Today the weather forecast indicated good weather in the Peak District. So I decided to grab the opportunity of walking the first leg of the Pennine Way from Edale to Crowden. The forecast was even better for the next day (Thursday) but things change quickly in the mountains. As it turned out it was hotter today which is not as good for a hard walk. On the Tuesday Mary and I had driven to Edale and walked a little way along the track to Upper Booth farm and the returned to Edale via the road. Stopped for a beer at the Rambler Inn and also checked out the rail timetable for Sheffield. We decided that Mary would drop me off at Edale park the car and then take the train to Sheffield for some big city experience. Then later she would pick me up at the end of the walk at Crowden. So we drove from Edale to Crowden to familiarise ourselves with area - the first leg ends at Camping and Caravan Club site.
So I set off from Edale at 8am and made good going even up Jacob's Ladder. At the top, which I think was Swine's Back (rock formation), I took a drink stop plus some pics.
Pushing on to arrive on the plateau known as Kinder Scout an import landmark appeared on my left - Kinder Reservoir.
Then to Kinder Downfall - the fall of the Kinder River - an import outlet from the soak on the plateau down to the reservoir. There was very little water falling when I passed by but of course this could change very quickly and then the waterfall would be a real piece of scenery. Perhaps it was this speculation that caused me to drop my concentration on my navigation. If I had been paying attention then I would have realised from my notes that this was the point where I needed to veer 90 degrees north west by fording the Kinder River. Instead I mistakenly pushed on up river for ten minutes until my compass told me I was 180 degees off course. But these things happen with a lack of concentration. Anyway the backtrack put me back on track heading for the directional stake at Mill Hill where a further 90 degree bearing set me off across High Peak bog ( a really important soak I guess for the area's water supply. Lucky for me (and all other walkers) the path was laid with stone slabs which not only made walking easier but I should imagine even possible.
From here I took some pics of either end of the Kinder Edge.
After crossing the moor and over the A57 it was the long plod to Bleaklow Hill and then down the knee snapping descent along Clough Edge to the weir crossing at Torside Reservoir and onward to where Mary was patiently waiting at 5.30. The rough measurement from the map was 24 km but my pedometer read 29 km - some of this difference was my navigation error at Kinder Downfall and the rest calibration error on my pedometer, never the less it had been a long day - 9.5 hours and now looking forward to a cool glass of cider.
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