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Easy Two-Day Backpack: Glossop-Edale-Glossop - approx
30 km / 19 miles
Day one: Start from Glossop, follow the A624
towards Hayfield till you pass Gnat Hole farm then take the
minor road on the left. At the bend, take the footpath
leading up towards Harry Hut (GR 045 907). Map.
From Harry Hut - trig point - follow the unmarked but
obvious path SE to join the main paved path heading up
towards Mill Hill (062 905) where there's an obvious path
junction and pole. Map.
From here head for Kinder and up the very obvious stepped
path onto Ashop Head, Kinder.
Easy walking along the edge to Kinder Downfall (085 889).
Map.
From the downfall continue along the edge till you reach the
trig point at Kinder Low from where you head eastwards
towards the distinctive rock formation.
Keep going round the edge till you drop sharply down to
cross Crowden Brook (095 873) carry on along the edge. After
approximately 1 km you'll reach the top of Grinds Brook, a
nasty, loose, rocky descent. If you're feeling tired, head
down here into Edale.
If you're still full of beans, carry on round and
instead, drop down over the obvious rocks of Ringing Roger
then down to Edale via the path that goes over The Nab (125
866). Map.
Edale makes an obvious place to stop. Two pubs,
several b and bs, two campsites, a caff, railway station and
great views.
Day two: Retrace your steps back up towards Kinder
then head up the signposted path to The Nab before following
the rocky way up Ringing Roger and back onto the Plateau.
From here take a bearing and walk to the trig point (129
878). At this point the plateau is very narrow so you can
see the far side in good conditions.
Head west and follow the edge on the back side of Kinder
past cliffs, rock formations and views of the A57 Snake Pass
road. Mad scenery. Just keep going.
Eventually you'll reach the point at Ashop Head where you
originally climbed onto the plateau. From here you can
either retrace your steps into Glossop or follow the Pennine
Way path across to the top of the Snake Pass and cross the
A57. (088 929). Map.
After 500 metres you can turn left and follow the
Doctor's Gate bridleway back down into Old Glossop or
continue along the Pennine Way and descent via Yellowslacks
or even down into Crowden and back along the flat and rather
dull Longdendale Trail.
Terrain Peaty country, but most of this route is
on good, well defined paths, even on Kinder. The exceptions
are the bit between Harry Hut and the Mill Hill path and
crossing the plateau above Edale, where things can get
squelchy in winter.
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Kinder Edges Backpack
Kinder might be a plateau, okay, it is a plateau, but the
majority of people never venture onto the dark side that looks out
over Black Ashop Moor and the tiny cars and screaming motorcycles of
the Snake Pass.
Instead they stay rooted to the 'popular side' with spectacular
Kinder Downfall and easy access from Hayfield and Edale. The whole
point of this route is contrast, the popular stuff on day one, the
bleak, quasi-wilderness and weird rocks on the far edges on day two.
It's pretty close to being a two-day take on the classic Kinder by
the Edges circuit, but less arduous and frenzied.
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Hazy Glossop views on a Saturday
morning, note chimney...
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We set off from Glossop late with the familiar climb onto Harry Hut
and its views back over the town complete with token smoking
industrial chimnies. Across onto the main paved path and gently up
towards Mill Hill passing one of the areas many air crash sites on
the left.
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The crash site below Mill
Hill
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From Mill Hill, the end of Kinder looms spectacularly and the last
real climb of the day takes you up onto the plateau with its rolling
edge and rounded gritstone boulders. Loads of people too, up from
Hayfield and Edale, trying the Pennine Way with big sacks and bright
eyes or just soaking in the views.
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Ashop Head from Mill Hill,
plateau looming...
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The highlight of the day is the huge waterfall at Kinder Downfall,
well, huge when it's wet. Last weekend it was bone dry with folk
picnicking at its base. A bit of an old mate, I've seen it with the
water turned in mid air by the wind and literally blowing straight
back up, skittered across it caked in ice and, like now, a desert
arid mix of rock and dust. But it's almost always busy and, right on
cue, around 30 walkers appeared on the skyline.
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You're never alone on the popular
side of the big hill
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But you can always look the other
way...
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From here it's rolling, easy walking along the edge to the trig point
on Kinder Low then from there past a couple of huge rock formations
and along above Edale with a choice of drop-off points to reach
shelter and beer.
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Mystery rocks beyond Kinder Low
and heading for Edale
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After a mere 11 hours sleep, it's worth hitting the trail early to
miss the crowds. Climbing gently back onto the plateau and over the
rocky vertebrae of Ringing Roger I saw, no-one. Which was a pretty
appropriate start to a gently mellow day.
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Early morning haze looking up the
Grindsbrook path from the Nab
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The plateau's narrow at this point, but the other side, the dark side
of Kinder, is like a different world, especially when you have it to
yourself. There's a sense of scale and space you don't often get in
the Peak, bleak moors running away towards the Snake Pass and, in
your path, towering, twisted rock formations.
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Rocks... Sheep ...
Rocks
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It's the kind of deeply mad, desolately beautiful place where you
want to be either alone or with someone you know well enough to
simply be silent with. I met three other walkers coming towards me
and there was almost a tacit apology in our greetings, for being in
someone else's landscape. It really is spectacular and, compared to
the popular front of the hill, very quiet.
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Big country, big features -
space...
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Hitting the crowds again at Ashop Head's a bit of a shocker, from
here I dropped back down into Glossop to watch Arsenal put Sheffield
Utd out of the cup, but you could easily extend the walk via the
Snake Pass and either down Doctor's Gate or over Bleaklow.
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HA bit of a tortoise this one, or
is it a turtle?
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And lots of pristine, lonely,
desolate edge to walk before I wake
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And one last set of rocks for
luck.
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Alternative Return
For a different take, you could always walk to Edale via the back
side of Kinder, but then return a completely different way. From
Edale walk up the opposite side of the valley to Hollins Cross, then
follow the oath over Mam Tor, along Rushup Edge and drop down the
rocky track at the end.
When you hit the road, follow the path across towards Mount Famine
via Roych Clough (currently closed for restoration but due to re-open
soon) then follow paths back to Glossop via Hayfield and Lantern
Pike.
