Three Shires Head: Sun, Waterfalls and Wild Paddling

Three Shires Head is one of those places where you arrive and immediately think "why don't I live here." It's the spot where Cheshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire all meet, right on the River Dane, with a beautiful old packhorse bridge and a series of little waterfalls that pour into the most perfect plunge pools. We went on the hottest day of summer and it was basically paradise.

We walked in from the Cat and Fiddle Inn – the second-highest pub in England – which is a long-ish walk over open moorland but really easy underfoot. The sun was absolutely beating down. Mum had made us all wear hats and slathered us in suncream until we looked like ghosts. Skylarks were going completely mental in the sky above us, that crazy bubbling song that just keeps going and going. Cotton grass was bobbing in the breeze like little white pom poms.

You hear Three Shires Head before you see it. The path drops down into a little valley and suddenly there's the sound of falling water and laughing kids. We came round the corner and there were already loads of families there – kids in swimming costumes jumping off the rocks, parents sitting in the sun with picnics, dogs splashing about. It looked like a postcard.

We immediately stripped down to our trunks (we'd been wearing them under our shorts, prepared!) and got in. The water was COLD. Like, "scream when it touches your tummy" cold. But once you were in it was incredible. Crystal clear, you could see right down to the pebbles, with little fish darting around your feet. The best plunge pool is the one right under the main waterfall. Jasper jumped in from the rock above and his splash absolutely soaked Mum's sandwich, which was both very funny and a tactical mistake.

We spent literally three hours just paddling, climbing on the rocks, lying in the sun on the warm stones to dry off, and then getting back in. Dad showed us how to cup your hands together to catch tiny minnows, then let them go again. Hugo found a frog. We sat on the packhorse bridge with our feet dangling and ate squashed jam sandwiches and warm apples. Honestly perfect.

The walk back was harder because we were all sleepy from the sun and the water, and the moorland feels much longer when your legs are tired. But we got proper ice creams at the Cat and Fiddle as a reward. Three Shires Head is the kind of place that reminds you that an adventure doesn't always need to be a massive summit. Sometimes it's a river, three counties, and a really good rope swing. Definitely going back next summer with snorkels.