What better way to celebrate the Christmas holiday than with a walk in the Peak District? I was staying at YHA Castleton and had a rough plan to climb first to Losehill, then along the ridge to Hollin’s Cross and Mam Tor, three scenic peaks overlooking the Hope valley. Here’s a photograph of the youth hostel, which opened recently at Losehill Hall, replacing the previous youth hostel at Castleton Hall.

Shortly after leaving the hostel and taking the footpath directly behind it this sign is encountered. Yes, I’m walking away from Hope.

After crossing the small stream and walking through a few fields, it is easy to find the way to the summit of Losehill. From there, the path along the ridge isn’t just obvious; for much of its length, it is built from heavy flagstones. Here is the view from near the summit of Mam Tor. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who thought it would be a good idea to climb up here today!

From the other side of Mam Tor, a great many parked cars could be seen lining the roads, presumably belonging to walkers who had driven up to Castleton for the day.

After enjoying the view from the summit, I followed the ridge back to Backtor and then descended by a public footpath towards Castleton, before taking a small detour straight back to the hostel.