Kinder

KINDER SCOUT

December 4, 2019

ROAD OUTSIDE THE SPORTSMAN INN IN KINDER ROAD IN HAYFIELD, RIVER SETT, HAYFIELD CAMP SITE, TUNSTEAD CLOUGH, HARRY MOOR, KINDER LOW END, KINDER LOW, RED BROOK, KINDER DOWNFALL, SANDY HEYS, BOTTOM OF WILLIAM CLOUGH, KINDER RESERVOIR, WHITE BROW, FARLANDS BOOTH, SPORTSMAN INN

Distance: 7.5 miles Ascent/descent: 1.960 ft

Difiiculty: Hard

Weather: Unbroken sunshine, chilly

 Walkers: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Paul Bebbington, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns,Tom Cunliffe, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, George Whaites

Alternate walkers: Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Jock Rooney with Tip

Apologies: Alan Hart (Buenos Aires tango duties), Julian Ross (domestic duties)

Leader: Beal Diarist: Beal

Starting point: Road outside the Sportsman Inn, Kinder Road, Hayfield 

Starting time: 9.39am  Finishing time: 2pm

What today's route lacked in distance it more than made up for in the height climbed and the ruggedness of the terrain on the Kinder Scout plateau.

It started with a 1,400-foot, 90-minute, climb of the steepest route to the trig point on Kinder Low, and then traversed almost the entire length of the escarpment before a steep drop down to Kinder reservoir.

We were pleased to welcome a debutant Wanderer, Paul Bebbington, introduced by Alastair, who could not have chosen a tougher walk for his first outing with us.

We were rewarded however with cloudless skies and magnificent views for the whole of our route.

We took a stepped footpath through a gap in the wall opposite the Sportsman, which took us down to a footbridge over the River Sett. Here we turned left along the bank, past Hayfield camp site, closed for the winter, and to a junction of lanes at Bowden Bridge.

We took the right fork and at the next junction took a track uphill, slightly to the left, signed Kinderstones and Tunstead House. The owner of Kinderstones must be one of the Peak District's more optimistic residents, having installed an outdoor swimming pool heated by solar panels.

The track swung right and at the gates of Tunstead Barn , formerly part of Tunstead Clough Farm, we took a track to the right. This brought us to the front of Tunstead House, where we climbed a stile in to a field. The path climbed steeply through three fields before reaching open moorland with the imposing bulk of Kinder Low looming in front of us (40 minutes). Shortly before here George, not having walked for many weeks, chose to retreat but promised to return undaunted next week.

We went through a gate, then another nearby one diagonally to the left, which brought us to the foot of the rocky, 500-foot climb of Kinder Low End. Thankfully, a series of steps have been fashioned in to the slope to aid the zig-zag ascent.

We sheltered from the chilly breeze in a collection of rocks near the top of the steep climb, next to a mound which is a Bronze Age (2,000 to 1,500BC) barrow. This is a protected monument and has been fenced off to prevent erosion damage. Here a slightly early pietime was declared (75 min) while we admired the splendid views all round.

From here a flagged path took us slightly uphill, with the outcrop of Edale Rocks on our right, towards a large cairn, and soon afterwards the trig point marking the Kinder Low summit at 2,077 feet (85 min).

This is in fact not the highest point of the Kinder Scout plateau - that lies on an unmarked spot half-a-mile to the north-east which is 11 feet higher and is the highest southernmost spot in England before Dartmoor is reached.

Remarkably, the Kinder Low trig point is atop a large rock some eight feet from the surrounding earth, but within living memory was actually at ground level - testimony to the extent of the erosion of the peat that once covered the surrounding land to a depth of several feet.

The National Park and the landowners, the National Trust, have embarked on a fifty-year project to restore the plateau to its former natural state and repair the damage caused by years of industrial acid rain and chronic over-grazing by sheep. It was good to see the

action, involving the spreading of seed by helicopter, is proving successful and the trig point, once in a sea of black peat, is now surrounded by vegetation.

Navigation on this vast plateau can sometimes be tricky, but there were no such problems in today's sunshine as we headed along the edge of the escarpment. We crossed the rocky stream bed of Red Brook (105 min) and continued to Kinder Downfall (125 min), the massive cleft in the rock where the River Kinder - sometimes little more than a trickle - disappears over the edge.

It is this feature that gives its name to the Kinder Scout plateau - thought to be from the old English Kyndwr Scut, meaning 'water over the edge'.

There was little water in the river bed and we crossed without difficulty and continued along an improving path round the escarpment. Below us was the Mermaid's Pool, where legend has it anyone spotting the mermaid on Easter Eve will be granted immortality.

At the rocky outcrop of Sandy Heys (150 min) we took a path to the left, heading for the Kinder Reservoir below us. This at times steep descent of 1,000 feet in less than a mile brought us to the foot of William Clough, a welcome lunchbreak and a rest for the knees (180 min).

We crossed a small bridge and took a path along the side of the reservoir. The path rose slightly, crossed a muddy area, and brought us to a point overlooking the large earth dam wall, completed in 1927.

We descended a narrow, rock-paved path to reach the reservoir access road, where we crossed a stream and coninued along the far bank. This brought us past Farlands Booth to a minor road, which we followed to reach our outward route at Bowden Bridge. A short walk brought us back to the Sportsman (225 min) and welcome pints of Thwaites Original and Gold (£3-60), kindly provided by Tom to mark his birthday. Already there were Laurie, Colin, Jock and Tip, who had completed a route of six miles from New Mills over Chinley Head.

Next week will mark the Wanderers' Christmas lunch at the Wilfred Wood Wetherspoons in Hazel Grove. We originally fixed a time of 2.30pm for this, but as they don't take bookings feel free to arrive earlier.

The walk beforehand will depart the car park (free) at Torkington Park, around 10 minutes walk from the pub, at 9.40am, calling at the Ring o' Bells in Marple around noon. We should leave here no later than 12.45pm, bringing us back to Torkington by 2pm.

Happy wandering!