Jaggers Clough to Kinder Scout | 8 Miles | The Wandering Wildflower

Looking for a fun way to climb Kinder Scout away from the crowds? This route took us via Jaggers Clough, a lesser known scramble, onto the Kinder Scout plateau and then follows the edge paths around Nether Tor and Upper Tor before descending via Grinds Brook. This 8 mile walk is ideal for those who love a scramble!

A view back down Jaggers Clough to some of the Peak District hills — My lunch view! Not too bad!

Jaggers Clough has a real feeling of seclusion about it. Far from the crowds ascending Kinder Scout by Jacob’s Ladder, this route feels more isolated and peaceful. There are stunning views back down the Clough and over to Derwent Edge as you climb.

We parked in a small parking area near Nether Booth Farm and walked along the Edale Road for 0.3 miles before picking up the footpath near Clough Farm. The path starts to climb gently and we passed a National Trust sign for Nether Moor. The well made track runs to Jaggers Clough, and here we turned left to follow the clough upstream.

A view of Kinder Scout from the track near Jaggers Clough — The track to the start of the Jaggers Clough scramble

Showing where to cross the river — Crossing the stream and then starting to pick our way through the bracken

There is no proper path and our route took us on either side of the clough, with frequent crossings. It was a bit wet for us to walk in the stream bed but this might be an option for a dry day. The ferns and bracken were really high which made finding a safe trod even trickier! The route climbs gently for around 0.75 miles and then we came across the rockier scramble section. It’s only short, compared to Grinds Brook, but still fun.

Looking up at Kinder Scout from Jaggers Clough — Jaggers Clough. You can just see the rocky scramble section

At the summit there’s an edge path that runs around the plateau but we continued along the course of the clough to pick up the inner edge path. We followed this west to Ringing Roger, and then onwards to Nether Tor and Upper Tor before reaching Grinds Brook.

Just after the sandy section at the top of Grinds Brook we picked our way carefully down the fallen rocks and boulders, passing the hoards of people scrambling up. The rocks give way to a pleasant track which winds through the valley and has great views over to Mam Tor and The Great Ridge.

An old wooden bridge over Golden Clough — A view up to Ringing Roger from the bridge at Golden Clough

The route heads past The Old Nags Head in Edale, and crosses the front of the building. We passed a beautiful old cottage with green painted windows before heading over what looks like an old packhorse bridge and then followed a footpath to Ollerbrook Booth.

Passing through here, we followed a footpath across the fields, punctuated by lots of gates! We were soon back at the car parking area at Nether Brook.

This was a great walk, and another new way up onto Kinder Scout for us. If you don’t like hiking with the crowds, and are happy for a bit of a hands on scramble, this is ideal.