I can’t believe it’s already been 4 months since our first targeted Three Peaks training walk. In such a short space of time, we’ve gone from howling wintery conditions to what can only be described as a pleasant spring. These past few months our focus for training has been to increase the amount we’re walking. We’ve increased our own cardio work and started April off with a visit to the Peak District.
Why the Peak?
Although on a map the Peak District looks a lot closer to us, it’s still a good 2-hour drive to Edale. Nonetheless, the area is a fantastic training venue for us. As we do a lot of our walks with our little dog (including our last Peak visit), the shorter climbs are much more accessible. Although the summits aren’t comparable to Snowdonia or the Lakes, there are still some decent hikes and uphill segments to tackle.
The Three Peaks challenge will be tough, there’s no arguing there. We’ve got to go and tackle some higher peaks and increase our walking speed before the big day. However, utilising the hilly, moorland area of the Peak District is a relatively local interim so some of our bigger weekend adventures!
Kinder Scout
We set off on a sunny Friday morning from home and headed to Edale. Our intention was to park in a 24-hour car park we’ve stayed in previously, however it was full by the time we got there! We drove parallel to our intended walking route and fortunately managed to find somewhere to park near Barber Booth.
This planned hike was an 8-mile loop up onto Kinder Scout, including a search for the ‘uninspiring summit’ itself (as reviewed multiple times online…). As our car parking spot was pretty much on our planned route, we just went in the opposite direction as intended, and set off.
My partner Beth was carrying an injury, so we took it steady. We opted for Jacob’s Ladder on the ascent, which although a set of steep steps, was a better alternative to risking slipping on loose ground! With the sun beating down, our coats came off pretty quickly on the ascent, but before long all 3 of us had made it up to the Edale Rocks. This stack of rocks was a nice shelter from the wind, so we stopped and had a bite to eat. From here we continued the short stint up to the trig point for Kinder Low.
Great Visibility = Great Views!
From this 633m summit we could see the city of Manchester below and in the distance make out the silhouette on the skyline of Snowdonia in North Wales! I was convinced I could also make out the Lake District to the Northwest, but it could’ve been my eyes deceiving me… Comparing the views on this hike to those of the Brecons back in December reminded us of why we enjoy getting out into the hills!
Search for the Summit (path)
Looking over my OS Map I made out a footpath from Kinder Low’s trig point to the actual highest point of the moorland plateau that is Kinder Scout. After a bit of online research I had concluded that the summit itself is an underwhelming mound of grass in amongst a heather moorland. Nonetheless, I was adamant that we’d find it and tick it off. Then surely there’s no reason to go back again?!
Unfortunately I hadn’t done my homework well enough, and what I thought was a path was actually just a ‘public access’ route and absolutely not a proper footpath. There were some vague signs of a trodden route through the undulating heather which we followed, in conjunction with GPS and compass bearings. Finally, after a bit of zigzagging and bog avoidance we made it to the small rock stack signifying Kinder Scout’s ‘summit’. I’d like to say it was worth it. It was – sort of…
And Back Again
After a little summit photoshoot (of our dog, not us) it was time to head home. We used compass bearings to get us off the moorland plateau and back onto a proper footpath. It was certainly a relief! From here we made our way down a steep, rocky path following Crowden Brook as it meandered its way down the valley. With time getting on and a few weary legs in the team, we opted to cut the route short. Instead of continuing to Edale, we took an alternate path back to Upper Booth, which shortened the day by about a mile.
Back at the car we stripped off, put our clean shoes back on and set off for the 2-hour drive home again!
Although we had hoped for a whole Peak District weekend, as life inevitably gets in the way being able to take advantage of the Bank Holiday and get out in the hills was great. The weather was on our side and the views from atop Kinder Low made it all worthwhile!
Our training walks are now really going to start ramping up as we prepare to tackle the Three Peaks challenge in July (hopefully), so I’ll be back blogging about our training before long!