Classic rock climbs on Kinder ScoutBy gstain / August 21, 2023 Zig-Zag Climb, a classic V Diff near Kinder Downfall, first climbed by the legendary J.W.Puttrell in 1900. Photo: Gordon Stainforth, 1996. Upper Tor Wall (HS), Upper Tor, Kinder Scout, a classic first climbed by Arthur Birtwistle in 1936. Wonderful rock, and a bit undergraded. Here Mike Pearce is climbing the route for my book ‘The Peak: Past & Present’. Photo: Gordon, 1996. The excellent Jester Cracks (VS) on Ashop Edge on the wild and remote northern rim of Kinder Scout. Here my old friend Steve Dean is tackling the crux in 1996 for my book ‘The Peak: Past & Present’ A rare image of Gordon climbing. Here on very thin and virtually unprotectable Herford’s Route (HVS) on the Pagoda on Kinder Scout in the summer of 1996. Very advanced for its date (1910), for a long time it was graded VS, a real ‘sandbag’. Really not much easier than Birtwistle’s Diagonal Route. The wonderful ‘Legacy’ (HVS) on Ashop Edge on the north rim of Kinder Scout. This ascending hand traverse is really about as good as they get at the standard, and the finish up a steep rib in the evening sun is wonderful. This is about the last rock climb I can remember leading well (in the summer of 1999), and really enjoying, shortly before shoulder and eye problems set in. I was seconded by Freda, whom I’d met just a few weeks before. Photo: Copyright Tim W., Aug 2005 (from UKClimbing.com) Just to let you know, if you haven’t realised already, just what a Kinder Scout enthusiast I am. Here is a test map (tipped on its side) of part of a 12-day, 145-mile walking route I did around the entire Peak District, starting and finishing at Derby Cathedral, in the year 2000, called ‘The Peak Grand Tour’ in preparation for a book of the same name. Unfortunately the project was clobbered by the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
