LETJOG PEAK No 14: Kinder Scout, Derbyshire (636 metres)
Walk Date: Tuesday 2 May 2023
This idyllic image is taken from the poster at Edale Station
At last my LETJOG Peaks walk reaches the highlands! I have been longing to get to upland England ever since I hatched my plans for this venture a couple of months ago, just awaiting windows in the weather and in my calendar to make such a trip happen. So I now have four days to enjoy the moorlands of the Peak District in springtime! Living in Hertfordshire this area provides the nearest uplands to home, and holds some happy memories of family camps and rambles, as well as some more recent ones of my first few days of walking the Pennine Way.
An early start from home saw me in Edale by mid-morning for this testing 13-mile hike: six miles along the Pennine Way (mostly uphill) before a trudge over the peat-bog plateau to the summit and a return scramble down the steep and rocky Grinds Brook gorge
Today the weather did not disappoint, sticking with the local forecast as the morning mist lifted from the hilltops. With some occasional sunshine and a high cloud base I enjoyed the favourable walking conditions and a day of far-reaching views across the wild moors in all directions. I will leave the photos to take up the story.
My start- and end-point todayThe 19th Century Trinity Church in Edale, built of local stone, blends well with this rocky landscapeOpposite the Nags Head pub, where the Pennine Way starts its 268-mile northward journey to Kirk Yetholm in ScotlandA chance meeting with Peter and David made for a colourful trio along the first few miles out of Edale: these two intrepid walkers have spent the last few weeks trekking up from Land’s End en route to John O’Groats via a not dissimilar path to the one that I followed almost two years ago – I admit to a degree of envy for the pleasures they have in store over the days and weeks to come!Even our bright colours failed to startle these henfolkHalfway up Jacob’s Ladder, built (according to some fellow ramblers) by a Victorian landowner of that name, either for altruistic or commercial purposes (they were unable to agree on this)At the top of the Ladder this cairn stands guardFurther up at Kinder Low this trig point on the Way marks 633 metres of elevation, just three metres short of the summit of Kinder Scout – hence requiring of me an onward traverse of the moorland plateau to reach my ultimate goal for the dayWind-sculpted gritstone rocks (with walking poles for scale) . . .. . . and a fine balancing act!The view from the top of Kinder Downfall, a 30-metre waterfall (when there is enough flow), where I had my picnic lunch overlooking Kinder Reservoir and the landscape to the westA really tricky half-hour crossing of the peat-bogs on the plateau took me eventually to . . .. . . this modest stake in the ground that marks the indistinct summit of the Kinder Scout plateau – at 636 metres above sea level this is the highest point in the Peak District, enjoying a prominence of 488 metresSome more tricky navigation across the peatlands . . .. . . to rejoin the main path, well-made here to counter the erosive consequences of many a pair of walking bootsPassing the buttress of Crowden Tower . . .. . . before a steep rocky descent down the gorge . . .. . . and eventually into the beautiful lower Grinds Brook valleyAt last, an easy path across grazing fieldsBack in Edale village, just in time for the hourly train
My base tonight, and for the three days ahead, is The George in Hathersage, where a good meal and a comfy bed await. What a great way to get the upland parts of my LETJOG Peaks challenge started!
Today’s Blog title is taken from Mike Oldfield’s 2014 composition ‘Man On The Rocks’, a heading that seems an appropriate description for my experiences today. Oldfield is a southerner of course, but there is a strong Derbyshire link in the form of Luke Spiller’s lead vocals. Spiller and band-mate Adam Slack founded the Derby-based rock group The Struts in 2012, breaking through two years later with their debut album ‘Everybody Wants’. Based on his sound and presence Oldfield recruited Spiller to sing the title track of his ‘Man On The Rocks’ album, and the latter ended up singing on every track: according to Oldfield “he did a much better job of sounding like a rock star than me.”
2 thoughts on “Man On The Rocks”
Takes me right back to my youth- trekking around Edale, up Kinder and sledging as a child.
You were lucky with the weather Nick.
Walking for Fun, Challenge and Charity! 
Takes me right back to my youth- trekking around Edale, up Kinder and sledging as a child.
You were lucky with the weather Nick.
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Well done on a strenuous walk. Love the photos
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