Kinder Scout boasts the highest point in the Peak District National Park, at 636 metres (2,087 feet). There are multiple routes of ascent and plenty of breath-taking scenery to enjoy as you climb. The area around Kinder Scout offers a combination of moorland, rocky formations, streams and waterfalls. You can view the breathtaking Kinder Downfall waterfall.
Kinder Scout is definitely a dog friendly hike! My adventurous Springador had a fantastic time on this 14 Kilometre circular route, which I’ll provide the details of. If you’ve never taken your dog hiking before, check out this blog post: 10 Tips for Hiking With Dogs.
When taking a dog hiking, it is best to avoid steep vertical routes that involve scrambling. This circular route still had steep and physically challenging elements during the main ascent, but you don’t need to use your hands and will be perfectly safe holding a dog lead.
In this blog post I’ll talk you through the ideal route to climb Kinder Scout with your dog, and advise on the suitability for dogs. Hopefully the details will help you decide if this walk is suitable for your dog.
What is the best route to climb Kinder Scout with my dog?
Here is a view of the Kinder Scout circular route I recently completed with my dog. I love a circular route where you don’t have to see the same view twice!
The best way to stay on route during this hike is to download the All Trails app on your phone. If you’ve never used All Trails, it uses GPS on your mobile to guide you along the route and makes it easy to see whether you are on track or have veered off course. Here is a link to the route discussed in this blog post, so you can follow it too: Kinder Scout and Kinder Downfall Circular.
Starting Point
The route started and finished at Bowden Bridge car park. This car park has a coins only parking machine, or you can pay using the ParkMe app. Unfortunately it does not accept card payments, and I could not get a good enough telephone signal to download the app – so make sure you have a few pound coins!
Here is the car park address:
Bowden Bridge Car Park
Kinder Road
Hayfield
High Peak,
SK22 2LH
On What3words, you can use manager.shallower.early to locate the car park.
The car park has around 50 spaces, however there were plenty of cars parked along the road as well. Therefore street parking is a viable option if you don’t want to pay or can’t pay.
Across the bridge from the car park there were mens and womens toilet facilities – a must have before starting a big hike! The toilet block is quite an inconspicuous building which appears to be at the entrance to a campsite.
The route starts in a woodland area, where you will be walking along roads with no footpaths, although we hardly encountered many cars. After a short ascent the route takes you along the outskirts of the Kinder Reservoir, which is a picturesque and flat part of your journey. Once you’ve passed the reservoir, you’ll head through Snake Pass before starting your main ascent.
How long is this circular Kinder Scout route?
It took us roughly 1.5 hours from starting at the car park, to reaching the top of the high peak. Here we stopped for lunch while enjoying the amazing views. Kinder Scout has quite a vast peak, so we walked along the top for about 30 minutes before reaching the trig point.
After this it took just under 2 hours to complete the descent. The total time to complete this hike was 4 hours 15 minutes. There is a pub a 5 minute walk from the car park, so you can relax with a pint in the beer garden at the end of your hike! The pub is called The Sportsman Inn.
Here are some details related to bringing your dog along!
Can my dog be off the lead?
There is livestock grazing throughout this walk. It’s very important to keep your dog on a lead when livestock is around for the safety of the livestock. In the UK farmers have the right to cause harm to your dog if they need to protect their livestock. Unfortunately during this hike we did witness a dog chase a sheep and its lamb through a field, with the owner unable to get it under control.
There were a few sections during the walk where your dog could be off lead, mainly during the ascent. From the car park, until we had nearly completed the main ascent, we didn’t see much livestock. I kept my dog on an extendable lead just to be safe, as she would chase animals if she saw them. We did see other well behaved dogs off lead during this section though. However once we were near the peak and throughout most of the descent there was a lot more grazing livestock.
Even if you can’t see any sheep, a good way to tell is to look out for sheep excrement. If you can see this where you are walking, it’s a good indicator there are sheep somewhere in the vicinity.
Is my dog capable of this walk?
A fit and healthy dog can easily complete this walk. To know whether your dog can complete this walk, you will need to consider their age and fitness level. As mentioned this hike is over 4 hours long, can your dog be active for that length of time? Does your dog have healthy joints to complete an ascent, climbing up large obstacles?
There are quite a few stiles on this walk. Particularly on the descent as you will pass through lots of fields. Is your dog capable of climbing over a stile? Are you strong enough to lift your dog over a stile if you need to? This is important to consider as well.
How busy is this walk?
I last completed this Kinder Scout route on a sunny Saturday in June. There was still available parking in the car park and on the road upon arrival around 10:30am. There wasn’t many other people completing the same walk at a similar time to us, meaning we largely felt on our own and undisturbed. During the ascent where the path is narrower and the walk is hardest, things were a bit slower. This meant we overtook some groups, and others overtook us. Other than this section, the walk was not busy.
There were other dogs on the walk, as this is such a great route for dogs. Hopefully your dog does not mind other dogs, but if they don’t just let the people around you know. A woman let me know her Border Collie was nervous the first time she overtook me, then as we saw each other throughout the day I knew to give them some space and keep my dog on a lead near them.
What should I wear for this walk?
Good walking boots are essential for this walk. You will cover a mixture of terrain, some rocky, some grassy, some muddy. It would be advisable to wear some waterproof walking boots with good ankle support. There are various streams which can cause the ground around them to get a bit boggy, so make sure you have plenty of traction.
It would be wise to take a waterproof coat as well. The weather can be more unpredictable as your elevation gets higher, making it a good idea to be prepared. It can also be very windy at the top, so extra layers will come in handy.
What else should I pack?
- Plenty of water is absolutely essential! This four hour walk is a hard workout, so it is vital to stay hydrated. Take at least 1.5 litres per person. Don’t forget water for your dog too.
- Snacks, for you and your dog. Remember, it’s important to fuel your body for a big walk like this. Make sure to take regular breaks to have food. Don’t wait until you feel weak and weary before fuelling your body – fuel up before, to avoid this happening! Protein bars are a fantastic idea to keep you fuelled while hiking. Depending on the time of day, you might want to take a packed lunch too.
- Poo bags. Don’t leave any dog waste behind, it can be a hazard for livestock grazing there. Clean up after your dog to avoid other hikers accidentally stepping in it too.
I hope this blog post is helpful for you to decide whether to take your dog on this Kinder Scout route. Happy Hiking!
