Written by Natalie
On the 15th of September I tagged along with a group of walkers for a 10 mile stroll around the amazing Dovedale valley located in the Peak District of England.
Stamma Strider was created by some passionate members of Stamma (BSA) that are passionate about walking. They have attended the SSA walk & talk events and decided to bring it south for us to enjoy!
The iconic Dovedale stepping stones.
A bit about Dovedale.
Dovedale is a National Trust location and is most well known for its rock formations. The valley itself was cut by the River Dove and runs for about 3 miles to the south.
With its rock formations, Dovedale is most well known for the stepping stones that cross the River Dove and 2 caves known as the Dove Holes. Along with these you can also enjoy amazing views across the British countryside, especially when you get to the top of the valley!
Dove Hole
Now, I am not a walker, however I just can’t pass on any activity if it involves spending time with PWS from Stamma (BSA), so I trotted along with my yellow trench coat and yellow rucksack for a leisurely 10 mile stroll!
This was only their second walk, following inspiration from the Scottish Stammering Association’s ‘Walk & Talk’ activities, which involve them walking around the Scottish highlands.
Pre-walk Stamma flag selfie.
We met at 10am in the car park and we took what I am sure will become the obligatory pre-walk selfie along with the Stamma flag, to show we’re representing! – I also finally laid claim to a Stamma top, which I was all too excited to receive.
As you can see we were only a small group of 7, which meant we got a chance to speak to everyone as well as still be able to join in as a group, on our way around. Luckily for me it was a fairly nice walk to start with, with no huge obstacles to navigate apart from a few fields of sheep and cows that didn’t look too happy to see us. We stopped for lunch, where the more experienced walkers showed this with their flasks of tea and coffee for the grey and slightly drizzly afternoon. Then we continued around till we arrived back at the car park.
The return across the stones.
We then set off to the pub to rest our (my) weary feet and enjoy a pub lunch and a beverage before heading home.
Post-walk pub shot.
I had a great day and I encourage anyone to get out and do something new, I can’t say I am a huge fan of walking, but what I can say is that I just being around other PWS whatever they are doing!
*Please look out for October’s Stamma Striders event review- it’s a special one!
Comments