COUNTY BAGGING: Derbyshire - Kinder Scout from Hayfield (9 miles)

Sunday, 26th June 2016

As I drove along the high point of the A624 with my lights and wipers on taking in vague views of strange dark lumps of hill in the mist, I began to wonder if “doing Kinder” today was going to be a good idea.

Arriving in Hayfield, I rang Mark, who I was meeting up with, to find out where exactly we were meeting up.

Once booted and soooted we set off, having a bit of a discussion about the weather higher up and planning contingency plans if the tops were still in clag when we got to each junction.
We pootled along the Pennine Bridleway, following the River Sett for a while before turning south towards Coldwell Clough and snapping this progress report on the clag on the tops:

Hmmm. I wasn’t convinced going “up there” was a good idea, but, the Met Office promised sunshine at mid-day and, as we turned east to follow a bridleway to Edale Cross, the weather did indeed improve. As we meandered along the loooooong, slowwww, energy sapping (for unfit me) steady ascent I took evvverryyyyy opportunity to enjoy the views, including cute ones:

I was tiring really easily for some reason. I put it down to general unfitness and was shocked at the level of fatigue I was feeling.  I think if I’d been doing this walk on my own I’d have turned round and headed back. But Ridge spurred me on with helpful comments like “it’s steady like this all the way to the top” (blatant lie) whilst I used every trick in the book to stop for a rest (what’s that hill over there, rummage in rucksack for map / I think I need a drink, rummage in rucksack / I can hear the aeroplane but I can’t see it, stops to stare skywards… you get the drift… ). Soon enough (well, not soon enough really) we reached the gated entrance to the Kinder Estate:

We pootled alongside Oakden Clough which could be heard gurgling away invisibly to our right and in no time at all (fibbing again) we were at Edale Cross:

The sun was out and there was a fell running race going on with a checkpoint here. So we stopped and had a bit of a yap with the marshalls about the race and our route. After we bade our farewells we took a left turn up the steep Swine’s Back. Thankfully, we had to give way to lots of fell runners on this bit …. In the spirit of them not losing any time you see… nowt to do with me needing a breather every 10 steps ...

The Swine’s Back rocks (I think, mebby):

It was a generally steady uphill on an improving path of stone slabs which took us to the left of Edale Rocks.

Mark was now looking out for a cairn and, after passing two or three, decided the “big cairn over there” was the one he meant and we spent a while trying to figure out the significance of the littler cairns dotted around (ideas anyone?). In fact, I’m trying to work out the significance of the big cairn to be honest, seeing as it’s so near the trig.

After a bit of a mooch around to find suitable “summit slug” seats, we settled a few boulders away to enjoy our sarnie and cuppa in the lovely sunshine:

Now, what this pic doesn’t show is that, a few paces ahead, the ground drops away into those black peat groughs of fearsome story fame and as we sat there, a chap with a gorgeous coloured dog strode purposefully over there and jumped down into it. We saw his head bobbing along for a short while before he vanished round a corner or down a hole or something.

Suitably fed and watered it was time to bag the trig:

Then we headed north to sort of follow the Pennine Way again. We kept veering off track as I boulder-hopped with a newly found sandwich-fuelled energy. Every now and again I’d spot a clump of people and realise “oops, the path’s over there then” and it goes to show how easily you could get lost in poor visibility. Though, to be honest, it was nicer to not be quite so amongst the crowds.

After fording Red Brook I spotted Kinder Reservoir far down below and noted the weather front heading towards us. Rain was a-coming:

We carried on not following the Pennine Way towards Kinder Downfall, which seemed to take ages to get to:

– you could see the big gouge in the hillside but it didn’t seem to get any closer until….:

There it is. Not much water flowing today mindst I found a nice rock to perch on and watch it a while. Hoping to see the famous up-flow. The larger falls weren’t playing ball but “Son of Kinder Downfall” (to its right) put on a nice little upwards show.

As we carried on close to the edge to ford Kinder Beck, you could feel the spray but not see anything. Crossing the beck:

...I decided that my £25 Gelert boots plus a £1 tin of Kiwi boot polish cleaning (when I can be bothered) and waterproofing regime worked just fine.  We took a left turn, on the homeward stretch now but still up high, we felt the first spit-spots of rain.

I just liked the look of this little patch of Cotton Grass in a grough:

A group of photographers passed us coming from the other direction who asked us how far to the waterfall and how long it would take to do a circuit. Yikes, they were just wearing jeans/shirt and had expensive looking camera gear so as I warned them about the rain coming Mark advised them it was a loooooong circuit to do at this time of day and advised a there and back trip might be best.

They continued on but passed us again on their return (not that we were going slowly or anything) and we were lucky enough to see them drop down off the top via an unnamed path near Sandy Heys towards Kinder Reservoir. Well, if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for us, and we followed suit.

As we descended we got accosted by a human-rustler sheep. Most sheep run away from people. Noooo, not this one who I did think was going to headbutt us down the hill at one point:

Mark taking in the views:

When he turned round to talk to me he pointed up to the summit plateau, which was now shrouded, once more, in mist.

The descent was grassy and steep and I found it easier to bum-slide my way down most of it. It gave my painful Achilles tendon a rest and was much quicker.

Not long after this, the rain started properly. To be honest, I didn’t mind now I was off the top and I find being out in summer rain quite calming and therapeutic, even though I end up looking like a drowned rat (I hate wearing hoods/hats unless I really, truly, absolutely have to) and much prefer just getting wet when it’s not cold.

All that remained now was a low-level walk along the edge of the reservoir to Kinder Road and find a place to cross the river and retrace out steps back to the car.

But first we had wet ferns to contend with. I’d not bothered bringing any waterproof trousers because my Craggy Troos dry so quickly simply from body heat and walking through these certainly tested/proved that theory.

Spotted this bird (anyone know what it is?) on the banks of the reservoir:

And a final look up at Kinder, once again hidden in the clag:

All in all, a right grand day out. A smidgen over 9 miles and it took us all day But who cares? The weather really was kind to us and gave sunshine and good views up on the top - and the rain, when it finally came, was soft, summer rain.

Needless to say, Mark missed his bus back to Buxton and cadged a lift from me after a little tea and cake bribery. But thank you Mark for a smashing day out on my first visit to the weird and wonderful landscape that is Kinder Scout.

A thoroughly enjoyable day’s walking.

Viewranger Track

Thanks for reading 😊