Outdoorsmagic at Edale 2003 - Photo Gallery

This year's Edale meeting of Outdoorsmagic members in the Peak District on another sunny day. Five of us set off from the Nags Head pub, heading north through the village until a path signposted to Grindsbrook goes off to the right and you cross a footbridge over the brook itself. When you get out of the trees on the banks of the brook you can see a green path heading uphill of the right, this is the start of the steady climb up The Nab.

The path is reconstructed in places and makes a relatively easy zig zag way up to a wide grassy ledge before you make a steep climb up an eroded path to the mini ridge of Ringing Roger. This is a splendid little place, rocks moulded into strange shapes by the action of water thousands of years ago now frozen in time.

At the top of the mini ridge is the flat top of Kinder Scout, a vast flat heathery plateau occupied by dozens if not hundreds of grouse. It does seem strange that the grouse make so much noise instead of trying to sneak away without you noticing them. This is first time I have seen grouse sitting visibly on the tops of boulders, it must be the time of year when the boys want to attract the girls.

After a dry summer the eroded peaty areas between the heather are not too wet but the paving slabs laid on the footpath gives a clue as to how wet it can be. Walking along the footpath high above Edale you come across more examples of sculptured boulders, surely they are too intricate and unusual to have been formed naturally. As you walk along there seem to be people climbing up every ridge and every stream bed. Where you cross streams the rocks are more conventionally layered but still the result of thousands of years wear and tear by water as opposed to the footpaths which deteriorate after only a few years of human traffic.

Across the head of Grindsbrook looking down it looks like an unlikely footpath but there are plenty of thrill seekers coming up that way. Then across more heather and peat, passing boulders that resemble the heads of people and animals, fascinating sculptures that make up for the absence of crags. After you cross the head of Crowden Brook you arrive at a place named Wool Packs, the rocks eroded into regular rounded shapes and you can't argue with the name given to them.

Then you are walking along a path on the edge of the plateau overlooking Kinder reservoir and there is the most amazing boulder field. Not really boulders but strange shaped rocks that seemed to have been placed deliberately, a really fascinating place, well it is if you are easily fascinated like me. Then we came across a very bold Grouse cock, on top of his boulder claiming his territory he refused to move until we were within four feet of him.

We continued along the edge and then over heather, or rather along the peaty gullies several feet below the height of the heather until we reached a triangulation column, maybe the summit of Kinder Scout? The area around the column is completely bare, scoured of heather and peat with a few sculptured boulders standing above ground level.

We continued along the edge path until we reached Kinder Downfall, the rocky head of River Kinder. Today just a trickle of water fills the peaty brown pool that is the centre of attention for dozens of people who seem to be arriving here from every direction. Once we crossed the Downfall to continue along the edge path all of the people just disappeared but the sculptured rocks didn't, they frequently put on displays of fantastic shapes at regular intervals.

Whilst walking along the northern edge of Kinder the weather became cooler and there was light drizzle but not enough wetness to have to put on waterproofs. This side of Kinder feels wild and remote, are there are fewer grouse here or is it because there are very few people around to disturb them? Following the path around the edge is a very indirect route, following the indentations to the end of several promontories but it is easy walking because there is very little change in height.

We eventually reached a point where we had to choose between completing the route around the edge or getting back to Edale while it was still light. So we set off across the plateau making a beeline for Edale, bypassing the cairn on the horizon. This is quite a strenuous walk, the flat heathery top being criss crossed by wet peaty streams, this must be a very muddy place in wet weather.

Half an hour of hopping from one heathery hummock to another and scrambling up wet peat brought us back to Ringing Roger and the obvious descent back to Edale. Just as we arrived back at the Nags Head we met the other members who had arrived too late to walk with us.

It would be unfair for me to comment that those of us who started on time were male and those of us who were late were female.

Andy Wallace 11th October 2003

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