The Linux Beer Hike in England
Peak District

Blue skies, green hills, white sheep, black penguins, and golden ales – what a colorful week we had in northern England. About 60 geeks met in Castleton, in the Peak District, for the annual Linux Beer Hike.
When geeks put on hiking boots, grab their sunglasses and hiking poles, it's LBW time. The 15th Linux Beer Hike, also known as the Linux Bier Wanderung (LBW) [1], took place from August 17-25, 2013 (see the "Linux Bier Wanderung" box). Hikers and hackers from various countries all over the world met up in Castleton [2], in the heart of England's Peak District National Park. The village is surrounded by steep hills, with the most prominent being the Great Ridge two miles to the northwest. At the western end of the ridge lies Mam Tor (517 m, 1,696 ft), the "mother hill."
Hiking Paradise
Castleton turned out to be an ideal place for a walking holiday. Several hikes started at the village itself, and the geeks enjoyed fantastic views from up the hills. During the week, there were several shorter walks in the Hope Valley, including Winnats Pass, Lose Hill, Hollins Cross, Mam Tor, and Ladybower Reservoir. Some more advanced hikers went on longer trips, for example, to Kinder Scout, a moorland plateau at 2,087 ft (636 m) above sea level.
One day, we went on an advanced pub crawl. A walk from Marple Bridge to Whaley Bridge led us past several canal tow paths, cycle tracks, forests, rivers, lakes, and hilltop moorland – of course, there were plenty of pubs along the route, and we tried our best to sample many of the local beer specialties.
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