Introduction
I recently posted about my goals and aims for 2025, and one of which was to get out of my comfort zone. For the past year or two, I’ve played it quite safe and stuck to my comfort zone whenever possible. I stopped going to the supermarket and instead ordered groceries online. I cancelled my gym membership, stopped playing football, didn’t attend Pokémon TCG events as often as I wanted to, etc. With such a hard ending to 2024, I decided that I wanted 2025 to be different; I wanted to challenge myself. I started out on day 1 by getting myself to my first ever solo Parkrun (and first Parkrun since 2019!), and even spoke to a stranger there. Days 2 and 3 also saw me push myself…
Thursday 2nd January 2025 – Ladybower
I drove my brother home to Wakefield from Wolverhampton. Driving is not something I enjoy, especially with passengers, so a 2 hour 45-minute drive was quite the challenge! After dropping him home, I drove for another hour to Bamford, where I had booked me and Lupin in for an overnight stay. This was my first ever solo break. I checked in at the Yorkshire Bridge Inn, dropped some things off, and headed straight out to see the Ladybower Reservoir. Lupin had been really well-behaved in the car and was grateful to finally get to stretch his legs!
I’d wanted to see the Ladybower for ages but had never gotten around to it. Apparently, the plugholes hadn’t been flowing for months, but due to recent rainfall were in full flow when me and Lupin arrived. It was very picturesque! We walked a little further past and to the side of the reservoir but it was getting quite dark and was a bit icy in places. We then turned back on ourselves and headed back to our accommodation.
The evening was a bit strange to be by myself! I ate my Tesco meal deal, messaged a few people, cuddled with Lupin, did some planning for our next hike, then decided to have a shower and get all warm and cozy with a hot chocolate and a new book. After a few chapters I decided to call it a night and we settled in to bed.
Friday 3rd January 2025 – Win Hill
I woke up before my alarm and decided to just get up and on with the day. I packed up my things and took all of the things I wouldn’t need for our hike to the car. We then went and had breakfast. Lupin ended up with my vegan sausages as I wasn’t keen!
After breakfast, we went back to the room, readied up, checked out and then started our hike to Win Hill. I did have a moment of hesitation as a few minutes after setting out, snow began to fall! Still, it was light and didn’t appear to be sticking, so we soldiered on.
I ended up taking a wrong turn and had to backtrack (twice!); then we took the harder route and I had to pick Lupin up to get him over a fence. Oh, and I also stepped in a bit of mud that wasn’t frozen over and ended up being much deeper than it looked!
With that being said, the views were worth it. Reaching the top and looking out over the hills and reservoir was really something. I took plenty of pictures, and even a few selfies (another part of getting out of my comfort zone).
There wasn’t another soul in sight, which whilst being peaceful did make me question if I was crazy for being up there or if people knew something that I didn’t! We did pass a few people on the descent back down, at least.
1 hour 55-minutes (3.85 miles) later and we made it back to the car, and I changed my foot wear and coat. The drive back was tricky as it was a bit icy and surprisingly foggy. Driving through Winnats Pass made me glad that my car has a 4WD mode! The roads had a lot of steep climbs and were slippery. To add another hazard, sheep were in the middle of the road too! All obstacles overcome and we made it back in one piece.
Conclusion
It was definitely an adventure! I can say that I’m proud of myself for getting out there and challenging myself. It was nice to be in nature with no pressures. I love the Peak District, and there are still a lot of places that I want to visit. Having Lupin helped as it gave me something else to focus on, as well as someone to talk to, especially during the evening or at breakfast. The drive and the break did give me some confidence that I’ve been lacking as of late. I’m hoping to go hiking more regularly in 2025.
