Day 45: Pennine Way - Edale to Torside

Day 1 of the Pennine Way, and it was a tough one. Reaching the highest point in the Peak District, this was one of the hardest days of the walk so far. 

• Date: 4 May 2024
• Start: Edale
• End: Torside
• Miles: 17.6
• Total miles: 569.6
• Accommodation: Crossgate Farm

After having a full fry up at the YHA, we took one of the cars to the end point in Torside so that my friends could get back to Edale at the end of the day. 

Returning to Edale, the car park in the village was already full by half 9, so we had to start from the YHA, adding another 1.5 miles to the walk. After 30 minutes, we started the Pennine Way in the centre of Edale, where I left off yesterday.  

We reached the start the of the huge climb of the day, Jacob’s Ladder, which took us up into the clouds at the top of Kinder Scout. We had a celebratory cake at the top for a job well done. 

We then walked along a ridge for a good couple of hours, firstly in the cloud, which then cleared up to reveal some great views. It was rather chilly though, with wind blasting us from the side. 

There was a bit of a commotion as we headed across the ridge, as someone had lost their dog. This is a vast open moorland, so finding the dog would be quite the task. After about half an hour of walking, we saw the dog at the bottom of the ridge, and dog and owner were reunited. Our good deed for the day!

We headed away from the ridge and out into the moorland, reaching another peak which was just a pile of rocks. It was hard finding your way here, just out in the open with very little markers. Tom and Sophie bought us a treat of a beer each, which we enjoyed here before making our descent. 

We headed back to the car at the reservoir in Torside, where I’ll return to tomorrow to continue along the Pennine Way. For now, we headed for some much needed food at the pub. 

At the pub, they have a hole in the wall which people can be challenged to climb through and win a few drinks. There was absolutely no chance I was even going to attempt that. 

I was then dropped off at my campsite, and my friends headed home. The campsite wasn’t exactly as expected. It had more of a party vibe, with a bar in a barn. Not really what I wanted when all I wanted to do was sleep. The owners did give me a free beer though because of my challenge. 

I then went straight to bed and didn’t even have the energy to write this blog until the morning!