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After a couple of snowy outings for #mountainofthemonth in January and February spring had definitely arrived as we frolicked like new born lambs in the sun around the Peak District and Sheffield. My memories of the Dark Peak area from this are particularly mixed; I don’t think I’ve ever seen a view from the Kinder Scout plateau and one year I developed blisters so bad that I had to cut my socks off and spend my grandparents golden wedding celebrations in a pair of natty clogs. We climbed steadily up from Hope towards Lose Hill, after a fantastic false summit we made it to the true peak and drank in the view along the Mam Tor ridge, over to Kinder Scout plateau and east towards Win Hill. We lunched (on cheese based meals obviously) at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Castleton and had a celebratory end of walk pint at The Cheshire Cheese in Hope.

I questioned my planning abilities to organise a fitting weekend for my mum’s 70th birthday. Sensibly my parents had arrived at our accommodation for the weekend in the light and having followed the directions word for word had found the property without any fuss. To be more specific we were staying in Freston Tower in Suffolk which is owned and managed as a holiday let by the Landmark Trust. There would be plenty to keep you entertained for a week with day trips out towards the Suffolk coast and gorgeous Suffolk market towns like Bury St Edmunds to explore.

From the beautiful bluebird skies of the French alps to the four seasons in one day excitement of the Brecon Beacons 2019’s #mountainofthemonth has got off to a flying start. This months walk involved sunshine, hail, rain, sleet, snow and ferocious winds all experienced in a circuit along Talybont reservoir up onto the plateau via Craig Y Fan Ddu and descending back to the car via Waun Rydd (with an accidental detour via Allt Lwyd)

There were a few turns when I could feel my skis flying in a controlled, beautiful manner but I had made a slight error in being part of a mountain expert guided group and being very, very much at the not expert end of it. It was one I am proud to have skied but, one that, due to the speed it was necessary to descend at to keep up with the group, one that ruined me for the rest of the week! Food and drink in resort and on the mountains was of excellent quality; we particularly enjoyed eating at Brasserie des Bellville in La Croisette where their ‘big salads’ are certainly that and the lovely chalet hut Chalet des Neiges at the top of the Roc 1 gondola. A weeks skiing felt like a real treat and going on a package tour was so stress free compared to our usual multi-stop, independently organised holidays.