Kinder Downfall

KINDER DOWNFALL 17th AUGUST 2013

We try to get a Kinder walk in once a year and today with the car going to the garage at Hayfield it was this years turn for a walk up into the hills.

                              

We had planned to catch the bus up to the top of Chunal and take the easy route over to the down fall but a late start meant the bus left us behind so Williams Clough it was to be.

Not our favourite route but thankfully the stream was pretty low and we made a fairly swift ascent

 The heather is just coming into flower at this time of year, but our thoughts are focused on 'my thats a steep climb a head'.

 As we climbed the wind became stronger and it wasn't long before Lee put his jumper on, the wind is warm and unfortunately very humid not the best conditions to be climbing.

 

Finally we reach the top of William's Clough and joined the Pennine Way, we look towards the final ascent, the only down side was the wind! that was now blowing a gale.

 

We watched a fell runner run
 up the hill, but for us this last
steep climb doesn't  gets any
 easier and progress is slow.

Finally we reach the top and something tells us we're not the first to pass this way!

We battled against the wind as we headed towards the downfall, unsteady on our feet at times.


We decided to take shelter behind a large rock, here we ate a swift lunch before donning our waterproof jackets and heading out into the wind again.

 At the downfall the wind, now being funneled by the valley below was the strongest wind we have ever experienced, although there wasn't much water flowing over the downfall the uplift was still impressive.

   

A little damp from all the spray we quickly crossed the river before pausing a while to admire the view.

                        Kinder Downfall uplift.

We leave the downfall behind and continue along the Pennine way towards the trig at Kinder Low.

We pass this large rock balanced on only three points, amazing how it must of sat here like this for millions of years.

The landscape changes to a barren waste land at the trig
 not the most inviting of places, but
  from here you get the first glimpse of the Edale valley.



Due to a shower this isn't the best picture of the Edale Valley! thankfully the shower was brief and we didn't get wet.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    From Kinder Low we started our descent back to Hayfield passing the Edale Cross (a protected medieval monument) on the way.

After the rugged terrain of Kinder it was nice to be walking on pasture fields but our feet still ached.

We walked 11.4 miles in 6 hours not bad for us considering the wind conditions.