Rocky outcrop and green valley in Derbyshire

Derbyshire - Edale to Kinder Scout Circular Hike

A stunning walking route with an illustrious history

This moorland route is arguably one of the most impressive places to walk in the Peak District. You'll pass caves, streams and rock formations, peat bogs, and even a waterfall.

The views from the plateau on a clear day are spectacular and the landscape seems wild and untouched.

Female hiker sitting by a downhill stream that falls down over rocks

Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District and that's reason enough to try this hike. But it’s the history of the moorland which makes this a ‘must do’ route. In 1932, a few hundred ramblers 'trespassed' on Kinder Scout to protest to landowners about the walker's right to enjoy the British countryside. The march was the start of a movement which eventually led to the creation of the National Parks. In actual fact, many of the walks we enjoy today are thanks to the actions of this tenacious group of ramblers.

Kinder Scout is derived from Kinder Scut, the former name of the Kinder Downfall. This beautiful waterfall flows from the Kinder Plateau over a gritstone ridge, and it is this that gave it its original name.

The walk to Kinder Scout is popular because it's the highest point in the Peak District National Park, at 363m above sea level.

There are two ways to climb Kinder Scout, either from Edale (approx 12.7km) or from Hayfield (approx 14km). Either way it's a bit of a climb, but you'll be more than compensated by the views.

The Kinder Scout from Edale walk takes a circular route starting at the Edale car park and with a climb up Grindsbrook Clough, then along the Kinder Plateau passing Pym Chair and Noe Stool. The route then meets up with the Pennine Way and follows this all the way back down into Edale via Jacob’s Ladder and on to The Old Nags Head for a well-deserved pint and maybe a packet of pork scratchings.

A GPS and map/compass are highly recommended as the footpath has eroded in parts.