We visited the Peak District National Park back in February 2019. Most people visit the area in the summer months but we went at the end of winter as we were looking for Mountain Hares. In the summer they have a brown coat, but in the winter their coat is white to help blend in with the background. February is the best time to see them as the snow is mostly gone, but they still have their white coat which makes them very easy to spot
Visiting in winter does have its drawbacks, namely the weather can be grim. And as you can see from the next couple of pictures, not only was the weather challenging, but it was bordering on becoming potentially dangerous. The temperature barely got above freezing (some of those puddles had ice) and the thick fog meant visibility was poor.
We made sure we were as safe as we could be, so we religiously stuck to the path. Up in the moors there are no landmarks or defining features, so if we left the path we would be completely lost. We also made sure we were well dressed for the elements (I had 2 sets of clothes on, my partner had 3!) The wind wasn't too bad, but there was a steady breeze, so patches of fog rolled in and out all day. Sometimes we could see the surrounding hills and other times visibility was reduced to about 5 metres.
We carefully, and patiently, walked along the path for about 2 hours, watching our step in the freezing fog. Suddenly the fog lifted, we could see a small white shape in the distance. We had found an elusive Mountain Hare! We took a few pictures quickly before the fog came down. When it lifted again the Hare had gone, and that was that. I had 3 pictures, she had 6 pictures, and with that done we walked all the way back down the hill back to the car.
4 hours of walking, 9 pictures of a single Mountain Hare - Mission Accomplished!
And a bonus picture, showing just how changeable the weather can be. We went back into the hills on the following day. The weather was much better, and there was no wildlife in sight. We were however rewarded with this stunning sunset!
