Hello all!
Well, I've had a very busy weekend - as some of you have probably seen - and again I'll not bore you with too many words but I'll shove some lovely pictures up for you! It is just about possible at this time of year to make it into the Peak District in time for sunrise. I took the 6.20 train to Edale, arriving at 6.55 - leaving me about 50 minutes to get up to the top of Mam Tor before sunrise. I actually made it up in 35 minutes, with all my camera gear weight, starting in the dark and making my way through 6inch deep mud, which I am somewhat proud of - so had plenty of time to find a spot. Now, I wasn't expecting it to be dead quiet up there, but upon arriving at the top I found photographer after photographer after photographer. They are a friendly bunch, all polite with each other making sure not to get in each other's shots - but there is certainly a certain amount of vying for the popular spots - but again nobody hogs them for too long.
Before arriving in Edale, I was actually undecided whether to head on up Grindslow Knoll or Mam Tor - and am I glad I chose Mam Tor! Once the sky started to brighten it became very obvious that Kinder and Grindslow Knoll were covered in dense cloud - which clung to it all morning even whilst the rest of the sky was perfectly clear.
After the sun had risen and the others had started drifting off I set off along the ridge to catch the train back from Hope - and it was lovely being up there so early on, before the millions of other walking folk came out - enjoying watching the mist slowly rise out of the surrounding valleys.
