Backup Only

This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Monday 6 May 2019

Bank Holiday Walk - Edale Circular (via Kinder Scout and Mam Tor) [Peak District Trip]

Length: 20.6 km (12.8 mi) [shorter or longer version possible, see below]
Ascent/Descent:  843m; Net Walking Time: ca. 6 ½ hours
Toughness:  10 out of 10 
                
From London take either the xx.02 from St. Pancras (change Sheffield, 2 hours 45 mins), or the xx.20 from Euston (change Manchester Piccadilly, 3 hours 10 mins). You will of course be somewhat behind the group of people that have stayed in the area…
From the West, take the 08.49 Sheffield train from Manchester Piccadilly (…var. stations…, New Mills Central 09.17, Chinley 09.23), arriving Edale at 09.32.
From the East, take the 09.14 Manchester Piccadilly train from Sheffield (Dore & Totley 09.21, Grindleford 09.29, Hathersage 09.32, Bamford 09.36, Hope 09.40), arriving Edale at 09.47.
Return trains to London: 16.32, 16.47, 17.34, 17.47, 18.32, 18.47, 19.32, 19.47 (change at Sheffield or Manchester, from 3 hours). You may get better prices if searching for split tickets to Sheffield or Manchester and then Sheffield/Manchester – London!
Return trains if staying in the area: towards Manchester xx.47 until 19.47, then 21.45 and 23.21; towards Sheffield 16.32, 16.47 (via Chinley), 17.34, 17.47 (via Chinley), 18.32, 19.32, 19.47 (via Chinley), 21.30, 21.45 (via Chinley) and 23.01.

“A walk of many contrasts in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District, associated with rugged moorlands and dramatically sculpted gritstone outcrops (or ‘edges’), which also routes through the lush Vale of Edale, while in the afternoon affording grand views into the Hope Valley (including the notable dry gorge of Winnats Pass) from the Great Ridge, which separates the Dark Peak (sandstones) from the White Peak (limestones).
Follow the Pennine Way from its start at The Old Nag’s Head pub up along the fertile Vale of Edale, surrounded by towering hills, and up the Jacob’s Ladder path to Edale Head and to the edge of the Kinder Scout moorland plateau, a rugged, desolate peat bog. You then follow the edge past some magnificent rock formations and through an area of scattered wind-and-rain-sculpted gritstone boulders to choose one of three descent routes back to Edale village for lunch.
After lunch rise steeply onto the Great Ridge overlooking the Hope Valley and up to Mam Tor, whose summit is a great vantage point and a former late Bronze Age and early Iron Age hill fort. Its other name of “Shivering Mountain” is due to frequent – and still active – landslips.
An extension to Kinder Downfall, the highest waterfall in the Peak District, either as an out-and-back or combined with a crossing of the Kinder Plateau upland peat bog (only for confident navigators), as well as some shortcuts before and after lunch, are described.”

Walk Options:
An out-and-back Extension to Kinder Downfall, the highest waterfall in the Peak District: add 5.4 km/3.4 mi and 165m ascent/descent.
An Extension to Kinder Downfall, combined with a crossing of the Kinder Plateau upland peat bog: add 3.2 km/2.0 mi (but see the warning on page 9 of the pdf).
A Shortcut via Grindslow Knoll cuts 2.8 km/1.7 mi and about 200m ascent/descent.
A Shortcut down Grindsbrook Clough (this involves light but prolonged scrambling): cut 2.5 km/1.6 mi and about 200m ascent/descent.
Cut out the southerly loop up to Mam Tor: cut 5.4 km/3.1 mi and 220m ascent, rated 7/10.

Lunch: The Old Nag's Head  (14.4 km/9.0 mi, food served all day), The Rambler Inn  (350m off route, 15.1 km/9.4 mi, food served all day).
Tea: The Rambler Inn, The Old Nag's Head or Cooper’s Café/Cooper’s Chippy (open to 16.00) or The Penny Pot Café (open to 16.30). 
                                                                                   
For walk directions, map, height profile, photos and gpx/kml files  click here. T=swc.303

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi guys anyone attending this walk as a day trip? One can get rather cheap tickets now with a senior rail card.
Monica.

Thomas G said...

5 had left home yesterday, 2 left today during the day, 3 did their own thing, so we were down to 21 at the start. 4 soon went up Kinder Scout the direct route, one of the walk's descent routes, then followed the edge of Kinder around to the back and descended to Ladybower Reservoir, so did enough of the route to be counted (just).
We had mixed weather: overcast with plenty sunny breaks for the first 3 hours, then an hour of wet (hail if you were still on the plateau, rain if already on the descent), then sunshine in the afternoon. The group clung together until after the turnoff for Kinder Downfall, then the faster ones did the full route before descending to Edale, others followed the shortcut over Grindslow Knoll. On the descent down Ringing Roger we finally saw whom we had been missing all weekend, the SWC Representative for Richmond & Kew. She had arrived the previous day.
All I think made it to the Nags Head for lunch or drinks, most finished the walk there but 5 followed on up the Great Ridge and over Mam Tor. We had time enough for a final Peak District drink at The Ramblers before the 17.34 train. N=22 w=mixed-with-an-hour-of-wet-stuff

All in we had 35 different SWCers walking over the days, plus 1 recently injured one always around but not on any walk due to a plaster cast on one arm... And pretty good walking weather, if a little cold for the time of year.