Edale Walks: Kinder Scout, Grindsbrook and Ridge Routes

Why Edale suits a walking base

Edale has a train station, a couple of pubs and a café, and keeps the feel of a small village even when walkers fill it at weekends. You step from village lanes onto open moorland within minutes, and the two biggest objectives above the valley, Kinder Scout and the Great Ridge, are both reachable on foot. That combination of transport, food and immediate access is what makes it a workable base rather than just a pretty stop.

Use Edale as your anchor and you can link the day's walk to a pint or a meal without arranging a lift home. If you want to see how Edale fits into the wider trail network across the national park, the Peak District National Park guide sets out the other valleys and edges within day-trip range.

Getting to Edale and starting on foot

Trains connect Edale with Sheffield and Manchester, roughly half an hour from each, which makes the village viable for a car-free weekend. Drivers have a straightforward approach from the Hope Valley road network. The Pennine Way runs through the village and along the valley toward Upper Booth, so the long-distance path itself is your route onto the hills.

From the station, the valley paths lead west toward Barber Booth and Upper Booth, the two usual starting points for the Kinder approaches. The Great Ridge side of the valley sits beyond the village and is a longer walk-out unless you use the valley lanes as an approach. Plan the day around walking out and back rather than around a car park, and the village location stops being a constraint.

Easy Edale walks: the low-level valley circuit

The 4.5-mile (7.2 km) low-level route follows footpaths around the valley bottom and delivers big views without committing you to the plateau. It is the walk to choose when cloud sits on Kinder, when the ground is saturated, or when you have a half day after arriving. The valley floor also gives you a straightforward way to reach Barber Booth and Upper Booth on foot before deciding whether to climb.

For a gentler day further afield, the Monsal Trail uses former railway trackbed through the White Peak, with tunnels and viaducts and gradients that suit an easy outing. It is outside the Edale valley, but it is a sensible wet-weather alternative within the same national park.

Grindsbrook Clough to Grindslow Knoll

This 7-mile (11.3 km) route climbs from Edale up Grindsbrook, starting gently on a valley path before the going turns rocky and becomes a scramble. Above the clough you emerge onto the Kinder plateau, where the sense of space is the reward, and the route finishes over Grindslow Knoll with views back down the valley.

Treat the upper clough as hands-on ground: wet rock makes the boulder sections slower and more serious, so wear grippy footwear and keep your hands free. In wind and low cloud, the plateau edge is exposed and navigation gets harder, so save this one for a clearer day. The descent to the village is straightforward once you are off the rocky top section.

Crowden Clough scramble from Barber Booth

The Crowden Clough scramble runs 7.5 miles (12.1 km) from Barber Booth, following the stream up the clough over rocks and boulders before popping out on Kinder Scout, with the descent via Ringing Roger back into Edale. Choose it if you want a proper hands-on day rather than a walk-up, and expect the stream section to be the slowest part.

Barber Booth is a short walk from the village, so the route works without a car. Water in the clough is fast-moving after rain, and the boulders are slippery when wet, so pick your line rather than following the stream blindly. The Ringing Roger descent keeps the day circular and drops you back within easy reach of the pubs.

Edale to Kinder Scout and Mam Tor

The long circuit covers 12 miles (19.3 km): up Crowden Clough onto Kinder Scout, across to Brown Knoll, then along Rushup Edge to Mam Tor before dropping back into Edale. It is the route for a full day with good visibility, since it links the plateau with the ridge and the best views across the Hope Valley. Fit hikers with early starts get both the wild moorland and the classic ridge in one outing.

The Great Ridge section is exposed and busy on fine weekends, and the plateau crossing between Kinder and Brown Knoll is featureless in cloud. Carry a map and compass rather than relying on the phone, and start early enough to be off the ridge before afternoon weather builds.

Ringing Roger: the short scramble

At 5 miles (8 km), the Ringing Roger route is the half-day option, scrambling up to the tors before descending Grindsbrook Clough. There is a path to follow, so you can scramble or simply hike the rocky steps, and the views from the top are out of proportion to the effort. It suits fit walkers with limited time or families with scrambling confidence.

Do this one early if the forecast is mixed, because the rocky descent into Grindsbrook is awkward in rain and the plateau above offers no shelter. Afterwards, the walk back into Edale along the valley is short and easy on tired legs.

The Great Ridge and Mam Tor side of the valley

Mam Tor and the Great Ridge are the other half of an Edale weekend, sitting across the valley from Kinder and offering a steady ridge walk rather than a scramble. From Edale the approach is a valley walk-out, so allow extra time compared with starting from the Hope Valley road side. The crossing rewards you with continuous views over both sides of the valley.

If you have a spare day and want a different texture of walking, the edges above Hathersage give airy gritstone ridge lines. The Bamford Edge walk is outside the Edale valley but reachable from the same Hope Valley base.

Distance at a glance

Group the routes by effort: the valley circuit at 4.5 miles (7.2 km) for rest days, Ringing Roger at 5 miles (8 km) and Grindsbrook at 7 miles (11.3 km) for half to full days, Crowden Clough at 7.5 miles (12.1 km) for a scrambling day, and the Kinder-and-Mam Tor circuit at 12 miles (19.3 km) for the long day. All figures are route distances; the climbing on the scrambles makes them feel longer than the numbers suggest. If you are weighing up how these distances compare with other English upland weekends, the Yorkshire Dales hikes guide sets out walks by the same measure.

For a one-way day that uses the rail line rather than a car, the Chinley to Edale railway walk links two stations high above the valley. It is a linear route, equally enjoyable in either direction, and it ends with a train back.

When to go: seasons and plateau conditions

Spring and early summer give the most reliable conditions on Kinder, with drier rock on the cloughs and longer daylight for the long circuit. Late autumn and winter bring short days, saturated peat on the plateau and snow that lingers on the high ground, and the rocky scrambles become slippery and considerably slower. Afternoon storms build quickly on the moorland, so plan to be down off the plateau and the ridge by mid-afternoon.

Wet ground is the real constraint rather than temperature: the plateau holds water and the cloughs run high after rain. Build a weather alternative into every weekend, and keep the valley circuit in reserve.

Where to stay and eat in Edale

Upper Booth Farm Campsite sits below Crowden Clough, about a mile from the village, with simple facilities, a shared barn and drying room, and no electricity on the site. It runs quiet rules: no music, a 10pm quiet time, dogs on leads outside the dog field, and tents limited to 6 m in length. The site suits walkers who want to start on Kinder from the tent, and the sloping ground makes a flat pitch harder to find for a large tent.

In the village, the Old Nags Head Inn and the Rambler Inn are the usual finishing points for a day on the hills, and there is a café and a village store for supplies. The nearest larger shop is beyond the village, so buy food before you arrive if you are self-catering. Walking back along the Pennine Way after dinner closes the day on foot.

Shelter on the plateau

The Kinder plateau itself offers no buildings or huts, so the cloughs and the plateau edge are places to carry your own food, water and windproof layers. The campsite barn at Upper Booth is the nearest drying room to the Crowden Clough approach. Plan your turnaround before the plateau rather than expecting shelter up top.

Plan Your Weekend in Edale

Build the weekend around effort and weather: the valley circuit first if conditions are poor, a clough scramble when the rock is dry, and the 12-mile circuit when visibility is good and you have a full day. Book the campsite or village accommodation early for summer weekends, and choose the train if you want to avoid parking altogether.