Things to see and do at Kinder, Edale and the High Peak

Top things to see

Among the heather-clad moors and gritstone tors of Kinder, Edale and the High Peak, there are lots of natural features to look out for in the changing landscapes.

Top places to see include the famous Snake Pass gliding between the peaks, and Alport Castles, an eroded rock face created by landslide in the Alport Valley.

Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peak District, where you’ll find countryside views, remote moorland, gritstone rock formations and Kinder Downfall, a waterfall that often freezes in winter. Follow in the footsteps of the mass trespass of 1935 at Kinder Scout, where hundreds of protestors paved the way to allow more access to open countryside.

Please note that parking in the Peak District is limited, and we encourage all visitors to travel by public transport where possible.

Things to do

Throughout the year we hold guided walks and a range of other activities to help you explore the area. You can find out about our upcoming events here.

Kinder National Nature Reserve

Kinder Scout is a National Nature Reserve, making it an important habitat for wildlife and biodiversity. Kinder has been used by the National Trust, the Peak District National Park Authority and the Moors for the Future Partnership as a demonstration site for moorland restoration techniques for many years.

Many of today’s widely used techniques for gully blocking and bare peat restoration were developed on Kinder Scout and surrounding National Trust owned moorland.

National Nature Reserves are open to the public, and we welcome our visitors to enjoy them freely whilst looking after this special place that you love to escape to.

Autumn walks in the High Peak

Autumn is a great time to explore the Peak District on foot. The landscape is changing colour with the seasons, creating the perfect backdrop as you walk through the many miles of paths over moors and through woodlands. The heather loses its purple flower but often the views from the edge of the moors give you the best chance to see a patchwork of autumn hues across the valley. The autumn colours in woodlands of the High Peak are also stunning at this time of year. There is a wide choice of footpaths to choose from for walks of various lengths and difficulties.

Don’t forget to plan your walk before you leave home and be prepared for all weathers. It can get very brisk and windy in the peaks!

Look out for our range of guided walks to help you explore the area with a knowledgeable walk leader. Find out about upcoming events here.

Wildlife to look out for in Autumn

Ground nesting birds will be heading back to their wintering grounds at this time of year after spending the spring and summer here breeding and raising their young. Later in the autumn, depending on weather conditions in Scandinavian countries, migratory birds such as redwing, fieldfares and bramblings will arrive to spend winter here. They will spend time eating berries from the trees

Across the Peak District in autumn, if you look carefully, you might see some of the hundreds of species of grassland and woodland fungi. If you’re out and about finding fungi please just take photographs of them and don’t pick them. Identifying them correctly is a specialist skill often involving microscopic analysis of fungi gills and spores to tell some species apart. At this time of year our ranger teams will be carrying out fungi survey work.

Did you know that some fungi only produce fruiting bodies (the bit we see above ground) once every ten years or even more? This makes putting a species list together a long process!