Central England – Kinder Scout, Derbyshire Peak District

Distance: 19½km/12 miles
Time: 6½hrs
Type: High moorland
Where: Circular walk from Edale to Kinder Scout.
Start/End: Edale station (SK123853).
Terrain: High open ground, with peat and rocky sections involving some steep ascents and descents.
Maps: OS Explorer OL 1; Landranger 110.

Britain’s first official long-distance path, the Pennine Way finally opened in 1965, 30 years after Tom Stephenson – journalist, walkers’ champion and first fulltime secretary of the Ramblers – proposed it, primarily as a means of resolving the long-standing problems of access to Kinder and Bleaklow. He had witnessed the battles fought there between ramblers and local gamekeepers at the 1932 Mass Trespass. One of the route’s main challenges is the first section, across Derbyshire’s notorious peat bogs, but this invigorating circular day-long walk lets you sample the best of Kinder Scout by skirting the southern and western edges of the 636m/2,086ft massif. Indeed, after a stiff ascent from Edale, it’s a relatively straightforward and level walk, with newly paved sections dodging the worst of the eroded peat. You can trace the original route of the Pennine Way from Edale, joining it above Grindsbrook Clough, then return on the current path down Jacob’s Ladder into the lush Edale valley. Apart from the panoramic views, the highlight of the section is probably Kinder Downfall, a high and exposed rocky chasm that eats into the hillside. As always, be properly equipped and remember that conditions on the tops can be very different from those in the valley below.

Click here to download a route card