Well, what a month it’s been! While all of my international trips have been canceled, I’ve done everything I can to enjoy my time on furlough and explore as much of my local area as possible! I’ve done countless daytrips around Yorkshire, been on so many great walks, and had three overnight trips total to the Peak District and the Lake District. Here’s what all I got up to in July!
Where I Went
York, Knaresborough, Thornton-le-Dale, Ellerburn, Dalby Forest, Riccall, Burnsall, Grassington, Hebden, Hathersage, Bamford Edge, Stanage Edge, Castleton, Earl Sterndale, Parkhouse Hill, Chrome Hill, Lud’s Church, Bakewell, Bleaklow, Grasmere, Kirkstone Pass, Wrynose Pass, Hardknott Pass, Loweswater, Latrigg Fell, Castlerigg Stone Circle, Dufton, High Cup Nick, High Force, Dovestone Reservoir, Saddleworth Moor, Beningbrough Hall, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, Shutlingsloe, Three Shires Head, the Roaches, Hulme End, Thor’s Cave, Ilam, Dovedale (United Kingdom)
Best Moments
So many great hikes this month! Wow, I have done so much hiking this month, I can’t believe it! I’ve hiked around Thornton-le-Dale and Ellerburn to Dalby Forest, Burnsall to Grassington and Hebden, Bamford Edge and Stanage Edge in the Peak District, Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill also in the Peak District, the airplane walk around Bleaklow, Helm Crag and Red Screes in the Lake District, High Cup Nick in the Eden Valley, Dovestone Reservoir, the Trinnacles, and Saddleworth Moor in the Peaks, Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay, and back to the Peaks for Shutlingsloe, Three Shires Head, the Roaches, Thor’s Cave, and Dovedale. Talk about awesome!!! I have loved getting outside and hiking and exploring. It’s been a great month for it.
Camping! Overnight trips!! I’ve had three overnight camping trips this month—two to the Peak District, and one to the Lake District. I have missed camping, but more than anything I’ve missed traveling. Going somewhere. That feeling where I take out my backpack and start loading it up. The pandemic ruined all my plans this year so far, and up until mid-July I had only been on a weekend break in Northumberland for the entirety of the year. It has been so great to go camping, enjoy the peace and quiet, and (safely) stay somewhere else!
Watching a sunrise at Castlerigg Stone Circle. This is probably one of my favorite places in the entire world. We camped not far from here on our trip to the Lake District, and I woke up at 5:30 in the morning to see the sun rise above the trees and mountains. It was so worth it! I had the entire place to myself and loved getting to sit back and take it all in. If you’re visiting the Lakes and don’t mind an early start, absolutely put a sunrise at Castlerigg Stone Circle on your bucket list.
Returning to the Lake District. I’ve made no secret of the fact that the Lake District is one of my favorite places in the world. We try to go twice a year, but due to the ‘rona I hadn’t been back since my birthday last September. It was so nice to go back and enjoy the scenery and drive around and just be there. I hope to be back again soon! I also got to wild camp in the Lake District for the first time ever, which was awesome!
Finally doing High Cup Nick. This hike in the North Pennines AONB is probably one of the most underrated places in the entire country. After seeing a photo of High Cup Nick a few years ago, seeing this dramatic u-shaped valley has been on my bucket list ever since. We finally did it on the way back from the Lake District—just look at that view!!!
Great bucket list walks in the Peak District. I’ve finally hiked up Parkhouse Hill and Chrome Hill, known as the Dragon’s Back due to the spine-like ridge line. We also finally made it to the B-29 Superfortress plane crash site on Bleaklow—we attempted this hike in October 2018 but the weather and visibility was horrendous. It was so cool to see it. I hiked Shutlingsloe, the “Cheshire Matterhorn,” and finally got to visit the Roaches. We also had a great day hiking around Dovestone Reservoir, climbing the Trinnacles (!), and seeing the views from Saddleworth Moor. I’ve wanted to do some of these walks for so long, and it was amazing to finally do them!
Visiting York Minster again. As a York resident, I get free entry to York Minster and usually go a few times per year. The Minster has been shut (obviously), and re-opened on 11 July. I went the first day it re-opened and it was so amazing to be back! I love getting to see the Minster and marveling at this beautiful building every day is one of my favorite parts of living in York. While things have changed and some parts are still closed, it was great to visit again.
Pubs have opened! The pubs in England have been closed since a few days before the country went into lockdown. On 4 July, pubs were allowed to re-open. On 6 July, my local opened again!! There are a lot of new safety measures in place, and it’s a bit of a different experience. It was great to get back to my pub, have a pint, and support a local business.
Worst Moments
I forgot my rain jacket on our trip to the Peak District (!!!). I can’t believe I did this. But I just completely forgot my rain jacket when we went on our first camping trip to the Peaks!! I felt so stupid but thankfully there was a Go Outdoors in Hathersage that I could buy a men’s small rain jacket so I didn’t get soaked. That was a mistake that I hope I never repeat!!
I banged my leg/knee up on our way to the Lake District. I was stupid and opened the car door on my leg, which gave me a massively swollen ugly bruise. I then hit my knee climbing around on Helm Crag. Which gave me another big bruise! It meant my leg hurt a lot and I had to go really slow on particular descents. I really need to be more careful!
Uncertainty about work. While I am so grateful to be on furlough, and to still be getting 80% of my paycheck, I have been very stressed about if/when I will be returning to work. I have no idea what will happen—legally, my company only needs to give me 1 weeks’ notice to ask me back to work. So I can’t really make plans for trips further away, since I could in theory need to go back to work. I worry that I won’t have a job and I’ll get laid off. The uncertainty and not-knowing has made me very stressed and I hope to get some more clarity on what I’m doing soon.
Posts Published
I’m starting to get back into my blogging groove! I’m finally starting to post about some of my Yorkshire adventures. Here are all the new posts I’ve published this month.
Exploring Northumberland: A Coastal Road Trip Itinerary
Getting My UK Driver’s License: My Battle With The Wrong Side Of The Road
Review: Old Court House B&B, Wooler
Farndale Daffodils: An Easy Spring Walk In The North York Moors
North York Moors Hikes: Chop Gate To The Wainstones
Exploring Swaledale In The Yorkshire Dales: Hiking Around Muker, Keld, And More!
In honor of Yorkshire Day (1 August), I’ve also done a HUGE update on my big Yorkshire post to include a lot of my recent adventures! You can check it out here: 55 Incredible Places To Visit In Yorkshire!
Instagram Top 3
I’ve done much better at posting on Instagram this month! Here are my most popular grid photos from July.
Coming Up In August
I have no idea what will happen in August! I was supposed to be going home and spend all month at home in Minnesota, but our flights were canceled. Again, since I don’t know what’s happening with work, I really can’t plan for anything. I’d love to get up to Scotland for a road trip/camping trip. I’d love to get to South Wales if I can. But I genuinely don’t know what I’ll do, since I don’t know if I’ll be back at work or not. No matter what happens, I hope to get out on lots of great walks in August when I can!
What was your July like? Any plans for August?
