During lockdown (2020-2021) a chap called Doug Colton tinkered with an idea of creating a hill bagging challenge for the Peak District akin to the Munroes or the Wainwrights.
So he taught himself to build an app.
And he selected the Peak District summits over 400m asl plus a few others and collated them and christened them ‘Ethels’ after the countryside campaigner Ethel Haythornthwaite. He then partnered with the charity that Ethel founded ( CPRE Peak District and Soutj Yorkshire ) to promote and launch the app.
It’s available for free on iOS and Android.
The Ethels range from the 287m summit of Thorpe Cloud at the gateway to Dovedale in the limestone “White Peak” to the remote moorland summits of Kinder Scout, Bleaklow and Black Hill in the northern gritstone “Dark Peak” area.
Ethel was fundamental in establishing the Peak District as the first National Park …. so the name makes a lot of sense.
Over 40,000 people have downloaded the app and many many of them have been ‘Ethel bagging’ their way round the Peak District.
And i have been one of them.
When we were ‘allowed out’ in 2021 and 2022 i did lots and lots of Ethels and ended up with only 2 left – and it stayed that way – principally due to work pressure – until this evening (19 June 2024).
An after work drive to Crowden
the slog up the PW to the fork at Laddow Rocks
and hang a left and then a right along the fence line to this
the summit of Black Chew Hill and Ethel 94 of 95 for me.
Water and snacks and a look across the moors in every direction. A grand evening to be out …
then back from whence we came
and a unique birdcall from across the clough ….
and back in the car for a drive round to the last one. A trig point nestled high above Holmfirth …which randomly had ‘Portuguese Millipedes’ crawling over it
and the summit was bathed in evening sunshine
and that was that. The end of a 3 year effort to ‘tick’ the Ethels. 95 of 95 completed with the ascent of West Nab.
Many thanks to everyone that’s walked with me on these hills.
Now what to tick off next …… ?