Pennine ways on Kinder Scout

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Our view

"Scramble to the top of gritstone outcrops on th edge of Kinder"

Walk directions

Exit the car park beside the public toilets and turn right on to the village road. Go under the railway bridge and through Edale, past The Old Nags Head pub. Eventually fork right at the gate to ‘The Gathering’ then across a footbridge over Grinds Brook.

Leave the main Grindsbrook Clough path by the side of a small barn, forking right to climb up the lower hillside to a gate on the edge of open country. Follow the path, which now zigzags above the valley then climbs above The Nab. Stick with the pitched path until it fades just below the rocks of Ringing Roger then fork right on to a faint rocky path to head more directly on to the ridgeline and summit of Ringing Roger.

Follow a few stone flags along the ridgeline leading out to the main path towards Oller Brook. As this veers right, fork left on to a faint path to a group of cairns just right of a lone tree on the edge. Pass two cairns, then fork left on a sandy track before the third. A flagstone lined path now rounds the cavernous hollow of Grindsbrook past Nether Tor. Keep the edge on your left now; you’ll cross some small fords before a long indentation to the large ford across the eastern headwater stream of Grinds Brook.

Meet the old Pennine Way route at a large cairn by another headwater stream. Ignore a path forking left for the outlier of Grindslow Knoll; instead follow the paved footpath westwards to the head of Crowden Clough (another deep hollow). Continue along the edge of Kinder past the top of Crowden Tower and carry on via a succession of gritstone outcrops: the Wool Packs, Pym Chair and Noe Stool.

Continue ahead on the paved path at a large cairn (where the path comes in from Kinder Low). This heads under the Swine’s Back – a short angular ridge. Follow the main route left down steps then fork left on slabs at a junction with a sandy path.

Continue down to a beehive-shaped cairn, then bend left for the pitched staircase of Jacob’s Ladder. This descends to an old packhorse bridge, then along to some buildings (Lee Farm). Now it becomes a surfaced lane and descends to Upper Booth.

Cross a bridge over a stream, then turn left into a farmyard (Upper Booth). Follow the gravel drive as it bends right then through a gate. Turn left with the track following a Pennine Way sign then right following a ‘Footpath to Edale’ sign. The Pennine Way rises up a sandy track which fades as it begins to traverse rough pasture and fields at the foot of Broadlee-Bank Tor. At a junction below Grindslow Knoll, turn right to descend a tree-lined track to the village. Turn right along the road and back to the car park.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Field paths and moorland tracks (mostly slabbed, but some peaty sections)

Landscape - Rock and peat paths, some steep ascents and descents, occasional scrambly sections

Dog friendliness - Walk is on farmland and access land, dogs should be kept on leads

Parking - Edale pay car park

Toilets en route - Edale car park and at Moorland centre

Walks in Derbyshire Dog-friendly walks in Derbyshire

About the walk

In depression-torn 1930s England, Tom Stephenson, then secretary of the Ramblers’ Association, told the readers of the Daily Herald of his dream to create a long, green trail across the roof of England. This dream would bring Edale to the world’s attention. It took 30 years, a mass trespass and...

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

Find out more

Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

Learn more

Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

Learn more

About the area

The natural features of this central English county range from the modest heights of the Peak District National Park, where Kinder Scout stands at 2,088 ft (636 m), to the depths of its remarkable underground caverns, floodlit to reveal exquisite Blue John stone. Walkers and cyclists will enjoy the High Peak Trail which extends from the Derwent Valley to the limestone plateau near Buxton, and for many, the spectacular scenery is what draws them to the area.