Hiking Kinder Scout

Peak District, England

The Peak District is a National Park in Central England. It spans from Sheffield in the east to Manchester in the west. It’s full of peaks (obviously) with trails upon trails to hike and explore. We based ourselves in Sheffield and did some adventuring in the Peak District. Our main highlight was hiking Kinder Scout – the highest of the peaks in the park.

Hiking Kinder Scout

To start our hike, we took a train from Sheffield out to Edale – a small village in the centre of the National Park. The Visitor’s Centre here is a great place to get familiarized with maps, and to ask for advice from the helpful staff. From there, it’s just a short jaunt up the road to the start of the hike. Coincidentally, the trail starts at the beginning of the Pennine Way – a 429km trail that goes from Central England all the way up to southern Scotland. Thankfully, we didn’t have that far to go!!

The trail winds its way through sheep fields and more small villages before finally snaking up to the top of some peaks. I mentioned in my last post that Cambridge was hit pretty hard with the heat wave – all the grass was super dry. The Peak District was no different. We heard from locals that the yellow and brown peaks we were seeing on our hike were a far cry from the typically lush and green peaks that usually cover the region.

Despite the dryness, the views were incredible. The rolling hills were dotted with sheep, fields, and small cottage-style homes across the valley. Eventually the path will fork and you’ll stray away from the Pennine Way. This is where you’ll have the opportunity to climb Kinder Scout. The Peaks aren’t quite peaks in the literal sense – more like plateaus. While Kinder Scout is technically home to the highest spot in the park (636m), the nearby trails will take you up to between 600m and 630m.

We hiked along the ridge line and were quickly met with some incredible rocky scenery. The massive boulders made for an awesome outdoor playground. They also provided great platforms to get some pretty epic views of the valley.

Before long, the clouds that had been following us all morning finally opened up. We hustled down the hills and back into Edale where the rain let up a little bit. We debated going out to hike Mam Tor – another peak whose trail starts similarly in Edale. As we were deciding the rain returned in full force. We opted to take the train home instead!

Practical Info

I’m glad I stumbled upon this blog post for hiking Kinder Scout. The trail description was super in depth and quite accurate.

A return train ticket from Sheffield to Edale is £9. (You’ll take the train en route to Manchester).

The loop hike from Edale to Kinder Scout is 15.2km (9.5 miles). Hiking to Mam Tor will add another 5.4km (3.4 miles).

Endcliffe Park

Our second Peak District outing was mostly within the city limits of Sheffield. Endcliffe Park is easily accessible through the Nether End neighbourhood. The park was full of families out embracing summer holidays. Our stroll lead us through Endcliffe Park, into Bingham Park which was a little less populated.

We followed the signs for the Peak District and climbed up to the top of the ridge. Our walk concluded at Toposcope – a dedicated lookout over Sheffield. This spot is at the eastern most part of the National Park, with many more trails leading into and around the Peak District.

We hitched a ride back into Sheffield, but we easily could have taken one of the many trails leading through Endcliffe and Bingham Parks. Another great perk of hiking in England has been the abundance of wild blackberries!! I’ve definitely eaten my fair share of them and I find it hard to walk by a bush without grabbing a handful!

Sheffield was a great place to stop and base ourselves for hiking Kinder Scout and exploring the Peak District. We only scratched the surface of what the Peak District has to offer. I love that it’s so easily accessible by train. There are even public buses that make their way into the National Park.

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