Today, we took the day off in celebration of Francesca’s birthday (and also because we had worked several 8-12hr workdays in a row and all needed a nice break).

While the day was full of all the typical birthday things (e.g. presents, candles, and ice cream cake), we also decided to check out a nearby national park known as the Peak District National Park.

We completed a trail to a geological formation known as ‘The Roaches’, The ridge looks over Leek, England. We learned the name refers not to the insect, but to the French word for rocks (les roches). Though a short hike (only 505m), the top provided a beautiful lookout over Leek and the surrounding farms.

We had a great afternoon taking in the countryside, but we are all looking forward to getting back to data collection tomorrow!