Saturday 28th September 2012 – Edale to Ravens Clough

Distance: 24km Ascent: 875m Time taken: 8 hours including breaks

After an early start Andrew and I arrived at Edale station at 8:30 to be met by Carl.  Carl had made an incredible early start from Suffolk that morning!  We waited for Coopers Café to open so Carl could get some breakfast and me and Andrew could get some tea. 

Ready for the off

It was around 9:30 when we set off following the Pennine Way towards Jacob’s ladder.  As we walked towards the bottom of Jacob’s ladder the wind was much stronger than predicted and I had my first initial doubts about whether our proposed camp would be sensible.  

Light breaking through the cloud

It was great catching up with Andrew and Carl who are both fantastic company! As a result the miles seemed to pass quickly. 

Andrew and Carl on the way up Kinder Scout

Up on Kinder’s western edge the wind seemed even stronger – the Downfall was again blowing upwards...

We stopped for lunch along the Western edge sheltering in a ‘ditch’ behind some rocks.  After a short break we continued alon the Western edge to Mill Hill.  From here we could get excellent views of Kinder’s northern edge where I had walked with JJ and Alan earlier this year

Northern edges of Kinder

I always remember the section from Mill Hill to the Snake Pass as a short walk – unfortunately it isn’t as short as I remember and after a while the slabbed pavement tends to irritate my feet!  Eventually we made the Snake pass road and were able to begin walking towards Bleaklow.  We sat at Bleaklow  to replan our route - deciding to drop down into Ravens Clough to camp lower and then re plan Sunday's walk that evening.

Carl and Andrew

We set off towards Alport Head.  On the way we past a helicopter bring supplies to repair the peat.  Carl's has a great photo of the helicopter here .  The flying was quite impressive given the heavy load of materials it was dropping in strong winds!  

Andrew on the way to Ravens Clough

Eventually we started descending into the Clough.  The going was reasonable challenging with bracken and long grass whilst descending steeply.  As it after 5 we decided to start looking for a place to camp; Eventually finding a flattish if tussocky piece of land large enough to fit 3 tents.  The area was very reminiscent of the Waters of Unich. Despite being on lower ground there was still quite a strong breeze blowing.  I was a little surprised by just how taut Carl’s trailstar was – no matter how I pitch my Laser Comp it always rustles in breezes – annoying as it often keeps me awake!  After cooking outside Carl's trailstar - we all drank some whisky. and chatted late into the night! It was a great night with fantastic company.

Our wild camping spot