Kinder Scout Wild Camp 29/3/14

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and despite a lovely break abroad, I was eager to get out camping again.
After crawling through Ashbourne at a snails pace, the rest of the journey was traffic free and I arrived at Edale at about half past 12.
I struggled on up Golden Clough and felt every extra gram in my pack (new tripod and some water).
I made a quick stop beside Ringing Roger to collect some water, as the incline and warm early afternoon sun warranted frequent intakes.

Reaching the top of Ringing Roger I headed North East towards the trig point near Blackden Edge, but due to some dodgy navigating I travelled too far East and by chance came across an old aircraft crash site, I paid some quick respects and continued through the tricky bogs to the trig point.

I had a fair distance to cover so I decided to stick to the edge path as it was far more welcoming than the bogs, as well as offering some amazing views over Blackden Moor.

I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet this side of Kinder was (especially with such nice weather) I only encountered a couple of people, despite walking for a good few hours.

As usual, Kinder was dotted by some weird and wonderful weather carved rocks, not to mention some amazing vivid green moss.

As I was very close to my destination I spent a bit of time at the waterfalls near Fairbrook Naze, trying out various camera/tripod settings.

After a quick scramble out of the steep banks of the waterfalls I managed to find a pleasant little area in the peat groughs that was sheltered from the potent Easterly gusts.

After a coffee and some food I had a peek outside, disappointed to find mist had crept in, I decided to listen to a bit of music and hope the mist would clear for when it got dark, I was hoping I hadn't lugged my tripod up those inclines for nothing!  

An hour or so later I popped my head out to find the mist had cleared! I grabbed my gear and off out I went.

It was a slow process, waiting 30 or so seconds while constantly re-adjusting settings and framing between shots, it was bloody cold out there too and after about 45 minutes I headed back to the tent to change the camera battery.

I ventured out again soon after but cloud had put a stop to any further opportunities, I was more than happy with the shots I'd already taken so I decided to call it a night.

After a really peaceful nights sleep, I had coffee and breakfast and broke camp, the sun was pleasantly warm and I was in my element!

Just after Blackden Brook I headed South, directly over the top of Kinder, the peat groughs made for an  interesting little diversion and thankfully my navigating was spot on, I appeared at Nether Tor in good time.

Once nearing Ringing Roger once again, the crowds had started to appear, huffing and puffing their way up the steep paths!

I was almost skipping on the descent back down towards Edale, partly due to the success of my trip and also because I'd done all my struggling yesterday, once back at the car I had hot chocolate and a piece of cake at Coopers cafe :)