Kinder Scout

Karen was on another trip to the health spa at Alton Towers with some work mates while I set off for another return to Kinder Scout.
It was another fine sunny day without much wind. The air was fairly cool but the sun was hot as I parked in one of the few remaining spaces in Upper Booth car park. People used to park by the roadside when the layby was full but there are now signs prohibiting this “to allow access for Emergency Vehicles”.
I walked up via Crowden Clough, scrambled up the nice scrambly bit at the top and then followed the original Pennine Way route across to Kinder Downfall (more Kinder Dribble today as there wasn't much water flowing!). The ground wasn't too boggy and I only had to cross one deep grough and crossed two very short sections which were boggy enough to cause my boots to sink up to the ankles. This wasn't a problem as I was wearing gaiters as usual.
I had been followed by a man, a young girl and their dog (off the lead as usual despite the signs pointing out dogs should be kept on a lead during the bird nesting season from March until the end of July, They had taken a slightly different route and I heard a loud shout as he went into the bog up to his knee and seemed to be fishing around for lost footwear!
Continuing to follow a generally north-west direction, I soon saw the obvious pair of rocky buttresses called Kinder Gates in the distance. This is a good landmark (in clear weather of course!) as they mark the course of the Kinder river as it makes its way across the plateau towards Kinder Downfall.
When I reached the river, I followed the wide sandy and pebbly river bed with very shallow water until I reached the Downfall. There I met fellow DCRO member Chris Haywood who is also a Kinder Mountain Rescue Team member. He was with a small group of fellow Kinder MR members who were assisting with a fell race which was running along the northern edges of Kinder. He told me there were 135 runners and they had to make sure they were all accounted for as they passed.
After a short break near the Downfall to eat a flapjack, I continued onwards to pass Red Brook and the trig point at Kinder Low, stepping out of the way every now and then as a group of fell runners came up behind.

I dropped down the path below Edale Rocks then made my way down the Jacobs Ladder path to return to the start at Upper Booth car park.