25th: Kinder walk
Eighteen of us met a keen leader in Helen on Sunday am. We set off
from Barber Booth CP in Edale and headed for Crowden Brook on Kinder
Scout. Through a very pleasant field of lambs and small stripey ponies
(banded galloways). Onwards and upwards we strode, crossing river and
stream, many, many,times, ascending onto the plateau of Kinder itself.
On reaching the edge no stopping for views, on into the heart of
Kinder, 4m deep groughs and peat hags, to pop out near the top. On
Kinder that means serious mud, lts of it, glutinous, slippery, peaty,
spongy, mud. (Did you know eskimos have over a dozen words for snow- new
competition to find adjectives to describe Kinder mud)
Arriving at the Downfall, and around the edge path to Red Brook, no
worries, but then the weather changed, suddenly our party was joined by
others, all wondering where they were, the top of Kinder Low became a
mass of voices, zero visibility, and Helen counting 18, but where was
Father and Ranger Steve (lost in the widerness - we were at the trig
point!!!) and how come we still had 18.
It all went rather downhill from here, via Edale rocks to Jacob's
Ladder, and back to Barber Booth. Leader points redeemed with mega brill
Bradwells (adverts on a blog) most excellent ices, and toilets. We
arrived back at cars just as it started to rain.
A grand walk with all the excitement offered by Kinder Scout,
sweeties for the well behaved, and a week on the naughty step for those
who wandered into the mist
Steve
PS we arrived back with a satisfactory count, still 18
