Saturday Ramble: Kinder Trespass

Our last big hike before lockdown saw us take in Kinder Downfall from Hayfield, where we were bathed in gorgeous sunshine one minute and were drenched from a deluge of rain the next.

We arrived at Bowden Bridge car park late morning. For those of you who don’t know, this is the site of the famous 1932 mass trespass, which saw 500 people walk up to Kinder. There is a lovely metal plaque commemorating this on the quarry wall, so be sure to take a look.

We were going to follow in the footsteps of those walkers back in 1932, so started off along the bridleway uphill to White Brow. This is a beautiful route that takes in Kinder Reservoir whilst Kinder itself looms impressively in the distance.

The walk was fairly easy and very quiet; we hardly saw another soul as we rambled along taking in the views as we went, the reservoir looked beautiful sparkling under the warm spring sunshine while all above us was the Kinder plateau. Reaching the Snake Path, we passed the small wooden bridge and started walking up William Clough. I absolutely love the Cloughs in the Peaks, they are so quiet and interesting with rocky terrain to scramble over and little rivers of water to hop over- Luna loved cooling down in these too.

It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, with no one else around, I was in my element snapping away with my camera. The landscape around us was a mix of browns, greens and a hint of purple as the Heather was finally coming through, it was absolutely stunning. As as we scrambled up the last section we noticed some very dark clouds rolling in, the clouds were full of rain and the peaks were showing us their ever changing moods. 

Once at the top of William Clough, we came to Ashop Head, this is where the path joins the iconic Pennine Way. We however, were heading up the rocky path of Sandy Hays. The rain hit at this point and it was a hairy walk up as the wind picked up tangling my hair and stinging my hands. Ahead of us Kinder loomed. It has become one of my absolute favourite places to visit, I love how changeable it is, I love the mix of rock formations and peaty ground and I love how gothic and menacing it looks under dense cloud. 

We had seen so many photographs and heard so much about Kinder Downfall so decided to continue walking so we could see for ourselves. Kinder Downfall is an epic natural waterfall that is really impressive when you see it for the first time. The wind whipped the water back on itself causing the water to blow upwards. The sunlight reflected beautifully as it finally broke through the stormy clouds, I crouched down and took a many photographs as I could. It was a beautiful place to visit and I’m so glad we visited.

By now the wind was howling and the rain pouring, so continuing on, we meandered our way along curved pathways through heather strewn moors and peaty ground, looking back all the time for one last view of Kinder above us. Our navigation skills came in handy as we made our way lower and lower. I would say a map is a must as it’s such a vast area, that can be quite disorientating in bad weather.

There is something so beautiful about a cold rainy hike; the isolation and lack of people around make it feel as if the area is your own. I captured so many amazing moody photographs from the day, which I just wouldn’t have got if it was sunny and warm. 

Arriving back at the start of our walk, we peeled off our drenched outer clothes before hopping into the warm, dry car and enjoying a well-deserved brew and biscuit. I can’t wait to revisit Kinder again soon, it’s so different with each visit and a dream to photograph.