In 1932, around 500 walkers, mostly from Manchester, trespassed en masse and walked from the village of Hayfield to Kinder Scout to secure access to open country for all to enjoy forever. For some time now, I have wanted to do this circular walk and a recent short break to the Peak District National Park gave me the opportunity.
This walk is just over 8 miles long and can be described as challenging. However, I was lucky enough to do this walk on a bright, clear day and I would say that it is not beyond anyone of reasonable fitness. With any walk like this, it is essential to be well-prepared: map, compass, whistle, torch, personal 1st aid kit and suitable clothing. Rain was not forecast but my Craghoppers apex waterproof jacket (bright red - I can always be found!) was in my backpack. You can never be sure what the weather is going to be like up on the hill so layers are important: my Craghoppers compresslite hooded jacket is so lightweight and fits in to its own stow sack, and turned out to most useful (see photo below taken on the plateau of Kinder Scout).
Walking boots are also needed for this walk as there are steep climbs and descents over rough and rocky moorland terrain. It could be boggy or muddy in places and even in dry weather, I had several fords to cross so my boots got wet.
The walk starts from Bowden Bridge car park, Kinder Road: (nearest) postcode SK 22 2LH; grid ref SK 048 869 and I would allow at least 5 hours. From the car park, head towards Kinder Bank, pass Booth Bridge and sheep wash and then follow a bridleway uphill at White Brow alongside the Kinder reservoir until you reach Snake Path at the foot of William Clough, named after a cutler who worked there.
Continue upwards to Ashop Head where the Pennine Way joins the path and turn right. The path from the foot of William Clough to the Pennine Way is easy to follow but there is a little bit of scrambling on occasion. Then carry on along the ridge to Sandy Heys. This part of my walk really blew the cobwebs away! Blown away by the wind, but also the views, it was time to pause for a while and look out to Yorkshire to the north, Cheshire to the west, and Wales beyond. Time also to wonder what the view would have been like for the 'trespassers' in the 1930s and whether the industrial smokes from mill chimneys and coal fires would have allowed them such a clear picture.
On to Kinder Downfall: I could feel the waterfall before seeing it as the wind blew the tumbling water up into the air. One of the best things about this walk was that the amazing views continued. It was not just a case of lovely views from the top, but the view of towns on the horizon, the hills closer by and the Kinder Reservoir, were there for the biggest part of the walk.
The Pennine Way is a clear path. Continue to Kinder Low trig point, rising over 630m. From here, take the flag path to the left, to Edale Road. Edale Road is an old packhorse route. Continue downhill towards Hayfield. Leave the moorland and walk on a path through fields to the tarmac road at Coldwell Clough. Carry on, keeping the stream on your left and rejoin the road at Ashes farm and continue back to the car park.
The 1932 trespass was a coordinated protest involving three groups of walkers who approached Kinder Scout from different directions at the same time. The main group began at Bowden Bridge quarry. It proceeded via William Clough to the plateau of Kinder Scout, where there were violent scuffles with Police and gamekeepers. The walkers were able to reach their destination and meet with another group at Ashop Head. On the return, five were arrested, with another detained earlier. Trespass was not a criminal offence in any part of Britain at the time, but some would receive jail sentences of two to six months for offences relating to violence against the gamekeepers.
The Kinder Scout mass trespass was one of number of protests at the time seeking greater access to the moorlands of the northern Peak District. What set it apart from the others was it marked a new and more radical approach to the problem which was not universally popular with rambling groups. The harshness of the sentences imposed on the leaders of the protest was headline news in local and national newspapers, resulting in the issue gaining public attention and sympathy. This marked the beginning of a media campaign by The Ramblers' Association, culminating in the Countryside and Rights of Way (CROW) Act 2000, which legislates rights to walk on mapped access land.
