Saturday April 9th

Jacinta was on a navigation course with Pure Outdoor so I dropped her off at their centre just outside Hope and went back to Edale to go on a walk on his own. Having originally intended to go round the southern edge of the Kinder Plateau via The Woolpacks and Kinder Low to Jacob's Ladder and on to Brown Knoll. However, he changed his mind and instead crossed over to The Great Ridge at Hollins Cross. It was a lovely day (so far, anyway!) and there was a great view back to Edale and the Kinder Plateau. 
Edale and The Kinder Plateau. Grindslow Knoll to the left

The path along The Great Ridge has been patched and flags laid along stretches, but it shows lots of wear because of its popularity. I followed it eastwards towards Back Tor and Lose Hill. Win Hill seemed a very long way in the distance!
Back Tor (a dark crag with woods to its south), Lose Hill and Win Hill in the distance

Just off the summit of Lose Hill seemed a good place to have a drink and a snack, and to plot out the next section of my walk. Win Hill had been something of an objective for the day- both Win and Lose in the same day- and I was able to correlate a suitable route on the map with what I could see in front of me.
Win Hill with Hope Brink to its left/west- my route back to Edale

Of course, crossing the Hope Valley between the two hills meant having to lose and regain all the hight that I'd already climbed! The ground covered was quite varied with a village (Hope), farmland and moorland; on the higher levels there were few (surviving) trees.
A blasted tree on the way up to Win Hill

After lunch in the lee of the summit of Win Hill I started the return walk back to Edale, spending most of the time talking with/listening to someone with an interesting past- his parents had been Polish refugees who'd settled in Leicester; he'd been educated at Pembroke College (maths) and had become an accountant. As he was fluent in Polish, he'd been recruited by PW to help to set up a Polish practice and had lived in Poland for the past thirty years. He was really knowledgeable on Eastern European history and he happily shared a great deal of it!
Lose Hill from Win Hill

Our return to Edale was via Hope Bank, Crookstone Out Moor and Ringing Roger.
Just under 15 miles, 1124m ascent.

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