Well, Yins and Thien mostly planned for this trip weeks ago. But without Fei to drive us, this would not have been possible. As usual practice before any trip, I would feel so lazy/have loads to do that I regret signing myself onto it. I contemplated not going and just forgoing the £17 for the hostel that we paid. Plus, I did come back so late on Friday, after having a few glasses of a good Merlot wine(courtesy of EEE BBQ party).
Well, I managed to wake up and get ready on time to leave at 6am, just to find no one downstairs – but I was too lazy to wake people up; hence surfed the web instead. The weather was not good either – rained during the way there(although I slept half of the time). Upon arrival(after a 3 hour drive), we were deciding whether to walk or cycle first and finally cycling was chosen as the option. Renting the mountain bikes cost us £11 each for 4 hours – the highlight at the hire shop was the guy at the counter, which both Thien and Fei found to be cute. Cycling to the 5/6 mile scenic route was the most tiring part of the trip – especially because part of the journey was on steep stones; hence a very bumpy ride! I was slightly disappointed that we did not sit on the grass and enjoy the scenery as it was filled with sheep shit(literally filled with it that there wasn’t a single spot where anyone’s arse can fit into). Well, the good side was that the sun came out when we were cycling, making it more pleasurable. Although, that resulted in a bit of tanning of my skin(which is ridiculous-inside joke).
We then returned the bike, after just 2.5 hours and head to a pub – The Lady Bower for some nice meal. The portion was huge but did not taste that good. We only managed to get our asses up around 4+ to go to the caves, just to realise that the last boat left at 4pm! So, we walked up the hill and attempted to climb up the hill in an unguided route(no route actually) – but it was quite dangerous, so we descended(later to find out that we were not supposed to climb that way in the first place! – how notti of us). Whilst Jas and Thien explored further, Yins and Fei thought me some Yoga and Capoeira moves – quite good stretching moves!
After a hard days work, we drove to the hostel(YHA Hathersage) and freshened up – by then I was totally knackered and sick! Walking to the village for food at night, most places were filled up and there weren’t any tables for us. Then, we went to the posh-est restaurant(on the Michelin guide): The Walnut Club – organis restaurant. The menu did not have anything fancy – prices were above average. And as expected, portion was tiny but well decorated though!!! And it did not taste good at all. We all had our share of alcohol, namely wine of different sorts. The discussion during dinner was very heated up – and for the first time I decided not to get involved. Being sick, I was glad there were a Jazz band playing at the restaurant that time, setting a good and calming environment. Yins and Jas were kind enough to pay for the meal as they passed their exams-woo hoo(Jas likes this sound).
Next day, we braved the rain and visited two caves!!! Was quite interesting. Following that, we walked around and discovered this second hand shop with a rather interesting owner who got Yins to sing the Titanic song and try the guitar…
After food at Plough pub, we or rather Fei, drove us on a 4.5 hour ride home!!!!
