Tag: Europe

Mam Tor, Peak District UK

I’m still undergoing my hiking training in preparation for the trek in Transylvania to raise money for Mind. So in search of seeking out some good local places to walk, we set off for the Peak District, which is about an hour or so away from where we live.

Mam Tor was our destination; a rather large hill in Castleton. With an elevation of 515m, it was the perfect training ground for me.

We’d decided to take the circular route from Castleton as this would give us a total walking time of around four hours. Ignoring all sound advice from the lady in the visitor’s centre (because who wants to do things the easy way?!), we set off in the opposite direction, towards the steep climb out of a fairly dramatic looking valley. Walking up the side of the road towards Speedway cavern and Blue John Mine, the scenery was impressive, making me feel quite ‘hobbit-like’ due to the size and greenery of the hills surrounding us.

After a bit of creative navigation (we were following this brilliant guide but the signs aren’t great for the path), we found two routes up Mam Tor. We pot-lucked our way up the path to the right, eventually reaching what resembled a slight scramble up the hill to reach the main path. About half way up, I heard one woman remark to her walking partner “Oh I’m glad we are coming down this way rather than scrambling up, that route would have been awful“. Gee thanks lady. As you’ll have guessed, she was travelling in the opposite direction to us, making me wonder if I should have chosen the left path after all.

At the top of the scramble was a clearer path, steeply rising up the hillside. Given that we were fairly near the edge, my unhelpful feeling of ‘wobbliness’ started to surface. I’m not necessarily afraid of heights, but they do make me feel incredibly unstable. I fixed my eyes to the ground and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Before I knew it, we were at the top with an amazing view. We stayed for a while watching people paraglide whilst we had lunch.

A little side note: John West tuna lunch pots seem to have become my hiking lunch of choice. There is a gluten free / dairy free one and it’s easy to pack in a day sack. It’s either that or chocolate spread on gluten free bread – either way, I seem to have become stuck in a kind of lunch ‘dead-end’ – if other people have better hiking lunches – let me know!!!

At the top of Mam Tor was a trig point surrounded by little stone images of faces and huts – if anyone knows what their meanings are, I’d be interested to learn!

Looking over to the right, we could see the other path up the hill, which looked far easier and much less steep, but at least I’d had a good work out and pushed myself on a couple of ridge edges.

Once we were suitably fed, watered and recovered from the climb, we set off to the left along the marked stone path. This was much easier going and it became clear why the lady in the visitor’s centre has suggested to take this route. Coming up this path was a much gentler incline and would have much more clearly marked the route.

Passing Black Tor and Lose Hill Pike, we then started to cross a beautiful wooded area which was more stunning (to me at least) than the moors and fields. There is a pull I feel towards trees and woods that I just don’t experience in fields and out on the moors. It’s like an automatic ‘mood-boost’ and I feel much more connected to my surroundings.

Whilst the valley had been beautiful to drive through on the way to Mam Tor, it was the small tree lined area that stuck in my mind long after the walk.

Heading out of the trees and into the fields, our sense of direction failed us again as the path became unclear. A mother and daughter pair were also struggling with the route and we took it in turns to follow each other, sharing confused discussions on the same maps we were using.

Eventually, we crossed Spring House Farm and headed back towards Castleton. Next time, I’d look to extend the walk by heading to Hope first and then back to Castleton and maybe also taking some time to visit Peveril Castle, which looked intriguing, perched up high, keeping watch above the village.

Simply Raw Bakery, Vienna

There are the obvious places in Vienna where it’s easy to get something to meet your dietary needs: looking at you Hard Rock and TGI Fridays – they do good food, are extremely well up on cross- contamination and were well aware of how to adapt meals to meet our needs.

However, one of the big stand out places on our visit wasn’t one of the big chains but a little café called Simply Raw Bakery.

“A cute little vintage café which only held around five tables, plus bar seating. This meant it was cosy, although it never felt cramped, even when it was full. Tea was served in little teapots and the clink of china filled the spaces between the chatter.

The breakfasts were amazing – tasty porridge with fruit was my favourite – I didn’t know that porridge could taste so good!!!

+ Cater for Gluten Free, Dairy Free and no refined sugar

+ Beautiful decor

+ Wood-burning stove keeps things toasty on cold Vienna days

+ Amazing food – everything was gorgeous and very filling

– A little expensive – but perfect for a treat!

Walking Tour of Vienna

When on a short city break, it can sometimes feel like you are trying to cram everything in. One of the best ways of seeing a lot in a short space of time is to take a walking tour.

Luckily, on our trip to Vienna, the hotel was offering a free walking tour of the city and we decided to make the most of it. When picking a tour, I like to look for ones that don’t just visit the popular tourist spots; I can do that perfectly well on my own. Instead, I like to pick tours that offer something a little different, usually places that are just off the beaten path. The free tour we joined was just the ticket as it was centred around the Jewish quarter and surrounding areas, slightly out of the main shopping areas.

We spent a couple of hours hearing tales of historical sites down the twisty streets next to the Danube. The architecture was incredible, often showing glimpses of the changes made to buildings across the years: Art Deco, Baroque and Gothic in places, splattered with an array of Roman style statues.

Stories of bar tenders who were so drunk they were mistaken for Plague victims and thrown into mass graves, visits to the places Mozart studied and incredibly ornate churches behind plain wooden doors: the tour was excellent and gave a sense of Vienna’s history.

As this tour took place on the coldest day of our trip in Vienna, we rounded off the morning with a hot drink in a toasty café. Once we’d suitably warmed up, we were off again; this time making up our own little tour locations as we found out way back towards the Danube.

Belvedere Palace, Vienna

On the last day in Vienna, we wandered down to Belvedere Palace to check out how the other half live. The site of the Palace is fairly big, comprising the Upper Palace, Lower Palace, the Stables and the Orangery.

Built as a summer home for Prince Eugene of Savoy, it was designed to show off opulence and style. Statues adorned the rooms and stairways, adding to this sense of grandeur. The central entrance was probably the most memorable, with the structural pillars being held up by statues.

The Palace buildings are now used as a museum, holding various art work – some of it downright strange!!

Despite the artwork and intricate rooms, I have to say, I was fairly underwhelmed by the Palace.

I instead found myself struck by the vast gardens between the two buildings. Although the fountains were covered and barren and the topiary was scarce due to the winter, the framework of the maze-like hedgerows was still evident and it was easy to imagine what the garden would look like in full bloom.

Being a total horror fan, I was reminded of the Stephen King story; The Shining and Jack Torrance’s desperate chase through the maze in the snow.

The two Sphinx statues guarding the Palace were reminiscent of those in The Neverending Story and the rose bushes had me yelling “Off with their heads” Queen of Hearts style.

The hedges stood high and it was pretty much impossible to escape the gaze of statues. This created quite an oppressive atmosphere – much more interesting than the buildings we were there to see.