THE FOOTNOTES
Every print from Marking The Wild comes with its own trail story, this is yours.
Here you’ll find sketches, route details, reflections from the walk, and a few extra notes I couldn’t quite fit on paper.
Think of it as a companion to the artwork; a small way to step into the moment with me, and maybe take the journey for yourself.
Kinder Scout: Where the Right to Roam Took Root
Kinder isn’t trying to impress anyone. It doesn’t soften the edges or hide how it feels. It’s a place that simply exists on its own terms which generally means wind first, everything else second. You feel it as soon as you start climbing as “out for a walk” turns to “the moor has opinions today.”
There’s a blunt honesty to this landscape. Gritstone boulders which look like they’ve been dropped from height as if giants played marbles with them. Peat and bog that remembers every boot that’s crossed them. Views that open and close depending entirely on what the cloud feels like doing. Nothing here is polished, but everything has presence, including the roaming sheep who will make their presence known as they may try to steal your sandwiches (you have been warned).
I’ve walked countless routes around this place, even though this one is long it's a great way to see its vastness and mark which areas you want to return to. Kinder has this effect where you can spend hours crossing it and still feel like you’ve only skimmed the surface. Every path leads to a dozen more.
It’s a landscape that belongs to everyone because so many people fought for the right to stand on it. You feel that when you walk here and whilst Kinder may not always ‘welcome’ you, it won’t turn you away.
This is a place to visit again and again and always find something new. It feels lived in, shaped by the wind, rain, time and protest.
Waypoints Through The Wild
Start: Begin coming out of Edale on Edale Road and take the second sharply right track. Follow the gradual rise toward the Great Ridge.
Turn right to towards and over Mam Tor, before crossing the road and following the next track to Lord’s Seat. Continue along the track before turning right onto a stone slab path and crossing Brown Knoll.
After this summit you'll head right again and tackle the Swine’s Back, before heading onwards following the Kinder plateau to Kinder Low Trig point. The landscape here is open and direct but the views are minimal, instead showing only the plateau stretching all around you.
Continue in the same direction following the edge and admiring all the rock formations after a time arriving at Kinder Downfall. Assess conditions because it will never look the same again; the water may fall cleanly, drift sideways or vertical in the wind, be frozen or barely appear at all. Also assess the sheep, these guys are brutal and if they smell food on you they won't hesitate to try and steal it, which led to a jump scare one one popped its head around a rock and death stared at me.
Compose yourself and head upstream of Kinder River following it all the way around and across the peaty moor, which will inevitably be boggy and hard to navigate, so keep your eye on the GPS if you can. With some care and attention you’ll find yourself at a smaller water cascade, near but not at The Woolpacks rock formation. Hang a sharp left, following the new edge on your right.
Finish: Head straight toward, up and over Grindslow Knoll before snaking pack down into Edale, where the cafes and pubs will be happy to greet you.
Sense The Scene
See: gritstone edges, dark peat, distant moors, views all the way to Manchester.
Hear: wind first, water second, the threatening calls of hungry sheep, open silence.
Smell: cold air, wet earth, moss, heather, peat.
Feel: wind hitting your face, giant gritstone boulders, wet peaty moss.
Taste: iron and peat on the air, musky earth, raw wool, Local Ales and Beer (Kinder Downfall from Buxton Brewery is a great Blonde/Golden Ale).
Practical Parts
Parking: We parked in the Edale Car Park.
Facilities: Cafés, pubs (we enjoyed the Rambler’s Inn), toilets at start/end (note: the car park toilets close at certain times).
Hazards: Exposed terrain; strong winds; poor visibility; uneven and boggy ground; cliff edges; weather changes quickly at height.
Have you been here? What's Your Story
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