Kinder Downfall

I had the day to myself as Karen was away for the weekend on the Isle of Man visiting an old friend from Rugby.

It was clear and sunny, had been frosty overnight and was going to stay cool. Ideal conditions for a walk across Kinder Scout when the boggy sections should be frozen!

So I walked from Upper Booth along Crowden Clough and up the nice, but sadly too short, scramble to get on the plateau. I was so warm while making my way up to the plateau and while crossing it, I was only wearing a Power Dry shirt.

I followed the original route of the Pennine Way across to towards the River Kinder with quite a few snow drifts partially filling some of the groughs. On a day like today all you have to do is leave the top of Crowden Clough to follow the stream northwards and then make sure you keep going in a north-west direction until you can see the pair of gritstone buttresses in the distance marking the River Kinder.

I followed the river sometimes on the bankside, sometimes on the snow laying in the riverbed, until I arrived at Kinder Downfall.

I sat on a flat-topped boulder to eat lunch while looking at the views as the air was so clear.

Afterwards I followed the current Pennine Way route back towards Edale Rocks and then down the bridleway of Jacobs Ladder and back to Barber Booth. You can tell Spring is now winning the battle with the end of winter: not only with the lovely weather but with the plaintive cries of the curlews which I heard quite a lot.

Looking across to the Great Ridge

Walking up Crowden CLough

Waterfall at top of Crowden Clough

Scramble on left of waterfall, top of Crowden Clough

Look back along Crowden Clough from top

Snow drifts filling groughs

Kinder Gates and snow drifts

Top of Kinder Downfall with Kinder Reservoir in distance