‘Peak District is now a big part of who I am’​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

After venturing out for the first time onto the moors on the edge of the Kinder Scout plateau eleven years ago, she’s been out exploring the area's landscape and history every chance she gets.

“The Peak District soon became a part of who I am, as it has done for many others. It's my home, a core part of my soul,” she says in the introduction to the magazine. “I feel it in my bones if it's been a while since I've walked there.”

After visiting friends in Manchester, she noticed Edale station on the train back from Manchester one day in 2013.

“I'd always thought that this journey was beautiful, and after noting that I could use this route to get to Edale, I decided to visit on my next day off from work,” she remembers.

She headed for the Edale visitor centre, and asked what seemed to her at the time an obvious question: “How do I get to the countryside?”

The Peak District staff were very patient, she says, and remembers photos of the day: “I have the sun in my eyes, the wind in my hair, and the biggest grin on my face.”

Originally from Leicester, the hills, moors and valleys of Sheffield and the Peak District were a very different landscape to explore. She came up with the plan of visiting all 88 trig points in the national park, often on remote hill tops, and writing about her routes and experiences on social media.

She soon collected lots of readers equally keen to explore, and began to wonder about publishing a book or magazine. Inspired by similar ‘zines’ (small enthusiastic often home-produced magazines) she decided on a publication about the Peak District, titled from a line by Emily Bronte: “Wading through heath and mud to Wuthering Heights.”

The magazine covers walking routes, along with poets, artists, photographers, writers and even Peak District sportspeople, along with photos and illustrations by Sarah (also a linocut artist). So far there have been two editions, including a special edition on Kinder Scout, available from her website and locally from the Novel cafe and bookshop in Crookes.

The next issue is due out around March, with the loose title of “Old Stones,” she says, linking to the very ancient history and geology of the Peak District. For example, in one of her pieces for issue two, she seeks the mysterious ‘Aztec Rock’ near Blackden Moor, with no real conclusions as to the origins of the strange face markings on a rock millions of years old.

She says the publication is very collaborative, and she’s keen to feature the work of other Peak District lovers, and asks possible contributors for issue three to send her their ideas.

She began work on the Old Stones issue by visiting the 3-4,000 year old Arbor Low, near Monyash, and says: “Contributors are always welcome. I will find space for anyone that has something they'd like to share.”

Sarah is an office worker by day, and says she now aims to publish two or three copies of Heath and Mud a year, with all profits going to Peak District organisations.

So far around £600 has gone to Edale Mountain Rescue and £400 for the Peak and Northern Footpaths Society, with Moors for the Future in mind for issue three.

In issue one of the magazine, she says the Peak District is: “a place that simultaneously connects me to the present, as I'm mindful of my surroundings, and makes me feel a part of something old and ancient. This ground has been trod by the people that came before us, and the clues of this are in the fabric and character of the landscape.”

* To contribute or find out more, see: https://heathandmud.bigcartel.com