Peak District
A map showing the area of the Peak District.
The Peak District forms the southern end of the Pennines and much of the area is uplands above 1,000 feet (300 m), with a high point on Kinder Scout of 2,087 feet (636 m).
Despite its name, the landscape generally lacks sharp peaks, being characterised by rounded hills and grit stone escarpments (the "edges"). The area is surrounded by major conurbations, including
Huddersfield, Manchester, Sheffield, Derby and Stoke-on-Trent.
The National Park covers 555 square miles (1,440 km2) of Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and South and West Yorkshire, including the majority of the area commonly referred to as the Peak. Its northern limits lie along the A62 road between Marsden and Meltham, north east of Oldham, while its southernmost point is on the A52 road on the outskirts of Ashbourne in Derbyshire. The Park boundaries were drawn to exclude large built-up areas and industrial sites from the park; in particular, the town of Buxton and the adjacent quarries are located at the end of the Peak Dale corridor, surrounded on three sides by the Park.
The town of Bakewell and numerous villages are, however, included within the boundaries, as is much of the (non-industrial) west of Sheffield.
As of 2010, it is the fifth largest National Park in England and Wales. In the UK, the designation "National Park" means that there are planning restrictions to protect the area from inappropriate development and a Park Authority to look after it, but does not imply that the land is owned by the government, or that it is uninhabited.
12% of the Peak District National Park is owned by the National Trust, a charity which aims to conserve historic and natural landscapes. It does not receive government funding. The three Trust estates (High Peak, South Peak and Longshaw) include the ecologically or geologically significant areas of Bleaklow, Derwent Edge, Hope Woodlands, Kinder Scout, Leek and Manifold, Mam Tor, Dovedale, Milldale and Winnats Pass. The Peak District National Park Authority directly owns around 5%, and other major landowners include several water companies.
Looking from Kinder Downfall towards Kinder Reservoir
Below is the text which is at the bottom of the Jacobs Ladder plaque opposite
The renovation of this footpath and bridleway together with the adjoining woodland conservation work was carried out with the help from the manpower services commission community programme as part of the European year of the environment 1987
Over the years I have been to the Peak District more than I can remember, maybe not for walking but holidays and days out.
In 2009, while looking for a walking group, I noticed that the web site for the magazine Trail (Live for the outdoors) had a section in the forum dedicated to people meeting up for walks all over the country. I found one that was to do Kinder Scout, so the arrangements were made (where and what time to meet up). Walk details.
Kinder Scout can be ascended via a number of routes, either from Edale village, going up Grindsbrook, or via Jacobs Ladder up onto Kinder Low, or from Hayfield up William Clough onto the north-west corner of the plateau.
Kinder Scout is a high grit stone plateau, which is at the most part 600 metres above sea level, but at Crowden Head, this increases to 631 metres above sea level, which also makes it the highest point in the Peak District.
Due to erosion, the peat layer is suffering, due to overgrazing by sheep and also because of the many walkers that are drawn to this area. At Kinder Low trig point, the peat has eroded in a radius of around 150 metres.
The Holy & Undivded Trinty Church Edale