Last weekend, we escaped the city and headed into the Derbyshire Dales for some much needed countryside and fresh air. This is what we do at the weekend – seek out places to go to explore, whether it’s on foot, wheels or water. We love being outside in all weather, sharing time together. But this weekend had an added twist; the girls each brought a friend along. They chatted on the way in the van and played games to fill the time. There was a different buzz of atmosphere.

Before long, we arrived in Dovedale car park ready for a walk along the river Dove and up Thorpe Cloud. This was the first ‘hill-walking’ that their friends had done and it was the perfect day for it; blue sky and warm Autumn sunshine that cut through the chill of the November temperatures.

Thorpe Cloud is a small hill in the Derbyshire Dales that, on a clear day, provides gorgeous panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. It doesn’t take long to get to the top but we stopped every so often to take in the views and snap some photos to remember the day by. Amy and Ella, who first climbed the hill when they were toddlers, were great ‘mountain guides’; they both encouraged their friends along the way, checking on them regularly.

Before long, we reached the top and took the obligatory photo to celebrate, and then began the walk down. You’d think the fun of the stepping stones, or the view from the top was enough of a reward but we topped it off with an ice-cream – after all it’s never too cold for an ice-cream! The girls stood around licking their ice-creams, with a healthy glow on the faces and one of the girls’ friends remarked how proud she felt on climbing her first hill! Let’s hope this has given them a taste for more and that they will be joining us more family weekend adventure in the future.