From the car park there is a walk up the road to the village and the Old Nags Head
Pub. In the village is a sign point indicating the start of the Pennine Way, and this is
our way, to walk over the fields to Upper Booth. This is a well marked path with
flagstones in place for some of the route. Once at Upper Booth, rather than following the
busy Pennine Way via Jacobs Ladder, the route goes north alongside Crowden Brook as it
climbs up to Kinder Plateau. Towards the top the impressive rocks of Crowden Tower come
into view. There is a clear path that climbs away from Crowden Brook that reaches Crowden
Tower on the plateau edge. From here walk east to get to the top of vCrowden Brook.
This avoids the scrambling directly up Crowden Brook which can be tricky and potentially
wet but good fun.
Now the path goes north across Kinder itself.
Follow this path as it makes it's way over the plateau. At the high point the walker
moves from the groughs that feed Crowden Brook to those that feed into the Kinder River.
Continuing you will notice the cutting that is Kinder Gates.
As the western edge approaches the views down to Glossop opens out and then a big drop.
This is Kinder Downfall.
It is an impressive waterfall in the wet season but in dry summers it can be no more than a trickle.
In winter the frozen Downfall provides one of the few locations in the Peaks that ice climbing can
take place.
(7.0kms. 50m. 2hrs. 10min.)
The Pennine Way follows the western edge of Kinder, and the significant path passes
Kinder Downfall. Follow the path south, with views over to Manchester on your right to
reach Kinder Low. Now is time to reach the true summit of Kinder at .636. There is a small
path over to the summit of Kinder, but not a very clear path indicating not many people
go over to this summit. It is best to take a bearing from Kinder Low over to .636 and follow
the small path to reach a small pile of stones. Here a GPS will tell you that you are exactly
at the summit (or not!). The route leaves the summit south to get back to the edge at Pym Chair.
Again there is a lack of a path so a bearing is a good idea. Once on the edge at Pym Chair,
the path around Kinder is obvious.
Follow the path around the south of the Kinder plateau from Pym Chair,
passed Wool Packs and then Crowden Tower. Rather than descending via Crowden Brook,
continue around the edge of Kinder to reach the top of Grindsbrook Knoll, just short of
GriensBrook itself. It is a more open
and interesting descent by following the ridge down to Grindsbrook Knoll
and then follow the path down to Edale.
(7.5kms. 100m. 2hrs. 30min.)
