Kinder Scout Mountain

Address: Kinder Scout, Peak District National Park (access via Edale/Hayfield)

Website: https://www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

Hours: Open access (outdoors)

Admission: Free

Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District of England, a gritstone moorland plateau with an upland summit used for walking and hill-country recreation. Its elevation and open terrain make it one of the district’s most prominent upland features.

The plateau offers extensive, open moorland of peat and gritstone and includes the notable cliff-edge waterfall called Kinder Downfall. Routes from Edale and Hayfield provide the most common approaches and the area is popular with hikers, fell-runners and birdwatchers.

The hill is well known for the 1932 Mass Trespass, an organised protest that played a significant role in the campaign for public access to open countryside. Since then the area has been managed for public recreation and conservation, with marked paths to reduce erosion.

Kinder Scout lies in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District in Derbyshire, England, with trailheads at the villages of Edale and Hayfield and road access from surrounding towns.

• Mass Trespass: The 1932 Mass Trespass was a pivotal public access protest on the hill that helped expand walkers’ rights in England.

What to See#

• Kinder plateau: A broad gritstone plateau forming the high moor around the summit, offering open, peat-covered terrain and long views across the Peak District.
• Kinder Downfall: Kinder Downfall waterfall on the western edge of the plateau, where water drops over the gritstone escarpment and can be swept into spray in high wind.

The classic start is Edale; take the train to Edale station (Northern Rail) and follow the Pennine Way north up Jacob’s Ladder for about 4-5 km to the plateau. Alternative approaches start from Hayfield (use A624) for a gentler ascent. Park-and-ride or village parking is limited-use public transport if possible and allow 3-5 hours for a round trip depending on route.

• Walk from Edale via Jacob's Ladder and the Pennine Way for the classic approach; the descent into Hayfield makes a good loop.
• Visit on April 24 to see quiet commemorations of the 1932 mass trespass; plaques near the trig point mark the event.
• Avoid the thickest peat by sticking to flagged paths across the summit plateau-on wet days the ground can turn to featureless bog very quickly.