Celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Kinder Trespass in the Peak take place next week.
It's just a week to go before the Kinder 80 Festival marking the 80th anniversary of the ground-breaking Kinder Trespass kicks off with a media event featuring, erm, the Chapel-en-le-Frith Male Voice choir followed by a series of cultural events focussing on the Trespass and includes a celebratory walk up onto Kinder in period dress.
The media launch - by invitation only - will features speakers including broadcaster Stuart Maconie; Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2 folk show presenter; Dame Fiona Reynolds, director general of the National Trust, and Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society.
Additionally at least two children of the five participants who were imprisoned in 1932 - Harry Rothman and Jan Gillett - will be present. A nice touch giving a direct link with the past. Be warned, there will be a mass singing of 'The Manchester Rambler' .
Re-enactment Walk
If you want to get involved in an active way, the re-enactment walk on Wednesday April 25 takes place from both Hayfield and Edale - for historical authenticity, you're really want to start from Hayfield and follow the William Clough track - with ramblers from Manchester and Sheffield planning to meet up for a victory celebration on Kinder Low.
The 4-5 hour walk starts from either Bowden Bridge - the quarry car park where the original trespassers gathered back in 1932 - or the Moorland Centre at Edale at 10.30am and booking is apparently required. Full details on the Kinder 80 walks page.
And if you're not up for the fancy dress experience, there are various other walks planned including a promising-looking series of 'In The Footsteps of the Mass Trespass' walks on Sunday 29 April. If you're not taking part in those, you might also want to avoid William Clough on that day we guess.
Other Events
Alongside the walks, there's a series of cultural events: John Beatty will give his spectacular Wild Vision audio-visual show at the Hope Valley College, Hope on the Wednesday evening and there are talks on on the History of Kinder by Sheffield historian David Hey (Quaker Meeting House, Sheffield, 7pm April 26,), and Climbing on Kinder by the BMC’s Martin Kocsis (Moorland Discovery Centre, Longshaw, 7.30pm April 27).
Finally, and the mind boggles, the festival will culminate in a trespass-themed ceilidh featuring the Well Dressed Band and local singer-songwriter Sally Goldsmith at the Broomhall Centre, Sheffield, on Sunday, April 29. Special exhibitions will also be staged at the Moorland Visitor Centre, Edale; the Castleton Visitor Centre, and at the New Mills Heritage Centre.
The Book Of The Trespass
It almost goes without saying that the Kinder Trespass was a crucial landmark in the battle for improved walking access in England and Wales and if you want to know more about it, you could do a lot worse than read leader Benny Rothman's firsthand account of the event, 'The Battle For Kinder Scout'.
The book's being republished by Willow Publishing on 24 April to coincide with the 80th anniversary.
Full details of the Kinder 80 happenings at kindertrespass.com.
