Kinder Scout routes, easiest to hardest: times, distances and GPX

Peakify lists 3 measured routes up Kinder Scout, traced on OpenStreetMap paths from the start to the summit. Distances and ascent are one way, to the top.

Kinder Scout routes, easiest to hardest

Sorted by grade, easiest first: Easy, Moderate, Hard, then Scramble. Routes with the same grade keep the order in which Peakify's editors listed them.

Kinder Scout route times by Naismith's rule

The times above use Naismith's rule: 5 km/h on the flat plus 10 minutes for every 100 m of ascent, rounded to the nearest 5 minutes. "There and back" doubles the distance and counts the ascent once, for coming down the same way. Naismith assumes a fit walker and no stops, so add time for breaks, a heavy pack, rough or snowy ground, and a group that moves at its slowest member's pace.

Each Kinder Scout route

Edale via Jacob's Ladder

You follow the Pennine Way along the valley to Upper Booth, climb Jacob's Ladder and walk to Kinder Low. It starts from Edale village car park. 6.3 km one way with 419 m of ascent. About 2h 0m to the summit and 3h 15m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Hayfield via William Clough

A track passes Kinder Reservoir and climbs William Clough to the western edge, then south to Kinder Downfall and Kinder Low. It starts from Bowden Bridge car park, Hayfield. 4.5 km one way with 427 m of ascent. About 1h 35m to the summit and 2h 30m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Moderate.

Edale via Grindsbrook Clough

A path climbs into the ravine of Grindsbrook and scrambles up rocks at its head onto the plateau edge. It starts from Edale village car park. 7.0 km one way with 402 m of ascent. About 2h 5m to the summit and 3h 30m there and back by Naismith's rule. Grade: Scramble.

Kinder Scout route GPX

This page doesn't offer a GPX download. To get a GPX file for a Kinder Scout route, use the Peakify iPhone app: open Kinder Scout, plan the route in the route planner (or import a GPX you already have), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.

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Before you pick a route

The grade describes the ground in fair weather. Wind, rain, cloud and ice change it: a Moderate path can be hard to follow in mist, and a scramble in strong gusts is a different proposition from the same rock on a calm day. Check whether it is safe to climb Kinder Scout today and the Kinder Scout 14-day forecast before you set off, and allow for the walk out in daylight.

Planning a day on Kinder Scout routes

The walking times above use Naismith's rule, which assumes a fit walker on good paths with short stops. Most groups take longer: add a quarter for a mixed group, more for children or heavy packs, and plan the descent as carefully as the climb, because tired legs and fading light cause more trouble on the way down than on the way up.

Start early. Car parks at popular starts fill by mid-morning in summer and at weekends, and an early start leaves spare daylight if the weather turns or the walk takes longer than planned. In winter, work back from sunset and leave a margin of at least an hour.

Carry a map and compass and know how to use them, even on a well-trodden path; a phone battery fails fastest in cold, wet weather. Pack a waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer, a hat and gloves in every season, plus food, water and a head torch. Tell someone your route and when you expect to be back.

If you are new to Kinder Scout, choose the easiest route in the table for a first ascent and save the harder lines for a settled day when you know the mountain. Turning back is always an option; the summit will still be there.

Questions about Kinder Scout

What is the easiest route up Kinder Scout?

The Pennine Way from Edale up Jacob's Ladder is the most gradual route to the plateau edge at Kinder Low.

How much time does each Kinder Scout route take?

Edale via Jacob's Ladder: about 2h 0m up and 3h 15m there and back. Hayfield via William Clough: about 1h 35m up and 2h 30m there and back. Edale via Grindsbrook Clough: about 2h 5m up and 3h 30m there and back. Times are by Naismith's rule (5 km/h plus 10 minutes per 100 m of ascent), before stops.

Can I get a GPX file for a Kinder Scout route?

Not from this page. In the Peakify iPhone app, plan the route in the route planner (or import one), save it, then choose Export GPX on the saved route. GPX export is part of Peakify Pro.