Up the ladder - Jacob's Ladder

We arrived in Edale and all met up for a game of Hide n' Peak, the peaks were doing the hiding today, but with a slightly brighter sky we set off across the fields below Kinder feeling like it would not be bright and sunny, but an interesting wander nonetheless. The path was easy to follow (it was the Pennine Way after all) and soon passed Upper Booth and were heading into the hills.

Our next leg was up Jacobs Ladder which i had been told was 'quite steep' and i have to say it is, not in the same league as Rossett Gill, but steep enough. It was an enjoyable climb with what views that were there, rapidly being smothered in cloud. This was the start of the flat bit.

After a quick check of bearings we were romping across a bizarre moonscape of rock, sand and puddles (not very lunar) with odd rock towers looming from the mist. We soon encountered something we were to become VERY familiar with - PEAT. Luckily it wan't too wet underfoot and lost no boots (or souls) to the sucking nastiness.

A view!

The path led smoothly on to the biggest feature of the day, Kinder Downfall. We had decent views down toward Kinder Reservoir from here and stood and watched the waterfall try it's best to defy gravity! Not a lot of water coming down today, but it was still a striking place, home to a sheep that wanted feeding and struck poses for everyone with a camera!

The cloud still showed no sign of lifting and was a wee bit drizzly, but no problem as we were wandering our way along the bed of the river Kinder, it felt like a walk through sand dunes with mammoth peat groughs rather than sand hills, again a very un mountainlike feel to things and about get stranger....

We passed the Kinder Gates (pillars of Hercules spring to mind) and following Johns g.p.s. we whole heartedly entered a realm of chocolate fudge. I'm glad John knew what he was doing because it is such a bleak area with deep furrows in the peat, (many well over head height) everywhere we turned. Linear walking was impossible due to lack of crossing places and we weaved our way across otherwise featureless land, only to meet another party looming from the shadows. Our g.p.s. wizard met with their g.p.s. wizard and after some strange mutterings and incantations we had acquired a bearing and two more sheep for our flock!! Sarah and Tony i believe??

We squelched, slid, swore (well i did anyway) and scrambled our way across more peat, across shallow lakes of peat, though more peat, though lakes of peat (did i mention there was some Peat??). Before miraculously emerging on the path along the southern edge of the plateau, some might call it luck, i'll say we were 'well navigated'!! Bizarrely and i think nobody else noticed it, we rejoined the path by a large rock shaped like an.. errr.. male appendage! (Photo available to the over 18's!)

Nobody said anything, but i'm sure there were one or two sighs of relief at leaving the chocolate plateau behind.
Sarah and Tony(??) took their leave with many a god bless you from Sarah and a lovely plug for the OFC from Angela!!! Hopefully they made it to safety.

Crocodile shaped rock

Eventually the path levelled and we made our way along nice soft pasture back to Edale, where we indulged in a swift jar in the Nags Head the official start point of the Pennine way and the finish point for our Kinder wander.

Dinner followed, but i'll leave it to a certain lady to let everybody know about pubs in Castleton (and their rooms).

An enjoyable day despite the conditions, a real experience and i have to give many thanks to Angela and Neil for setting it up and to John for his g.p.s. wizardry (tomfoolery??) also to Sue, John and Richard for being great company.