The Ethels
Forty-five walks covering all the hilltops in the 'Ethels' list of Peak District hills.
The Ethels are a compilation of 95 hills in the Peak District of England, mostly over 400m high but including various prominent lower hills which are popular landmarks of the Peak District. The Ethels are a tribute to Ethel Haythornthwaite, a Sheffield environmentalist who was a leading pioneer in the establishment of the Peak District as Britain's first national park in 1951.
The Peak District and South Yorkshire branch of the CPRE countryside charity announced The Ethels in May 2021. The Ethels were devised in early 2021 by CPRE volunteer Doug Colton.
The Ethels include the popular mountains of the National Park including Kinder Scout, Mam Tor, Shutlingsloe and Win Hill and most of the famous ridges too such as Stanage Edge, the Great Ridge and Derwent Edge. Yet there are also unfamiliar targets for the enthusiastic peak bagger too such as Aleck Low and Lantern Pike. The spread of the ninety-five summits, many of them with accompanying trig points, cover all four corners of the Peak District and all kinds of ground from the dark peat moors of the north to the cream-coloured limestone high plateaus and knolls of the south. All in all it is a great list to accomplish and by completing it you will gain a greater understanding of this premier British National Park.
Note: This list of 45 walks ranges from very short routes to the more remote peaks to longer full-day hikes. Some of the shorter routes entail no more than parking up, stepping out to roadside and making a short climb before returning to the start by the same path. Thus, these could be bagged very quickly by employing a friend or partner to drive you between these short-haul walks. Also, some starting points are remote and on minor roads so giving a thought to finding a suitable parking spot may need some planning. As I do these walks myself some routes, with my gaining of local on-the-ground knowledge, may change.
Important Note: I provide maps, statistics and route files in .gpx and Google Earth .kmz data forms for each walk in the compilation. Note these routes are my designs taken from desktop mapping and may not represent what lies on the ground. However the routes I have completed will be corroborated with updated route files, maps, statistics and informative photography. That will happen as I complete the bagging of the list myself.