A Ramble Round The Peaks

Choosing to slow down for a spontaneous weekend of no plans.

Apr 26, 2025

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I’m not even sure where to start when it comes to processing what the first four months of 2025 have been like. Honestly, it’s felt like a whirlwind. I looked back through my calendar recently and realised I’ve had a grand total of one weekend this year where I wasn’t either working or volunteering on at least one of the days.

As much as I love spending time outdoors, it’s a secondary passion—football comes first. It’s both my full-time job and where I volunteer over 10 hours a week. And even though I love it, most of that time is spent helping others access the opportunities football offers. Going camping in the hills? That only benefits me in the moment. It feels selfish. I’ve even felt guilty for taking that time for myself. So, it’s become all too common to push it aside.

Maybe I just needed to remind myself of that old saying: “You can’t pour from an empty glass.” Sometimes, you have to put others on hold and take care of yourself. It’s not selfish—not when helping yourself is the only way you can keep helping others.

So when I had to choose between cutting short a long weekend away or showing up for yet another football commitment, it was an easy decision: “Sorry, not this time.”

For someone who’s constantly busy, it felt strange to log off work on Thursday evening without a plan for the next four days. Other than agreeing to go away, we hadn’t even picked a destination, or packed for that matter. Then Friday morning rolled around, and on a whim, we set our sights on the Peak District and hit the road.

The whole weekend was spontaneous—wild camping in national parks, hiking mountain peaks (a big win for my self-proclaimed “outsidy, not outdoorsy” partner), and eating more cheese sandwiches than we knew what to do with. Over those four days, I had zero interest in being productive. I just wanted to see where things went and enjoy the rare calm that comes from having no agenda.

We spent a windy night walking up Mam Tor, avoiding not just the crowds, but pretty much everyone, thanks to the high winds and rain. We made it halfway up on the ridge near Kinder Scout before calling it a day and heading back down. On the last day, we bailed on a long walk in favour of visiting the stepping stones in Hathersage, where I promptly slipped on a rock and fell in.

Aside from that unplanned dip into the Derwent River (which I’ve mostly kept to myself), there were no big tales of adventure. Just a weekend in nature, a few muddy pairs of boots, and a chance to reset. A chance to remind myself that slowing down isn’t stepping back, it’s showing up for your own life.

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