Chris wanted to explore more of Winnats Pass, but the promise of no wind and rain DID NOT last.
We had started our climb through Winnats Pass (we toted hiking boots all the way to London so we had to wear them at least once), passing sheep, and climbing to the ridge, only to find the ridge continued on.
We had read about Mam Tor "Mother Hill" in our research, and what do you know, we were almost to the trail head as we topped the ridge.
"Mam Tor is 2 km north-west of Castleton in the Peak District, Derbyshire, where it stands between the White Peak and Dark Peak. The summit of Mam Tor is ringed by the remains of the ditch and rampart of a once-great Iron Age hillfort, but it is also famous for its large landslide in the 1970s."
We continued on in the rain. As we climbed higher, the rain and wind increased. Good thing we were wearing gloves, rain jackets, and scarves. Mam Tor was socked in with clouds, so we didn’t get much of a view. And it was cold.
We decided to make our descent following a different path. I’m not sure it was the best route as I slipped and fell in mud twice! Chris slipped a time or two but managed to stay upright.
Good thing as he was wearing his wool coat.
I was grateful when we arrived back at the rental car. I had a plastic bag in the trunk from my hiking boots and I sat on it the rest of the day with my wet and muddy pants.
We made a stop in Castleton, though with the continued wind and rain, we opted not to hike to Peveril Castle. There were a few cute shops in Castleton and a bakery for some treats.
We had originally made reservations to visit Chatsworth House Gardens and Christmas Market on Friday afternoon, but due to the storm, we received notification of a cancellation and were able to reschedule for Saturday. The rain was much less crazy, but it was still misting on us throughout the evening.
Having a rain jacket that was big enough to fit over my fleece vest and puffy jacket helped me to stay warm for most of the day. At least on my top half. Having landed in a puddle and mud, my pants were rather soaked on my right side.
We found our way to Chatsworth House and got into the queue for parking. It was crazy busy and apparently one of their parking areas for 600 cars was covered in water and inaccessible. We were lucky to get a parking spot that was fairly close to the Christmas Market.
The Christmas Market was a proper market instead of like the ones in Manchester. Chris and I perused the booths, enjoyed the band of Santas, and did a little Christmas shopping.
We had timed tickets to view the gardens.
Before entering the gardens, Chris bought a cheese, ham, and pesto crepe along with a very hot hot chocolate for us to eat as we walked in. The crepe was so good I asked if he would go back and get another one for us to share.
The gardens themselves were underwhelming. I was thinking that trees would be decked out in Christmas lights, but mostly they used laser lights aimed at the trees. The estate house featured a light show, but I wouldn’t recommend the gardens.
There was another ticket option that allowed you to walk through parts of the house, but we had opted not to do that.
The Christmas Market closed at 6 pm, so once we finished touring the gardens, we drove back to our hotel in Buxton.
We parked at the hotel and walked into town for a late dinner. Chris had a pizza and I ate a garden vegetable dish.