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Best Walks From Edale in the Peak District

By Dave Roberts   

on March 5, 2018    4.75/5 (4)

Best Walks From Edale in the Peak District

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Location Map

The village of Edale in the Peak District that’s best known as the starting point of the Pennine Way and as the most popular starting point for walks up Kinder Scout. While these two walks will obviously appear in any list of walks from the village, there’s plenty more excellent walking available directly from the village.

What’s In Edale? There’s a National Trust camp site for those who want to camp in the village as well as a few B&Bs and the YHA Edale a kilometre or so outside the village at Nether Booth. There are of course a few more campsites and various accommodation available..

How Can I Get To Edale? There’s a railway station, so you can get here from Manchester or Sheffield by train. The road approach from the west is a minor road that crosses Rushup Edge and descends steeply into the valley, with the road from Sheffield being a better minor road.

What Pubs and eateries are there in Edale? There’s The Old Nag’s Head at the start of the Pennine Way and The Rambler Inn nearer the railway station. There are also the National Trust’s Penny Pot Cafe. cafe near the station for those who prefer their strong drink in the form of a well brewed cuppa or Coopers Cafe in the village.

Maps for Edale: We recommend the ORDNANCE SURVEY Explorer OL1 The Peak District – Dark Peak area With Digital Version,  and the the Dark Peak BMC (British Mountain Map) from Harveys which is a particular favourite of ours.

Recommended Guidebook:  Cicerone – Dark Peak Walks: 40 Walks Exploring the Peak District Gritstone and Moorland Landscapes

Weather Forecast : Met Office Peak District Weather for Edale

Edale Low Level Circular Walk

Height Gained – 130 metres ,  Distance – 5.5 km, Time –2 hours

Starting off with an easy walk from the Edale railway station, ideal if you want a quick walk when you arrive. This walk takes the Pennine Way out to Upper Booth before returning to Edale via Barber Booth. This is the shortest walk we’re suggesting – they get a little tougher later on.

Walk up Kinder Scout from Edale

Height Gained – 620 metres ,  Distance – 18 km, Time –6 hours 

This walk to the highest point in the Peak District is a must do. While this is but one route up via Grindslow Knoll, we suggest a handful of other routes up Kinder Scout further on. This walk includes Kinder Low, Kinder Downfall and a return directly over the Kinder Plateau to cross what we strongly believed to have been the summit! Thankfully the GPS log on the route proves we were right!

Mam Tor and Rushup Edge Walk from Edale

Height Gained – 380 metres ,  Distance – 9.7 km, Time –3 hours

The Great Ridge dominates the views south from Edale and the walk along it’s crest a classic Peak District walk. This is a shorter walk, including only Rushup Edge and the iconic Mam Tor rather than continuing on to Lose Hill. You could easily add Lose Hill onto the walk, and either walk back to Mam Tor to descend by the route described, or down to Backtor Bridge and a short road walk back to the start.

Nether Tor and the Edges of the Kinder Plateau from Edale

Height Gained – 540 metres ,  Distance – 11.6 km, Time –4 hours

While we’ve already included one walk up Kinder Scout, there are numerous routes to the plateau. This route ascends via Nether Tor and descends to Edale via Crowden Clough.

Kinder Scout via Jacob’s Ladder

Height Gained – 540 metres ,  Distance – 11.6 km, Time –4 hours

The route up to the Kinder Plateau via the Pennine Way is one of the more popular options. It sets off languidly along the valley before ascending Jacob’s Ladder to Edale Head. The route then continues along the Edges and descends Grindsbrook Clough, another alternative route to the plateau.

An Edale Round

Height Gained – 710 metres ,  Distance – 20km, Time – 6 hours

What better than a circuit of the Edale Skyline. This route ascends to Mam Tor via the route mentioned above before crossing Rushup Edge and crossing Brown Knoll en route to Edale Head. You could descend via the Pennine Way to Edale or continue along the edges until you finally have to descend! The suggested route descends Golden Clough and the Nab, as described in the Kinder Scout from Edale walk above.

Download file for GPS

The Kinder Edges

Height Gained – 943 metres ,  Distance – 26km, Time –8 hours

The ultimate circuit of Kinder Scout is to choose an ascent and walk all around the plateau’s edges. It’s a committing route, with the direct route directly across the plateau not overly practical if you do need a quick return. This route is by Hillexplorer – AKA Mark Barrett who’s a Mud and Routes Local Expert.

The Pennine Way

Distance – 429 km, Time –3 weeks

Of course, the ultimate walk from Edale has to be the Pennine Way! This is the only non-circular walk on this list, though that’s understandable as you’ll be glad to rest your boots at Kirk Yetholm. The Pennine Way was officially opened in 1965, but had originally been proposed way back in 1935 by Tom Stephenson in a newspaper article and subsequently by lobbying parliament. Reputed years ago to attract 12,000 long distance walkers and 250,000 day walkers, surely an underestimate by now. We’ll be publishing our own full guide to the Pennine Way in the spring.

Local Information and Recommended Maps and Guidebooks

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Dave Roberts

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