A group of cyclists from Mansfield are the only others there.

Saturday 20th - Walk up Long Dale and Gratton Dale. Eat our sandwiches outside at the Jug and Glass, good views across to the Mermaid. Walk though Middleton to Youlgreave. Well Dressing are all around the village. Have a huge fish and chips for tea, feel very full. Only manage to struggle a pint and a half down in the Bulls Head.

Sunday 21st - Not fancy any breakfast. Very hot day, walk into Winster and go to the Bowling Green for lunch, they tell us three times that we cannot eat our own sandwiches there. Walk though Bonsall and into Matlock Bath.

Me, Pat, Edna, Sandra Taylor, Christine Taylor, Robert Taylor, Richard B, Rob C, Matt S, Steve M, Ste H.

Thursday 23rd - Bay 13 at 9.45am, bus to Buxton. Walk up Cunning Dale and then Chee Dale, paddle in the river. Have sandwiches by the same bridge. Ste H goes in the river. Have burgers for tea. They are on the pool table most of the evening. Julie drives up and drops off Edna and Pat. Have lots of cups of tea and chat when they arrive.

Friday 24th - Bacon and Eggs for breakfast. A bit of rain. Walk up Tideswell Dale, into Tideswell, the first time for me. Across to Monks Dale, very rough. Walk to Peak Forest, have dinner outside and then go in the pub when it starts raining. Go over the top into Cave Dale. Go shopping in Castleton. We had planned to take then for fish and chips but it shuts early. Decide to take them all to the George for a meal instead. Stay for a drink with Edna and Pat.

Saturday 25th - Dave Taylor brings Christine, Sandra and Flod up at 10.30am. Walk up Winnats Pass, Mam Tor, Loose Hill. Quick drink and sandwiches at the Cheshire cheese. Go over Win Hill and then down to Thorn. Along the river Noe, over Offerton moor. See the Y.H. on the horizon from miles away. Walk though Abney, very steep last bit up to the hostel. The ladies do a very good stew for tea. Go over to the Barrel Inn with Flod, Christine and Sandra, have a few shots in ski style. Matt S terrorized two old blokes who were hoping for a quiet night at Bretton Y.H.

Sunday 26th - Let them have a lie in. Takes the ladies a cup of tea in bed. Have scrambled egg for breakfast. Walk down to Baslow, dinner in the bus shelter, heavy rain. Walk down though Chatsworth Park, Carlton Lees, catch the bus from Rowsley.

Me, Pat, Edna, Robert Taylor. Richard B, Rob C, Matt S, Tim F, Ste H, Steve M, Rich H, Robert M.

Sunday 27th - Catch the bus up to Matlock Bath. Walk over to Druid's Inn, Birchover. Have sandwiches sitting on the Nine Ladies. Some of the scouts attempt to climb Stanton Tower. Haddon's fields, along the river in the dark. Spag bol for tea. They have a loud game of Dingbats. Me and Flod go to the Red Lion.

Monday 28th - Bacon omelette for breakfast. Leave at 10am, Richard B navigates, get a bit lost coming out from Bakewell again. Over Haddon, up Lathkil dale, go on to Monyash, Bulls head for lunch. Viability drops to 50 yards due to fog in the afternoon. Robert starts feeling sick. Burgers for tea. Play Dingbats in the quiet room. Get told off by the warden for noise, incoming phone calls, burnt toast, etc.

Tuesday 29th - Robert was sick in the night, decide he should go home. Me and a few other scouts seem to have caught his stomach bug. I wait in a coffee shop while his dad comes to get him. He gives me a lift across to meet the rest of them at the Butcher's Arms. Rob C navigates. Walk on to the Mermaid, they let us inside to eat our sandwiches. Flod walks to Leek to catch the bus home. We walk on to Gradbach Mill. Gets dark as we walk along the road to the Y.H., get a little lost on the footpath into the hostel. Corn beef hash for tea then play in the games room.

Wednesday 30th - Only cereal for breakfast. Walk over the Roaches, sunny day. Richard H and Steve M lag behind, misty on the top. Ste H navigates. Lazy Trout at Meerbrook for lunch, we have plenty of time. Wander into Leek an hour early.

Me, Pat, Edna, Robert Taylor, William B, Paul F, Lee P, Jonathan P, David S, Andy G, Paul G, Andy W, Anthony W, Robert M, Ian G, Daniel B, Ian B, Matt S, Richard B.

Thursday 4th - Everyone meets at Derby bus station at 9.45 am. Catch a bus up to Taddington, it starts to rain as soon as we get off the bus. Walk over some new territory, i.e. Wardlow and Foolow, and then on to Eyam. A short walk of 8 miles becomes a 10 mile slog in the rain. David S has an asthma attack and Edna has a twisted ankle. Put Lee in charge of the young one's in dorm 7. Edna and Pat do a chicken curry for tea.

Friday 5th - Good sunny start. Bacon, egg, beans and toast for breakie. Rain starts as soon as we leave the hostel. Walk directly south to Youlgreave. Go via Great Longstone to Bakewell for lunch. Let the scouts loose around town for an hour. Have a good chat with Edna and Pat in the Pudding shop. William and Paul fail to rejoin us. Decide that they 'will be OK' and we push on to Over Haddon. Walk 270 degrees round Youlgreave before going in. William and Paul are waiting there, I think they caught the bus. Flod gets dropped of at 8.30pm. Have chips and burgers from the chip shop. We get talking to two nice teachers from down south. Convince the scouts we are leaving these teachers in charge of them while we go to the Bulls Head.

Saturday 6th - Sunny in the morning then rain in afternoon. Have lunch at the Sycamore in Parwich, they allow everyone in to eat our own sandwiches. Heavy rain during our walk to Ilam Hall. Corn beef hash for tea. They play pool most of the evening. Me, Flod, Edna and Pat just sit and drink lots of tea.

Sunday 7th - Cornflakes for breakfast, have to drag them away from the pool table. Walk down the river, plenty of rests, more rain. Get everyone into the Okeover Arms for sandwiches, stay for three hours. Wander on to Ashbourne, catch the 5.10pm bus home.

Me, Pat, Edna, Matt S, Johnny P, Paul F, Rich M, Chinney, Charlie B, Andy G, Ian B, Ian G.

Friday 19th - Meet at Derby railway station at 5pm, catch the train up to Sheffield and then on to Hope. Walk in the dark up to Castleton, they enjoy playing table tennis. Charlie and 3 others sneak out and get served in the George. Very difficult to get them to be quiet, the others in the dorm get very annoyed.

Saturday 20th - Walk to Buxton today. Have dinner in the Midland Hotel in Peak Dale. Take a detour down Cumming Dale and then Staden. Overcast all day. Beef burgers and waffles for tea. They all want to go to the pub, take them for a walk round town. Play JP at connect 4.

Sunday 21st - Walk to Hartington via Buxton quarry and then the Pack Horse at Crowdecote. A jazz band are playing. JP asks for a go on the guitar and wears the players hat. Let the older ones go on at 2pm. We stay till 3.30pm, wander down the valley to the hostel, the shop is shut so we have cheese on toast for tea. Chat with Edna and Pat all evening.

Monday 22nd - Walk to Elton Y.H. Lots of road in the morning. Go though Middleton to Youlgreave. Call in at the Bull's Head. We have a toastie inside while they play on the gambler. Walk to Robin Hood's stride, Andy G navigates. We play on the rocks for a long time. Walk across to Elton Y.H. Stew for tea. Play rummy with Pat and Edna. Meet a girl called Kathryn Munt.

Tuesday 23rd - Go for lunch at the Rising Sun, we have toasties again. The scouts have frozen bread, jam and cheese. Walk down along the High Peak trail. Kathryn walks with us until the canal. Walk along the canal and catch the train from Whatstandwell.

This shows us later on the same day down by the Cromford canal having another small rest.

Me, William B, Paul F, Anthony F, Ian G.

Friday 4th - Usual start from Bay 13, catch the TransPeak up to Bakewell Y.H., play the Towers of Hanoi game, work out the formula for the number of goes required.

Saturday 5th - Walk up Miller's Dale, very hot. Walk up Chee Dale for the first time, have a paddle in the river. Walk up Deep Dale. William and Paul read the map all day. Have sausage and beans for tea. Play blockbusters. The picture shows Ian hidden under my old blue hat.

Sunday 6th - Nice day, head out of Buxton to the Goyt valley. Have lunch at the Cat and Fiddle. Walk past the 'Three Shire Heads', make a mental note to come back here soon, I don't return until Oct 2002. Have a paddle in the stream, wander on down to Gradbach Mill. Have the dried meals for tea, they don't like corn beef hash! Play snooker at the hostel.

Monday 7th - Play a little snooker in the morning. Have some fun finding Lud's church, do some rock scrabbling. Walk over the Roaches, a bit of rain. Walk over to the Lazy Trout for a late lunch. Wander back to Leek and catch the bus.

April 8th to 11th 1988. Dimmingsdale, Ilam Hall, Elton.

Me, Flod, Anna, Edna, Robert B, Mark B, Johnny H, Nick V, Jimmy K, Anthony D, Jamie W, Mark E, Lee P, Jonathan J.

Friday 8th April - Go and pick up Anna, Flod and Lee. Drive down to the Cockpit island. Meet the scouts at the Bus station, nearly bus the 11.50am bus. Get to Waterhouses at 12.30. Do a good walk through some quarries. Go past a JCB test track. Walk through Wootton Lodge deer park and get told not to eat our dinner there. Actually eat at about 3pm. Walk through Alton Park and get watched by a video camera. Walk about three miles beside the river Churnet. Walk past Alton Castle. Take a footpath up to Dimmingsdale Y.H. Have considerable difficulty finding the hostel.

Saturday 9th - Wake up to lots of snow. JK arrives. We walk off in the wrong direction, cut through the wood to Oakamoor. Walk up a steep hill. Stop in a school play ground in Whiston for a rest. The scouts run around as usual. After a while a man shouts 'Who is in charge here !' The scouts have mistakenly trampled his flower bed through the snow and he is not amused. Stop for lunch near the Green Man at Bottom house. Get to Ilam and see the Manifold water rising.

Sunday 10th - Have sausage and beans for breakfast. Ready by 10am. Nick V goes home. Nice sunny day. Some of us take a detour over the top of Thorpe Cloud. Walk into Tissington and Parwich. We go to the Sycamore Inn in Parwich and they play by the stream. Just miss the shop closing time. Go to a farm and buy 36 eggs, carry them carefully in a brown paper bag. The scouts all walk off without us. We have no map and cannot see them. Eventually we meet up. Go down Gratton dale and on to Elton. Have potato and cheese omelettes for tea.

April 18th to 22nd 1987. Ravenstor, Bakewell, Eyam, Castleton.

Me, Dave Elks, Robert B, Mark B, Mark P, Lee P, Jimmy K, Jamie W, Charlie B, Jonathan J, William B, Anthony D.

Saturday 18th. - Catch the bus to Bakewell. Walk along the river to Ashford for dinner.
Go up to Monsal Head and then on to Cressbrook Mill. Enter Ravenstor along the ridge from the south. Play rounders outside while Dave cooks chicken curry and rice. Dave takes some of them for Dragons and Dungeons while I look after the others, have plenty of games of pool. They go to bed at 11.30pm and are very quiet!

Sunday 19th - Dig 3 huge splinters out of Lee's foot before we can set off. They do the map reading. Walk back along the Wye and then to Little Longstone. Go past Bakewell to make it a little longer. Go paddling in the river for an hour. After tea walk round Bakewell and some of them phone home. I do the Towers of Hanoi in six minutes.

Monday 20th - Windy and overcast, Mark P does the navigating, Rib Lee about his D+D tactics. Have dinner in an Open cast mine. Wander down to Stoney Middleton and then up to Eyam. Get to the Y.H. at 3pm. Have a good rest and then go into the woods for a wide game. Dehydrated mince for tea. Walk round the village later with Benny and Mark.

Tuesday 21st - Set off at 10.20, walk up though the woods and along the ridge. Walk though Abney, see lots of hang gliders. Good view down to Bradwell. Walk though the cement works to Castleton, arrive at 4.15pm. Dave takes some of them up to the castle. Dave does more D and D.

Wednesday 22nd - Walk up Cave Dale and over the top, make them wait for their dinner till 1.30pm. Walk on to Buxton and then back to Derby for 6pm.

Me, Dave Elks, Lee P, Johnny D, Jamie W, Charlie B, Matt L, Robert B, Mark B, Jimmy K, Andy G, Jonathan J, Anthony D.

Friday 5th - Catch the bus up to Bakewell at 8pm. First time Y.H. for the scouts who go. They have rearranged the beds to gets us in. I sleep in the snug. The scouts cause very little trouble.

Saturday 6th - Get up at 7.30am to a very clear, cold day. Start walking at 10am. It is the first time that the scouts have had to carry their own gear. Walk up Lathkil Dale. Stop for dinner at Arbor Low, play a few games for a while. They all do a bit of map reading. Get to Hartington for 4.30pm. They enjoy exploring and looking for the ghost. Dave takes them for Dragons and Dungeons. Quiet by midnight.

Sunday 7th - Have eggs and toast for breakfast. Make some sandwiches for dinner. Lave at 10am again. Head for Gratton Dale, most of them do pretty well, carry Andy G's rucksack for a while. Have dinner at Dale End. Get to the bus for 4pm. Benny provides entertainment on the bus all the way back.