25/08/2026
Five months after moving to the Peak District, I finally went for my first proper walk.
I’d been confidently describing myself as someone who enjoys walking. It turns out owning a pair of 20-year-old ASICS now used for gardening and actually being a walker are two quite different things.
We set off from Wetton Mill intending to complete around 12,000 steps through the Manifold Valley and up to Thor’s Cave.
After approximately 6,000 Jason-sized steps, a considerable amount of elevation and a brief but honest assessment of two men over 50, we made the sensible decision to retreat over Wetton Hills.
We did reach Thor’s Cave, though, and learned several useful things along the way:
🥾 My gardening ASICS held together remarkably well
🐊 Somebody else’s Crocs made it up, but apparently not back down
🦆 The ducks at Wetton Mill operate like Devon seagulls and wanted our Walkers
🥤 Full-fat Pepsi is an excellent emergency recovery drink
🍺 Two pints and Hartington cheese can rescue almost any expedition
It’s the first instalment of **Walks for Normal People**, my attempt to become the walker I thought I already was.
You can read the full, extremely honest account here:
https://laneheadbarns.vercel.app/journal/thors-cave-walk-from-wetton-mill