Kinder Downfall from Birchen Clough

The last couple of days were damp, foggy and miserable but with a weather forecast for a return to cold and clear conditions, it seemed like a perfect day for a walk in the Kinder area.
After parking at the small car park at Birchen Clough on the A57 (Sheffield to Glossop road), Karen and I walked across the road and went through a gate to a descending paved path leading to a small coniferous wood.
We followed a path through the wood which ran alongside the River Ashop and after passing a footbridge which crossed the river, we followed a rising path which returned further along the road.
Luckily there was plenty of room on the verge as we walked along the road passing the Snake Inn and then back into the wood via another gate signposted to Fair Brook.

Again we joined the path along the River Ashop – the diversion was due to a bungalow and garden which is located next to the road. At the confluence of Fair Brook with River Ashop was a second footbridge, which we crossed and then followed a path which led us along the wide valley running below the Northern edge of Kinder Scout.

Fair Brook runs off the plateau of Kinder Scout and there is a path which traces the route of Fair Brook as it leaves the plateau. This was a lovely route and near the top of Fair Brook there was a length of scrambling over gritstone boulders, avoiding the water-splashed parts as these were icy.

After a short break for a hot drink from our flasks, we following the channel of Fair Brook on the plateau as it wended its way South, we struck off on a compass bearing which led to the River Kinder near the rocky buttresses of Kinder Gates. In the distance we heard and then saw a helicopter, which appeared to be an Air Ambulance, which was circling and then landing. It seemed to be in the area of Kinder Downfall.
The river was largely frozen and we tended to stick to the path running alongside rather than slide along on the ice.

Soon we arrived where the River Kinder tumbles off the plateau at the rocky amphitheatre of Kinder Downfall.
After a pause to see if we could see any sign of the Downfall – which we couldn't from this angle – we continued on along the route of the Pennine Way as it followed the edge of the plateau in a North-Westerly direction.

Soon we saw the Air Ambulance which we had seen earlier and then heard its engine start up. As we approached, it took off and headed towards Manchester leaving behind a small group of walkers and a number of Mountain Rescue Team members. According to the Kinder Mountain Rescue Team website, a woman had broken her ankle and had become very cold leading to the call-out.

We had a short break sitting on some boulders and having more hot drinks and a snack before moving on. About a kilometre later, we arrived at a crossroads of the Pennine Way path with the Snake Path after clambering down a steepish section with rough, rocky steps.
After a section of path paved with large rocky slabs we continued along the path with some muddy and boggy sections for what seemed a long time. The Snake Path leads from Hayfield along Ashop Clough and after about five kilometres we arrived at part of the coniferous wood we had walked through earlier.
By now it was getting very dark – it was after 16:30 as we had started relatively late at around 11:30 - and in the wood it was even darker. So we stopped for a few minutes to get our head torches out and walked the last bit through the wood along the River Ashop to reach the footbridge we had passed earlier.

We crossed the River Ashop using the footbridge and then retraced our earlier route through the remainder of the wood back to the gate and then across the A57 to the car park arriving back at 17:05.