Gareth Jones Walks: bowden bridge

Route: Bowden Bridge Car Park - Kinder Reservoir - William Clough - Pennine Way - Kinder Downfall - Kinder Low - Edale Cross - Oaken Clough - The Ashes - Bowden Bridge Car Park

Distance: 9.1 miles

Classification: Marilyn, Hewitt, Nuttall, County Top (highest point in Derbyshire), highest point in the Peak District

With: Caroline

Weather: Not cold but damp, some light showers, windy on top

Trip Report:

With the Mrs back up to full fitness and me craving a visit to the Peak District, I posed the question of Kinder Scout in order to bag her first Hewitt. I'm not sure she was too happy at waking up at 7am on a Sunday morning but I was worried as always about parking, so come just after 8am we were on our way.

The drive is always a pleasure in itself, particularly the A6024 between Holme and Crowden, passing the Holme Moss transmitter near to West Yorkshire's highest point (Black Hill) and the drop down to Crowden with Bleaklow lingering close by.

We parked up at Bowden Bridge and set off for Kinder Reservoir. From Kinder Reservoir we then picked up the path(s) that ford back and forth up William Clough. Strangely this early part of the walk was the highlight for me. It's just great fun and not too strenuous a climb up to join the Pennine Way. You leave civilisation behind at Kinder Reservoir and with there being numerous routes up Kinder Scout, this one, on this day, was pretty quiet. There are one or two occasions where you have to get your hands down to climb and heave yourself up, but nothing too drastic, it's just a real pleasure to ascend Kinder this way.

We then joined the Pennine Way and had an initial short, steep climb before heading towards Kinder Downfall. The plan was to have lunch at Kinder Downfall or at the trig at Kinder Low, but we were already starving! It must have been the climb of William Clough that did it. We found shelter from the wind in some rocks and quickly scoffed down our lunch before getting on our way again.

Kinder Downfall was a bit of a disappointment today, we didn't see any water falling never mind the infamous spray, maybe next time. We then headed for Kinder Low with me checking my GPS for the direction of Kinder's true summit. We were within 750 yards at one point but I didn't fancy off-roading on the peat at this point and the area it's in wasn't looking too inviting. We'll get there one day though.

After what seemed an eternity on the Pennine Way from Kinder Downfall, we finally hit the trig point at Kinder Low. It doesn't seem too far on the map from Kinder Downfall but it just wouldn't come, it felt like we were going for ever! But we got there. "It looks like we're on the moon", Caroline said, it was hard to disagree. We had the place to ourselves for quite a while, then after a few pictures and general mucking around climbing the stone the trig point is on, we set off in the direction of Edale Rocks for our descent.

We were both starting to tire, and after reorganising the rucksack near to Edale Cross we got back walking again and completely missed the cross! I realised about 100 yards after it, but there was no turning back, we had the awful bridleway at Oaken Clough to negotiate. This rocky path requires concentration of where you are putting your feet, but it did have it's upsides. It was here I saw two unfamiliar peaks, South Head and Mount Famine. I could see people at the summits of both of them. I liked the look of them so they've been added to the list of must-dos.

The walk ended with us walking along the River Kinder back to our car at Bowden Bridge. It had been another really good walk. For me, the ascent up William Clough was a real highlight. It's one of a number of ways up Kinder Scout, and at Edale Rocks we could see others ascending via Jacob's Ladder. We'll be up there again no doubt, probably using Jacob's Ladder as part of the walk, or will it be Crowden Tower next time? So many decisions on one mountain.