LLM: 27-29 OCT 2017 PEAK DISTRICT - HIKING, YOGA MULTI-ACTIVITY

Let's go to the Peak District for a yoga, hiking and multi-activity weekend.

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YOGA

Yoga classes will run before breakfast each day and will be between one and two hours long. Please bring a yoga mat and loose clothing. Start times will be advised.

SATURDAY

There will be a 12-mile hike across moorland at Kinder Scout. This is a flat peat-filled plateau at 630 metres altitude with great views from the edges of the plateau. The terrain is covered in heather and strange wind-eroded rock formations. The peat is black and the underlying rock erodes to a white sand.

The area provides a great opportunity for map reading skills, so if you want to test yourself, please bring a map and compass. Instruction can be provided.

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WILDLIFE

We expect to see Red Grouse on the moor. They feed on young heather shoots, requiring the heather to be actively managed by burning every few years. The heather (Ling, Calluna vulgaris) may still be in flower in late October, making a lovely purple backdrop to photographs. We will also look for mountain hares amidst the heather.

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SUNDAY

There are several multi-activity options. Please indicate which you prefer, as we will have to make arrangements in advance.

1. Horse riding @about £30 an hour

2. Climbing/abseiling @ about £30 for a half day, if you advise well in advance. You will need your own specialist insurance for this arranged through British Mountaineering Council.

3. A 5-mile ridge walk via Mam Tor with panoramic views of Edale. This can finish in Castleton at a cake shop offering Bakewell tart, the Derbyshire specialty. There are also shops offering Blue John jewellery. The wet weather option for the walk is to go to the Blue John caves, to see how the semi-precious blue and white amethyst is mined, for about £12.We will depart for home at 4pm to return to London by 8pm.

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COST: £135

This includes 2 night's accommodation, 2 breakfasts, 2 packed lunches.

Accommodation is in bunk beds in rooms of 4 people. The accommodation has been upgraded recently and is in a Victorian Gothic mansion in its own grounds. Beers and wines are sold on the premises. This is based 2 miles from the village of Castleton.

Saturday dinner has been booked in Castleton, so you can choose what you like from the menu. Please advise whether you are a vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian, or if you have other dietary requirements. Dinner costs are not included.

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Transport costs are not included.

TRANSPORT

Car sharing should be arranged between the group members attending. It is a 3 to 4.5 hour drive from north London, depending on Friday traffic via M1. Car sharing costs might be between £25 and £45 depending on the number sharing in the car, to be set by the driver.

Alternatively, you can take a train via two journey legs. Here are the train details.

Part one of the journey is to Sheffield for about £15 return from Megabus on Friday from St Pancras International, but the last of these leaves at 1.30pm. Other train services are expensive, starting at about £61 return to Sheffield, with limited availability and specific times.

You can also get Megabus coaches leaving at many times from Victoria Coach station, including 3pm, 4pm, 4.30pm, 5pm, 6pm etc, taking 3 hr 45 mins to Sheffield (Meadowhall) for about £5 return.

Part two of the journey is via trains that run from Sheffield (Meadowhall) to Hope (Derbyshire) almost hourly through the afternoon and evening, take 42 minutes and costs about £14 return (via Trainline).

Hope station to our accommodation in Castleton (Derbyshire, not Castleton Manchester) is about 3.5 km by taxi. i.e. Castleton does not have a train station of its own.

Return trains from Hope to Meadowhall on Sunday are at 3.30pm, 4.30pm, 5.30pm, 6.30pm and 8.30pm.

Please note that Sheffield has two stations, Sheffield and Meadowhall. Also there is a Castleton in Manchester, which has a station, but the Castleton we are going to does not have its own station. The nearest station to Castleton (Derbyshire) is Hope.

EQUIPMENT

Please bring:

• Walking boots/shoes

• Waterproofs - jacket and trousers

• Warm layers

• Daysack

• Water bottle

• Towel

• Yoga clothes, yoga mats

• Ear plugs (just in case)

Youth Hostels provide bedding, so you do not need to bring a sleeping bag.

DISCLAIMER

This is an adult group, and you are responsible for ensuring your own safety. It is advised that you have suitable insurance to cover your activities. British Mountaineering Council provides specialist insurance to cover a variety of outdoor activities.