It wouldn’t have been a training walk without me casually sitting on a large rock, staring thoughtfully into the distance, wondering when it’s going to be acceptable for me to eat my bacon sandwich.
Okay, let’s start with a little history lesson, shall we? Kinder Scout is known as ‘The Mass Trespass Walk’ – In 1932 around 500 walkers, from around the UK trespassed en masse and walked from Hayfield to Kinder Scout to secure access right to open country for all to enjoy forever. Some folk were even imprisoned as a result of this trespass, but most of the Peak District was privately owned and crossing the lush green peaks was strictly forbidden. Worry not, these days you won’t get arrested for enjoying this 10mile circuit.
We packed our waterproofs, bacon sandwiches, plenty of snacks, sunglasses, and headed off to explore. The route starts off steadily along the road, giving you a chance to take in Pass Booth Bridge and the sheep wash, which looks rather like a mini swimming pool for sheep alongside the river. Gradually the path steepens and I was promptly reminded that my cardio fitness isn’t where I’d like it to be, fortunately, the route eased out and some jelly babies provided a much-needed energy boost.
After around two hours of walking, we stopped to admire the view from the incredible stone buttresses, obviously, it didn’t happen if it wasn’t on Instagram…
Once we’d enjoyed our lunch and taken in the view, we continued our circuit and headed down towards Edale, after commenting how quiet and peaceful the route was this was the point where we started to see other walkers. I think the reason it was so quiet was due to the fact we completed the walk on a Wednesday, during the off-peak season and this is worth keeping in mind if you’re not a fan of crowds.
Continuing downhill we strolled through the peaceful moorlands, in search of the stream which we used as a marker for us to join the road back to the carpark and complete our circuit of Kinder Scout. As we went slightly off route, there might have been a moment when I felt like a modern-day trespasser whilst trying to ungracefully climb over a stone wall.
Useful Information:
*Whilst the route is relatively easy to follow, I’d recommend taking a map as there’s no phone signal for most of the route and our Garmin and my complete lack of direction, led us slightly astray once or twice.
*We were lucky to walk on a mainly sunny/dry day but in bad weather, the path would be extremely slippy, so I’d firmly recommend wearing comfortable/waterproof boots.
*The carpark is a good size and it’s only £4.50 to park for the whole day, I can imagine this would get very busy during peak times.
*The route is dog-friendly, although do take water for your 4 legged pals.
*Walking poles would be helpful if you aren’t comfortable walking downhill, although the steep sections are very limited/short.
***
Have you ever walked Kinder Scout before?
Katie
x
You might enjoy reading:
