Grindsbrook Clough, Edale, Derbyshire, England

When the Pennine Way was first opened, this was the way that it took you up onto Kinder Scout and then the long distance path marched straight across the boggy morass to give itself a very bad name. Thankfully, some sense seems to have prevailed since the bad days of the 1960's and 1970's and a redirection around by Upper Booth and Jacob's Ladder to follow the edge of Kinder Scout to reach Kinder Downfall: a much kinder approach, no pun intended though laziness leaves the odd juxtaposition in situ.

Since the visit on which this scene was captured in August 2001, I have followed the path all of the way onto the moor and followed its edge until meeting up with the Pennine Way for a return to Edale. That was in December 2004 and it wasn't so bad underfoot given the general wetness of the year in question. Though the path looks very inviting above, I can assure you that it takes on a much rougher aspect as you go further along, a consequence of a narrowing opening and steepening gradients. That reality makes the out and back stroll in then new Columbia trail shoes seem very sensible behaviour on a clouding August bank holiday Monday with the purple colouration from flowering heather being unmissable and unmistakable. The introduction to the moorlands of the Dark Peak may have been brief but a look around this album will confirm that it didn't stop at that.