🌳Edale 10 Miles Summer Solstice🌤️Grindslow Knoll🌤Wool Packs🌤Jacob's Ladder🌳

This quite challenging walk from the scenic Village of Edale promises stunning views, and wild landscape with amazing rock formations.

Edale is a collection of small Hamlets or Booths surrounded by dramatic scenery, Barber Booth Upper Booth Ollerbrook Booth and Nether Booth.
As you walk through this characterful village, there are lanes of pretty stone cottages, a couple of pubs and cafes and even a railway station.
It's the start of the well walked Pennine Way and many popular routes up onto the Kinder Plateau.

Our chosen route heads out of Edale and climbs up over the moors to Grindslow Knoll, a hill and an impressive Ethel being 601 metres above sea-level.
The views are stunning and worth every step of the way.

As the route continues, strange rock formations come into view, these alien like gritstone outcrops have been formed by weathering and erosion on the moors. These formations have strange names like, Woolpacks Pym Chair Noe Stool, the highest rock formation is Crowden Tower, an impressive 619 metres.
Our route continues passing the spectacular stack of boulders, Edale Rocks, and climbs up to the Trig Point of Kinder Low, 633 metres high.
Kinder Low is not the highest point of Kinder Scout, the actual summit is 636 metres above sea level.

The route back to Edale descends the rocky steps of Jacob's Ladder and crosses the Packhorse Bridge and the River Noe. Jacob's Ladder is a bridleway between the Plateau of Kinder Scout and the Hamlet of Upper Booth in the Vale of Edale.

The 17th Century Packhorse bridge is a designated Grade II listed structure, located on what was once an important packhorse route over the Pennine moorland between Hayfield and Edale, used from medieval times into the 18th Century. At its narrowest point the parapet walls of the bridge are only 27 inches apart

At the top of Jacob's Ladder we see Edale Cross, an ancient wayside cross which marks the boundary between three local wards. The exact date of the cross is unknown, although its listing as a protected Scheduled Monument dates it to the Medieval period. The date '1810' carved into it denotes the year it was replaced in position by a group of local farmers who found it buried in the nearby peat. They also carved their initials onto the front.

Jacob's Ladder is an important landmark at the start of the Pennine Way, a long distance footpath that stretches for 268 miles between Edale in Derbyshire and Kirk Yetholm in the Borders of Scotland. Jacob's Ladder is thought to have been named after a local farmer, Jacob Marshall, who farmed the land at Edale Head in the 18th Century.
Local folklore suggests that he cut steps into this section of the route to allow easier access to his land from the nearest settlements.

There are actually two Jacob's Ladders, the 'modern' Jacob's Ladder was opened in 1987, it rises steeply and fairly directly up the side of the hill from the packhorse bridge on a series of paved stone steps. Directly next to it, veering off to the left is the original path that reaches the same summit point, it's still easily accessible but with a more uneven surface.

Our chosen path follows the scenic long distance Pennine Way back into the Village of Edale.

A challenging walk with some steepish climbs and descents on rocky paths crossing some boggy moorland

As always, catching up points and plenty of breaks along the way

Bring a picnic lunch plenty of water and snacks to keep you going along the way, don't wait until lunch, keep your energy topped up..

Toilets at the start in Edale

Walking boots are essential, no trainers, a walking pole is helpful with ascents and descents

As always check the weather and dress accordingly, the weather can change very quickly here, a spare layer is advisable

Look forward to sharing this spectacular scenic walk for another adventure..👩‍🦯🐕🧑‍🦯🐕‍🦺🐕🦮🐄🐑