Choosing Between Many Hiking Routes to Kinder Scout
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So many interconnecting trails weave their way through the English national parks that it can be overwhelming to pick one path, even when you have a clear idea of your final destination. An online search for hiking routes to Kinder Scout yields endless results. As a foreigner I initially had no idea which one was supposed to be the “classic” route to Kinder Scout.
I’ve hiked in many different countries and have noticed some eccentricities when it comes to outdoor recreation in England and Wales. One thing I find confusing about choosing and navigating hiking (or “hillwalking”) trails in these countries is that there are often indistinct side trails jutting off from the main route. When I look at my GAIA navigation app or other maps, these trails don’t even have a name. Half the time they seem to be desire paths, which slowly wore into “real” paths over time.
On one hand this is fun because you have opportunities to explore and choose your own adventure. The American “Leave No Trace” principle of always staying on-trail doesn’t seem to be a big deal in the United Kingdom, who value their precarious Right to Roam (and continue to fight for it). An unexpected side trail can also bail you out if your main route isn’t what you expected, which is what happened when I tried to reach the Cantilever Stone in Snowdonia the first time (I later found an easier route that didn’t involve scaling Tryfan). On the other hand, there’s very little information about these paths. While it may appear on your map that a side trail will take you where you’re trying to go, you won’t know whether it will also take you through muddy bogland or some other uncharted obstacle. For this reason I often stubbornly stick to my predetermined route the first time I’m hiking in a new environment, despite my philosophy about flexibility and taking detours.
In the Peak District, this stubbornness did not serve me well and I learned the best routes to Kinder Scout through trial and error. I would have preferred to know the following points about the various hiking routes to Kinder Scout before setting out.
What is the Significance of Kinder Scout?
On April 24, 1932, the Manchester branch of the Communist-inspired British Workers’ Sports Federation, led by Benny Rothman, held a demonstration that would become known as the Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout. Hundreds of walkers stormed the highest point in the Peak District, some approaching from Edale and most from Bowden Bridge. They met on the Kinder Scout plateau en masse to protest the public’s lack of access to the countryside.
“The trespass was controversial at the time, being seen as a working class struggle for the right to roam versus the rights of the wealthy to have exclusive use of moorlands for grouse shooting.”
Hayfield Kinder Trespass Group
There was a skirmish with gamekeepers and ultimately six hikers were arrested, including Benny Rothman. They were charged with unlawful assembly and breach of peace. Five of them were found guilty and sentenced to two to six months’ imprisonment.
The resultant publicity played right into their cause and raised further awareness. By 1936 the Standing Committee on National Parks (SCNP) was formed, urging the government to create national park designations. The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was enacted in 1949, and Peak District National Park became the United Kingdom’s first national park on April 17, 1951.
The Kinder Scout Mass Trespass continues to inspire activism, but today 92% of England is not covered by Right to Roam. Find out which lands are open access and what your rights are at gov.uk.
Various Route Options to Kinder Scout
What’s the best route to reach Kinder Scout in Peak District National Park in England?
Not mine.
When I was researching different hiking trails in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District, I focused in on two points of interest: Kinder Scout and Jacob’s Ladder. What I didn’t realize when I chose this track that perfectly hits those locations, is that there are many more destinations nearby that could easily be included in the same day without much additional effort, including Edale Cross, Mermaid’s Pool or Kinder Downfall. Why would you come all this way and then skip a waterfall?
The Mam Tor Circular, which I completed a different day, is very nearby and could even be connected to Kinder Scout if you’re up for a very long trek.
It turns out I also could have walked directly from Edale station onto a trail, like this, but instead I was trying to start at Barber Booth in order to be in line with my chosen route. I ended up doing some road walking as a result. When I reached the rock field on the northeastern edge of the loop, I noticed other hikers joining me from the east, likely coming from Grindslow Knoll. I get the feeling that would have been the more adventurous choice. I went with the first route linked above because it supposedly brings you directly to Kinder Scout’s summit, whereas the others actually skirt around it, but who says you can’t combine them to your liking? Learn from my mistakes to craft your perfect hiking route to Kinder Scout!
If I were to hike it again, from Edale station I would hit Grindslow Knoll first, approaching the Kinder Plateau from the east. At Kinder Low I would veer north towards Kinder Downfall, then retrace my steps south to Jacob’s Ladder.
Hike to The Princess Bride Filming Location in England
Prefer a guided hike/walk in the Peak District? Check out this list of the top outfitters offering guided trips. If you’re more into sightseeing, you can book a Peak District day trip from Manchester.
How to Get to Kinder Scout on Public Transportation
The easiest place to start a hike to Kinder Scout and Jacob’s Ladder is the Edale train station. You can take the Northern train line either from Sheffield east of the Peak District, or Manchester west of the Peak District. It should only be a 30-40 minute ride either way. You can buy train tickets online in advance of your trip, or onsite using the machines at the train station. At the time of this writing, an online roundtrip ticket to/from Sheffield is £9.90, and to/from Manchester varies between £9.80 and £12.80 depending on the date and time.
I was staying at an AirBnB in Old Whittington, Chesterfield (south of Sheffield), so I also needed to take a city bus in order to reach Sheffield’s train station. You can easily figure out which bus to take via Google Maps set to the “transit” setting, and it’s possible to pay onboard the bus with a debit or credit card.
Some hikers choose to start at Bowden Bridge near Hayfield. This is the more traditional path for those trying to retrace the steps of the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass protesters, but Bowden Bridge is also trickier to get to on public transportation. You’ll take the Northern line to New Mills Central instead of Edale, then the 358, 60, or 61 bus to Hayfield, and then it’s a 20 minute walk to Bowden Bridge.
🏨 Planning to stay overnight near the Peak District? There are cute accommodations in Edale, such as the Rambler Inn. Hayfield seems to have more affordable options. There are also budget YHA hostels nearby, and more in Sheffield or Manchester.
Trail Report: Kinder Scout and Jacob’s Ladder from Edale
To get from the Edale train station to the beginning of the main attraction, which is the loop end of the lollipop-shaped trail, I walked along small farmland footpaths and village backroads. I first veered towards Barber Booth and then north towards Upper Booth. The fun really starts after reaching Upper Booth Farm. From here, the rolling hills of the idyllic Peak District reveal themselves more dramatically. It’s a gentle, peaceful stroll until you reach the fence and a stone bridge, called Youngate Bridge, which marks the beginning of Jacob’s Ladder. From here you will no longer be simply observing the hills, but climbing them.
Jacob’s Ladder is a series of steep steps that were cut into the hillside to help walkers reach Kinder Plateau. It zigzags to form the western side of the loop, to your left as you approach the fence gate. To your right, a faint path ascends a different grassy hill, forming the eastern part of the loop. I didn’t know if most hikers prefer to hike the loop clockwise or counterclockwise, so I chose to ascend the eastern grassy path first and descend the steps of Jacob’s Ladder later.
It was not a particularly busy morning and no other hikers made the same counterclockwise choice that I did. I was grateful for this. If the loop is a clock face, from 6pm until 2pm I had expansive views over the Peak District all to myself. As swaying grass brushed against my knees, I was able to imagine what it must have been like for my ancestors to ramble in these hills in earlier centuries.
My favorite portion of the trail was a ridgeline just before reaching the top of the loop. A deep fissure has been carved out of the earth to the right of the ridge. Since the drop-off is far enough from the trail, there is no need to feel anxious about heights exposure. I paused here to watch cloud shadows dance across the chasm. You can also watch this in action in my TikTok video below.
This portion of the walk is one thing you’d miss out on if you were to take the otherwise preferable trail from Grindslow Knoll, though I’m sure that route has its own views to rival it.
Upon reaching the northeast corner of the loop, the ascent up to the plateau is complete and there is a magnificent field of oddly shaped rock formations. This is a prime photography spot as you can also see miles into the distance. The trail continues to traverse a maze of cartoonish rocks as you make your way westward.
You’ll need to keep a look out for a side trail that brings you to the official high point of Kinder Scout. Local British walkers say that it’s not a particularly interesting “peak bagging” moment in comparison to the more beautiful surrounding landscape features.
“The official high point (636m) of Kinder Scout is north east of the Kinder Low trig pillar (633m) – and is a mere inconspicuous mound of grass amongst boggy and featureless terrain. As far as summits go it’s uninviting to say the least and thus is avoided by the majority of walkers. Instead walkers are happy to regard the prominent Kinder Low trig as the official summit of Kinder Scout – it’s certainly easier to find and better for a selfie!”
Wild Blighty
I wanted to achieve a summit anyway. I got off the main loop where my map suggested a fork to Kinder Scout summit, but there wasn’t much of a trail to speak of. I double, triple, and quadruple-thought myself as I looked for the path, sometimes turning back to try another way. I must have given up quickly since my GPS tracker didn’t record this detour. I suppose even if I had found the summit I wouldn’t have known it, with no X to mark the spot.
By now there were many other hikers around and we would follow each other for the rest of the loop. I got back on the main trail towards Kinder Low, which does have an easily identifiable trig point. From here I wish I had taken the Pennine Way north to search for Kinder Downfall and Mermaid’s Pool, which both rest along the River Kinder. Instead I turned to the south and finally made my way towards Jacob’s Ladder.
First the stone path traces a wide open plain that hypnotically stretches across time and space, but the spell was broken when I reached a rougher portion of the trail which I’m inclined to describe as a “ravine” (I found some pictures here that illustrate this well; they describe the 4th photo down on the left GR086862 as “sunken singletrack”). It seems to have been carved out over time by mountain bikers, but the bikers I witnessed attempting their way down it were having some trouble with the roughness of the path. I was glad to be on my own two feet. Eventually I reached a cairn that marks Jacob’s Ladder, and the rest of the steps back down to the fence gate were straightforward. I retraced my path back to Edale station.
Hiking trails often teach me about geography or science, but I love when a trail teaches me something about history too. I’m beginning to see a pattern in the trails I gravitate towards – The Kerry Way has wedge tombs and ogham stones, Hadrian’s Wall has ruins of a Roman wall, the Carneddau has a Bronze Age stone circle, and almost all of my hikes in Arizona have petroglyphs, pictographs, or some other significance to Native American populations. Hiking Kinder Scout gave me a window into the values and codes of conduct among British ramblers.
If you’re from the United Kingdom, is there anything I’ve misunderstood about the Right to Roam? How do you go about choosing one route from the web of interconnecting side trails in your national parks? And – have you designed a perfect walking route that combines every point of interest on the Kinder Plateau?
✈️ Coming to England from further afield? Use an Airalo eSIM for affordable international cell data and don’t forget to protect your investment with travel insurance.
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