Kinder Scout via Grindsbrook Clough

This 8-mile (13 km) loop starts in Edale, climbs Grindsbrook Clough onto Kinder Scout’s plateau edge, then returns by Jacob’s Ladder. Plan on 5 to 6 hours; around 5½ is realistic for about 806 m of ascent, the rocky scramble and the long moorland traverse. It reaches Kinder Plateau, not the exact 636 m high point, so it isn’t a summit tick. Choose this direction if you want to climb beside Grindsbrook and take the steep stone steps on the way down.

This is the directional variant of Edale’s other Kinder Scout circuit, which climbs Jacob’s Ladder and descends Grindsbrook. It uses the same loop, so what changes is how you tackle the steepest sections: scramble up the clough here, or climb the old steps in the reverse direction. Neither version is an easy approach to the plateau.

From Edale village car park, pass the Old Nag’s Head and take the flagstone path uphill. It follows a gradually rising track beside Grindsbrook for roughly a kilometre. Higher up, the track gives way to rocky ground; you cross the clough several times, picking your way across the water to the scramble. The scramble is short but steep, and a large cairn marks the top of the plateau. This is the route’s trickiest footing. If scrambling across the clough isn’t for you, decide before leaving the easier valley approach; returning by Jacob’s Ladder doesn’t avoid this ascent.

From the cairn, follow the flagstones west with views down toward Crowden Clough. The crossing can run hard in heavy rain. The route continues past Crowden Tower, then through peaty ground around the Wool Packs toward Noe Stool. Here the surface changes from stone and flags to boggy patches, and the path can be difficult to follow in poor visibility; bring a map and compass or reliable offline navigation. From Noe Stool, on a clear day, look across to Edale Rocks. That’s the view worth stopping for. The route skirts the plateau edge and doesn’t detour to Kinder’s exact high point.

From Noe Stool, descend toward a stone cairn and join the Pennine Way to the top of Jacob’s Ladder. Large steps drop steeply to an old packhorse bridge. The ladder was a trade route for lead, coal, salt and wool from medieval times until the railway was built in 1894. From the bridge, paths pass Upper Booth and fields; a narrow track beside a stream leads back toward the Old Nag’s Head and through Edale to the car park.

The main Edale car park has public toilets. Refreshments are available in the village and beside the station, before or after the hill; there’s no café on the route. Dogs are allowed on a lead. Expect a hard day of uneven rock, a short scramble and high moorland navigation, especially in poor weather. If you’d rather climb the stone steps and descend through Grindsbrook, walk the circuit in the opposite direction.