The 8th episode of the Peak Routes podcast comes from a very famous location in the Peak District, Kinder Scout. Kinder is one of the Peaks most iconic hills and the starting point for this walk is from the historic Bowden Bridge Quarry. This episode follows the classic Hayfield Route, we visit great spots like William Clough, the Canadian Sabre Jet Wreckage, Kinder Downfall, Kinder Low and The cave at Kinder Low End.
If you would like to download this episode or any of the others then you can visit the Podcast page of the site. You can also subscribe to get them delivered to you via Feedburner.
It's always nice to find new routes while out walking, go new places, see new things or just explorer your surroundings. That's pretty much what I have been doing for the last year or so in the Peak District. The Peak has a hell of allot to offer, from dramatic edges, to vast moorland landscapes and breathtaking views aplenty. I don't really have favourites, as having them means you like somewhere or something less. I do however have a route which I can say I have favoured more than others. The route in question is one that I have done 100+ times but it never gets old to me, simply because it has it all.
The route I'm talking about is the one above, Kinder Scout from Hayfield. As I said before I have done this route hundreds of times in the past. My friend Stevo and I did this route pretty much every week for 2 years. It holds a special place in my heart and it's one that I would recommend with no fear of it disappointing. The edge path is a classic route which is no stranger to the crowds in summer, don't let that put you off. it passes the locations of a historical trespass, a future Alien evacuation, spots of scientific significance and wreckage sites with stories of tragedy. If you decide you want to get away from it all then look no further, as true isolation and the feeling of loneliness are just a few footsteps away from the edge.
I set off from home this morning and headed straight for Bowden Bridge car park near Hayfield. As I was getting all my kit together I recorded a quick section of today's AudioBoo. I had decided to record a different sort of Boo today, the iPhone app lets you pause while recorded so I thought a step by step guide Boo would be interesting. I had already recorded the first part while at home outlining todays plans so just gave a quick update on the weather conditions.
We set off walking and the first port of call is the Kinder Reservoir. The weather was great today, a little cloudy but the sun was breaking through casting some fantastic colours on the landscape. The route then takes you up William Clough, the site of the Mass Trespass which happened back on Sunday, April 24, 1932. The trespass which was a protest by around 400 ramblers had far reaching impact and paved the way for legislation in 1949 to establish the National Parks, and also the right to roam act in 2000. for more information about the Trespass visit http://kindertrespass.com/
The climb up William Clough is rewarded by fantastic views in all directions from the top at Ashop Head. The view back down towards the reservoir was particularly good today as the Crepuscular rays were breaking through the clouds. You now join the Pennine Way which start/ends at Edale depending on which way you decided to tackle it. The Pennine Way is a 268 mile long distant walking route that weaves its way north from Edale all the way to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland, maybe one day i'll give it a go but you can be sure that i'll blog about it if I do.
After a short breather at Ashop Head I recorded another section of my AudioBoo and we then headed up on to Kinder itself. after a short walk along the edge path we turned north east and headed inwards to find the remains of the 2 Canadian Sabre Jets. I have blogged about this wreckage site in the past and you can find the post about it in the archives - Kinder Scout - Sabre Jets or Kinder Scout – Hayfield Route Highlights.
In 1954 two Canadian Sabre Jets took off from their base at linton-on-Ouse near York, They failed to reply to radio messages and simply disappeared. A group of ramblers found the wreckage later that evening, It can only be assumed that they collided mid air. The reason why they were about 50 miles off course remains a mystery. The wreckage is spread across a wide area, there is more further north down in Ashop Valley which I have yet to find but will keep you posted. Another section of AudioBoo recorded and we were then on our way again.
The next interesting spot we visited is one where the tail of Alien Evacuations lingers. You may notice the white cross and the initials GK in white paint on the image below. They stand for George King and this is the point where Aetherians will be evacuated by Extra Terrestrials from Venus when the world ends in the year 2015. I’m yet to find an exact date for this but i’ll keep looking. If you manage to find out some more info and would like to view this spot or perhaps phone home with ET .. The co-ords are roughly N53°23’58.99″, W1°53’29.94.
There has been a large amount of rain in recent weeks which means Kinder Downfall is currently in full flow. The Downfall can range from being totally dried up in the summer months to a raging torrent after periods of heavy rain. today it was a nice gentle waterfall and we got to see it go into reverse. When the wind is coming from the west and the water is flowing you can witness this fantastic spectacle. I managed to get a few images of it happening via the camera on my new iPhone 4S, I also recorded a little video too.
I was very pleased to find that I had 3G mobile signal while at Kinder Downfall, I decided to fire up Bambuser and broadcast a little live footage. Bambuser is a live video streaming site and I've only used it a couple of times so far, I never had 3G signal in the Peak District while I was with O2 so I shall be using it allot more in the future now I'm with Orange which has better coverage.
I posted a picture on twitter a few days ago of all the leftover chocolate we have from christmas. A few of my followers recommended I should give them away and that they would send me their address. I decided I could go one better. Those of you who are familiar with Geocaching will probably like my new game Geochocing. if you are unsure about what Geocaching then have a quick read of my blog post entitled "Geocaching" in the archive section :-)
Anyway, I decided to hide a container full of Chocolate which you can see pictured below. The coordinates for said container are as follows 53.397130, -1.879470. I will be doing a blog post on the subject very soon and will give more clues then, the coords should be all you need if you wish to go off and reap the rewards.
I recorde another section of my Boo and then we proceeded over Kinder Downfall. We were pleased that the wind had died down as we would have got a soaking when crossing the river. As I mentioned before the downfall goes into reverse in high winds which means anyone stood at the top is going to get rather wet.
In no time at all we arrived at Kinder Low, the light was fantastic at this point as the cloud was beginning to disperse and we had fantastic 360 Degree views. We stopped for a quick lunch break here and took a few pictures before keeping moving so we didn't freeze solid. The wind coming in from the north west was icy cold and i managed to forget my gloves today which ment I felt the cold while messing about with my phone.
On the way down to KinderLow End you pass the KinderLow Bowl Barrow, It is a monument within a fence and is an early Bronze Age (2000-1500BC) burial mound. Over 500 barrows have been identified across the Peak District. Most are still highly visible in the landscape. Evidence shows that it was normal for between 5 to 20 burials to be placed individually, in various positions, within a barrow. It is thought that these monuments were probably built by family communities, to reflect the importance of ancestry and people’s relationship with the land. We made another quick stop so I could record another section of my AudioBoo and then made our way down the slippery path towards the steep steps.
The final section from Kinder Low End is down farmland to the road which eventually reaches Bowden Bridge. The views back toward Kinder are great from this angle while you descend through the rather slippery fields. It always seems like the day has gone in a flash when I reach this point, I usually contemplate turning around and going back the way I came :-)
When we got down to the road I recorded the final section of my AudioBoo which you can find below. I think I will continue Booing in this manner as I am pretty pleased with the results. I having been recording Boos on the way home after my last few walks but thought I would go for a different approach this time and I think this will be the norm from now on.
The following video is one that my friend Stevo and I made back in 2007, it follows the route I did today and at present is the most viewed Kinder Scout video on YouTube.. #Smug :-)
All being well I will be out again next week for another wander in the glorious Peak District. Keep an eye out for my Geochocing blog post and feel free to go and have a look for the container if you are passing. All I ask it that you remove the container if you find so i'm not littering the landscape :-) Why not hide it somewhere else in the Peak District and we can keep the game going. Thanks again for stopping by.
This is a video tribute i've put together to show you the best of Kinder Scout. I've used footage and pictures from all seasons that i've taken over the last decade. Kinder is a fantastic place to be no matter what the weather. I love it come Rain or Shine.
Kinder Scout is a Mountain in the Peak District and it is packed full of interesting spots. From Kinder Downfall, Sabre Jet Crash Sites and Charger Rock that is tied to George King founder of the Aetherius Society. Click here to see more of my Kinder Scout Adventures
I've just got back from another fantastic walk on Kinder Scout. This time I decided to go and take some pictures of what I feel are some of Kinder's highlights that are easily accessible following a route from Hayfield, this will be part one of a multi part series as i'm sure next time I go up there i will get some more shots to show you. Firstly we'll start with the view from Kinder Reservoir up towards the plateau, I must have this exact shot in all different weather conditions and seasons.
Sabre Jet Wreckage... I've covered this topic before on the site but decided to get some better pictures today to post up, The last few times i've visited the wreckage sites i've sadly been shrouded in mist and fog. luckily today was nice enough weather to get a good few shots. The History surrounding the wreckage is as follows.. In 1954 two Canadian Sabre Jets took of from their base at linton-on-Ouse near York, They failed to reply to radio messages and simply disappeared. A group of ramblers found the wreckage later that evening, It can only be assumed that they collided mid air. The reason why they were about 50 miles off course remains a mystery.
The wreckage is spread across quite a wide area, there is also some more scattered down in Ashop Valley but i'm yet to photograph that part. If you would like to visit this area then head for N53°24'14", W1°53'48". The exact coordinates of the wreckage below are N53°24'15.63", W1°53'44.24". Why not give it a click and have a look on Google Maps, if you pan around you will be able to make out metalic items which more than likely will be wreckage.
Aetherius Society... Another rather intriguing highlight of Kinder is its link to the Aetherius Society. What is that I hear some of you ask.. Well for those that don't know here is a brief outline. The Aetherius Society is an organization founded by George King in London in 1955 as the result of what King claimed were contacts with advanced extraterrestrial intelligences. For more of an incite why not have a look at the Aetherius Society on Wikipedia. To cut a long story short, the Society have identified a number of Mountains around the world which they call "Magic Mountains". Kinder Scout is one of them.
You may notice the white cross and the intials GK in white paint on the image below. They stand for George King and this is the point where Aetherians will be evacuated by Extra Terrestrials from Venus when the world ends in the year 2015. I'm yet to find an exact date for this but i'll keep looking. If you manage to find out some more info and would like to view this spot or perhaps phone home with ET .. The co-ords are roughly N53°23'58.99", W1°53'29.94.
Kinder Downfall is well known highlight, perhaps the most famous and congested part along the plateau. it is a fantastic place to have lunch or just sit and admire the views. Kinder Downfall is the main drain for the plateau, dependant on recent weather and time of year the waterfall can range from a raging torrent to a small trickle. Perhaps one of the best times to be here is when the wind is blowing from the south west, if the wind is strong enough then the waterfall turns into reverse gear and looks to go back upwards.
River Kinder & Kinder Gates... If you head up the river Kinder from the downfall you will follow its shallow sandy bed up to Kinder Gates. This is a nice spot to experience the plateau at its most remote. providing the weather is good from here you could continue to follow the river and then head on a bearing towards the summit cairn or Edale Rocks, it wouldn't be advisable to attempt this if the weather is bad and you aren't competent with a map and compass.
In the image below you can get an idea of how deep the layer of peat is on the top of Kinder, in places it is over 15 feet thick.
KinderLow Bowl Barrow... if you descend via KinderLow End then you will most certainly pass the Barrow. The monument is within a fence and is an early Bronze Age (2000-1500BC) burial mound. Over 500 barrows have been identified across the Peak District. Most are still highly visible in the landscape. Evidence shows that it was normal for between 5 to 20 burials to be placed individually, in various positions, within a barrow. It is thought that monuments were probably built by family communities, to reflect the importance of ancestry and people's relationship with the land.
I've just got back from a fantastic wintery walk on the Kinder Plateau, I did the usual route from Bowden Bridge at Hayfield.The weather today was absolutely fantastic, beautiful sunshine, fresh wintery air and still plenty of snow left up top. I set off from Bowden Bridge and headed up to William Clough via the Reservoir.
The snow line was 50 metres or so below Ashop Head and it made the final accent up onto the Plateau very interesting. A guy descending resulted to sliding down as the snow was nice and slippery.
Up on the Plateau the views as always were amazing, still plenty of snow and I only passed a dozen or so other walkers in the time i spent up there. I stopped for lunch at Kinder Downfall which was iced and snowed over still and enjoyed the silence.
Here is a short 360 degree near the cairn at Kinder Low, I had the place to myself and it was totally silent, apart from the odd aircraft heading into Manchester Airport.
The decent down via Kinder Low End marked the end of the snow and the end of another great walk. I saw a badger wandering across the field infront of me and i managed to get a few pictures before it disappeared off under the fence and down the hill.
