MEarlier in the week the weather forecast for Friday was good. Varying intensities of rain during the night made me think they'd got it wrong again. However, as I looked out of the tent long before sunrise the crescent moon was just rising, the stars were visible overhead and away in the distance were the lights of Manchester. The temperature had dropped to 5degC during the night due to clearer skies. I was on my way by 7:45am heading up Wildboar Grain along an improving path. Higher up it became stone slabs and then emerged on to the summit of Bleaklow Head and a cairn surrounded by black peat.

Bleaklow Head and cairn

The Wain Stones

All tracks then seemed to disappear. I photographed the interesting Wain Stones then wondered which way to go. There was no sign post anywhere so I had to head out across rough moor following a compass bearing. Ahead I could see the Hern Stones which strictly speaking aren’t on the Pennine Way. The official route passes them a short distance to the east. I checked them out before re-joining the official route and some welcome stone slab surfacing. A stone way marker appeared, similar to others, showing the Pennine Way only going one way. South to North. The thought that someone would do it the other way doesn’t seem to have occurred to anyone. As I descended the views opened up and I had a good view ahead. The weather was much clearer than the previous two days and in the distance I could see the vehicles on the Snake Pass road and in the far distance the plateau of Kinder Scout.

Before reaching the road I crossed a path called Doctor's Gate, which is also the route of a Roman Road. An intriguing name. When I reached the tarmac of the main road Kinder Scout still looked an awful long way off. Fortunately the path across miles of moorland had been very well surfaced with stone slabs. But this stretch was much better that previous. On earlier stretches the rectangular stones had been placed longitudinally, their short sides butted together making for a narrower path using less stones. This also means that the reeds, heather and grass soon grow over the stones and reclaims the ground.

Doctor's Gate path, also a Roman Road

On Kinder Scout

Along this stretch the rectangular stones were placed laterally, their longest sided butted together. It uses more stones but gives a wider and much clearer path. It was a delight to walk on and the 2.5miles to Mill Hill summit passed in no time. A short descent followed then a steep climb up a good stoned path. I was now on the general plateau of Kinder Scout and a good path took me along the edge. The boulder formations improved as I proceeded.

At Kinder Downfall the River Kinder spills its water over the edge. There wasn’t much water so it was a bit disappointing. Continuing south I met a man coming the other way who was out for a day walk. He lived nearby and was heading for a bus stop somewhere south of Glossop. We had an interesting chat about the local area and continued our walks. There were quite a few people out taking advantage of the nice weather.

Kinder Downfall

View towards Edale from the tent

South of Edale Rocks I stated a steep descent to a grassy area where I found a flattish area where I could put the tent up. Nearby was a small stream with good water.