“Descending Back Tor happened much faster than the climb, and then we began to cover some serious ground. Stomping down gravel tracks, bouncing through forests, and eventually ending up back on a road. The tarmac wasn’t our favourite surface of the day, but it did lead us to a pub. So we yammed some below-average food, necked some above-average pints, and continued our march back out into the Peaks.

By now, it was just after midday, and the sunshine was really beating down on us. We sweated, we panted, we wondered whether two glasses of water might’ve been the better option – and we kept hiking.

After a quick lie down, petting a dog, and imitating some nearby sheep, we began our final ascent of the day. We’d love to tell you what our destination was called, but like a lot of the Peak District, we’re fairly sure it was nameless.

Either that, or we don’t know the area quite as well as we thought we did.

Whatever the summit was – or wasn’t – called, we didn’t really care. The only thing that mattered now was moving, and moving fast. We shed a few Berghaus layers, stuffed them into one of the Fast Hike packs, and fastened every crossbody strap as tightly as we could. We were locking in for the final leg.

As we climbed the hillside, we tapped into a special kind of flow state. Our movements – once sluggish and leggy – were now being dictated entirely by pattern. Picking the right rocks to clamber up, placing just the right part of our toes on them, putting exactly the right amount of energy into each step. Everything felt calculated to the nanosecond. This time, our movement genuinely did resemble that of ballet dancers.

And just as the sun began to slip behind one of the Peak District’s many jagged rock formations, we reached the summit. The last 45 minutes had passed in a blur; not a single word was said. But as we stood staring into the horizon, we agreed that the Fast Hike had played a significant role in that flow state.

Hiking with a backpack that shuffles and shifts takes you out of the experience. It’s distracting and, at times, infuriating. To truly take in the beauty of somewhere like the Peak District, you want to strap on a backpack and forget about it entirely – and that’s exactly what we did with the Fast Hike packs. Not once did it feel like we were carrying anything at all.

As much as we wanted to rest our weary legs and feast our eyes on the deepening red sunset, we couldn’t. Only one train per hour runs from Edale to Manchester Piccadilly, and there was one arriving in the next 20 minutes.

It had taken us about an hour to reach the summit, so by our maths, it would take at least half an hour to get down. We decided to give it a go anyway.

We tore down gravel, grit, and uneven ground, literally racing the sun as it sank into the horizon behind us. All the precision and agility we’d mastered on the way up were now out the window. It was simply one leg in front of the other, as fast as we could manage. Headtorches were switched on, cameras were clutched tighter than ever, and watches were constantly checked.

How neither of us fell ass over tit was a miracle – one that felt insignificant the minute we stepped onto the train. We made it down in 20 minutes flat. Without planning, we’d done our fastest hiking of the day right at the very end of it.

As we rolled through the likes of Chinley, Marple and Romiley, we chatted about the day and came away with two main takeaways. Firstly, no matter how well you think you know the Peak District, you can still have huge amounts of fun there. We’re guilty of taking it for granted, but on the right day, it’s truly a special place.

And secondly, our enjoyment wasn’t hindered once by having to carry gear. We didn’t once think about the Berghaus Fast Hike while it was on our backs – and in the realm of hiking backpacks, that’s the best compliment you can give.”