After weeks of rain and cold damp weather, an anti cyclone arrived which would sit over us for the five days of the holiday and give us cold crisp mornings followed by clear blue skies and high temperatures in the sun.

Women arrived from all over Britain and after the first of the hearty Losehill Hall dinners we retired to the lounge to talk about the holiday and to get to know each other.

A hard frost meant we were well wrapped up when we started out, although the layers would be peeled off as the day progressed.

Mam Tor stood out clear on the horizon as we set off to walk through the fields.

We walked to Hope and Aston before enjoying our lunch of the huge baguettes 1054 at Navio the Roman Fort.

Muddy paths and the athletic crossing of many stiles featured on our return journey which included a stop at the Woodbine Café in Hope.

Sunny Sundays in the Peak District bring out the visitors and a long wait for a welcome cup of tea was enlivened by people-watching the queue of walkers, bikers, mud-spattered mountain bikers and the local Mountain Rescue Team.

Back at Losehill Hall, good use was made of the hosepipe and brush to clean off the mud before we changed for dinner.

Some women went off to the pub while others played or advised on a game of Scrabble.

After the frost had finally been chiselled off the minibus, we set off for Edale.

We admired the new Information Centre with its spectacular water cascade on the roof before walking on to the Nag 's Head at the start of the Pennine Way.

Jackets, hats and gloves were gradually shed as we followed the flagged path to Upper Booth.

A hidden picnic site complete with table and benches was ideal for a welcome coffee break.

The slow climb to Hollins Cross was followed by a long lunch at the top looking over Kinder and Edale.

After the slow descent of the coffin trail we enjoyed a cream tea in Castleton before walking round the village shops.

Another good dinner was followed by a boisterous game of Charades which also entertained the conference group which was now resident.

Another (!) bright sunny day dawned and we took advantage of an early start to cross the fields to Townhead Bridge while the muddy paths were still frozen solid.

A coffee stop and then we began the steady climb to Hope Cross, which was not as daunting as it had appeared from the other side of the valley.

We stopped for a long lunch and siesta on the Roman Road and discussed how the summits of Lose Hill and Whin Hill resembled nipples…..

At Hope we visited the Courtyard Café Delia's cake, Trudy models the buff, and we enjoyed our tea with much laughter (what do they put in the water here ?) before walking back past Peakshole water.

The conference party had left (had we driven them away?) and we enjoyed an evening of party pieces, Maggie's dance, and word games (senselessness was the word) and whisky tasting.

Two women needed an early start for long journeys home, so nine of us set off on this final day.

We looked at the craggy entrance to Peak Cavern before skirting the fields above Goosehill Hall to reach Speedwell Cavern.

At a coffee stop at the Odin Mine our party merged with a class of nine year olds on a geography field trip but we managed to shake them off and walk up the old road with its dramatic distorted surface.

An ice cream at the Blue John Mine (they had nearly sold out with the sunny weather!) kept us going to the head of the Winnats Pass.

Down we went and then back on Dirty Lane with a flooded section to muddy our boots for one last time before returning to Losehill Hall for our sandwiches on the terrace.

Final goodbyes and then off home after five fantastic frosty mornings and sun soaked days in the middle of a dank and dreary February. The next day was grey and overcast……

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