I was back in the Peak District with another scramble calling my name.
The walk up to Kinder Scout, the Peak District's highest hill begins with a scramble through Crowden Clough. The best part about this scramble is the amount of options when selecting your route through the boulders. I had to push myself to be braver in some places and to go beyond my comfort zone, as it would be easy to pick a simple and gentle route. The view of the valley below gets better the higher you go and I found the sweeping, green hills inspiring. There are several rocky pools that are begging to be dipped in, but that will have to wait for another time. At the top of Crowden Clough, the path merges into several other routes and suddenly you are on a highway of hikers heading to the viewpoint at Crowden Tower.
A short but peaty walk across Edale Moor led to Kinder Downfall, the tallest waterfall in the Peak District, although on this day it was particularly dry. The views over Kinder Reservoir are fantastic as the route follows the Pennine Way back through Kinder Low and Edale rocks. The descent through Jacob's Ladder is probably the least enjoyable experience of this walk, but i was grateful to be heading down instead of facing the steep climb uphill for the walkers passing me by in the opposite direction.
Fun places to pull out the sketchbook:
-Any point up Crowden Clough- the view of Crowden brook cascading gently down towards Upper Booth is both inspiring and relaxing
-Crowden Tower- or more specifically, pick a spot a little below the viewpoint where the rocks create a shelter from the wild winds and swarms of walkers scrambling for a view
- Crux of Kinder Downfall and Kinder Reservoir below
-Edale Rocks- this dramatic rock formation was a bonus surprise bur is fantastic to draw from any angle
