Derbyshire Living, A Passion for the Peak District

I'd love to sit here and write about how I've loved walking in the Peak District my entire life, but the truth is it's a hobby I only really discovered about 2 years ago. I used to spend hours scrolling though countless backpackers Instagram feeds dreaming of travelling to amazing places far across the globe, but the truth was that such beautiful places already sat on my own doorstep, I just hadn't realised .

Why leave and travel the world before you've even explored your own home? There were endless feeds of people documenting exotic, beautiful foreign countries but I could never find a page dedicated to the beautiful place where I live, which is why I created @derbyshire_living.

That following weekend I was on a mission! My boyfriend and I went on the first of many mini adventures together to Stanage Edge - which still remains one of my favourite places. The beautiful views, fresh air in my lungs, not seeing anyone for miles and miles - I just loved it! That night I got home and researched walks in my area, and soon every weekend was spent walking around beautiful places I couldn’t believe we had never explored before - Curbar Edge, Kinder Scout, Burbage Edge, Win Hill, Mam Tor, Padley Gorge, Dovedale. I'd be counting down the days at work waiting for Saturday to roll around so we could get outside and go exploring!

The more we go walking, the more I fall in love with being outdoors and the more amazing memories are made! I am truly at my happiest in my old, well-worn hiking boots with nothing but green rolling hills and a day of exploring in front of me. In the future I want to teach myself how to read a map as I'd love to go on longer, more challenging walks without the fear of getting utterly lost. I often get asked about our hiking routes but in all honesty every time we go on a walk we often have no idea where we are going! That’s the beauty of walking here - there is a beautiful view down whichever path you decide to take!

Follow Alice's journey on her Instagram page here.

Laurie Crayston