This 11.6km circular walk in the Peak District ascends Crowden Clough via a Grade 1 scramble high onto Edale Moor and the Kinder Scout Plateau. The route then traverses the moor with sweeping views down into the valley below and descends back into the village of Edale. Get the full guide below as well as downloadable walking routes from Ordnance Survey and Komoot.
😮Difficulty: moderate – some grade 1 scrambling involved and good route finding needed
⛰️Terrain: a mix of good paths, rocky tracks and grade 1 scrambling
↔️Distance: 11.6km/7miles
⌛Time taken: 4-5 hours without rest stops
📈Ascent: 547m
Start point: Edale car park
🗺️Click here for the OS downloadable route.
🗺️Map needed is OS Explorer Map OL 01
🗺️Click here for the Komoot downloadable route
Car parking for Crowden Clough
There are two car parks in Edale; the main village car park and an additional one at the train station. Edale is a very popular place for walking so during peak times it’s best to arrive as early as possible.
Edale Car Park cost
The main car park in Edale has space for 138 cars and is a coin only machine. You can also pay via the PayByPhone app. The location number for the app is 806749. I recommend paying before you arrive as internet signal on some phone networks is weak here.
Parking here costs £6 for over 4 hours (correct as of March 2025).
Edale Train Station parking cost
There are limited spaces here for 20 cars and is pay and display. It costs £6.80 for over 4 hours and payment is by card or cash (correct as of March 2025).
Crowden Clough Walk route
The walk starts in Edale from the main car park and heads under the railway bridge and along the road through the village. After passing the Rambler Inn pub, the church and then the primary school, the route cuts left signposted for The Pennine Way. Soon, you head through a gate and along the paved path through the countryside.
The route follows the Pennine Way until it reaches Upper Booth and the farm. Passing through the farm, the path joins the road where you cross a bridge over the river and then immediately turn right, through the small gate and follow the path through the woods with the river below you on your right hand side. Eventually, the view opens up and you pass through a wooden gate on the right to cross a bridge over Crowden Brook.
After crossing the bridge, the path follow the river upstream and passes lots of small waterfalls and a few places for a wild swim dip. The path here is easy to follow but gets muddy in wet weather and is quite uneven and rocky.
Crowden Clough scramble
In front of you, you’ll be able to see the path of the brook and Crowden Tower on the moorland above. As the path veers off uphill to the left (this is the bypass path if you want to avoid the scramble completely) keep right and follow the rocky bed of the river. There is a path to the right of the rocky brook for most of the way with a few rocky sections and large boulders to cross. Towards the top of the scramble, you’ll reach the waterfall which is the main scramble section. Stick to the left here where there are large hand and foot holds but be mindful that the drop here is still large and the rocks can be slippy.
After the waterfall, you’ll have a few more minutes of walking to reach the top and find yourself on Edale Moor. There are plenty of walking routes to choose from here, but this route heads along to the right, towards Grindsbrook Clough and the rock formations on Upper Tor. This is a great place for a lunch with views down into Edale below.
The route then continues along the well maintained path before cutting down the path towards Ringing Roger, the rocky outcrop that sticks out from the moor. There are a couple of options here; either stick to the high path to go to the top of Ringing Roger and then follow the path down off the top or follow the path below Ringing Roger.
The path here is easy to follow and only goes in one direction; towards The Nab, another rocky outcrop, which looks over Edale below. From here, follow the path down towards the trees, through the gate and into the open field, back down to Edale.
How hard is Crowden Clough?
Crowden Clough is classed as a grade 1 scramble. Grade 1 is the simplest level of scrambling where there are no technical requirements or equipment needed. The difficulty in a grade 1 can vary hugely in exposure, difficulty, steepness and length.
Crowden Clough is a straightforward scramble route that follows a stream uphill but still comes with risks, as with all routes.
The majority of the route is on an uneven path alongside the stream until the last ten minutes. The final section involves scrambling over large rocks and boulders, some of which are slippy and can become loose underfoot. The waterfall at the top end is the crux of the scramble and the most difficult section.
The scramble follows to the left of the waterfall on large rocks with plenty of hand and foot holds. The exposure is minimal but there is still risk of severe injury in case of a fall. Some of the steps up are high and you will need to use your hands for balance and to pull yourself up on this section.
This is a great introduction to scrambling on grade 1 terrain but if scrambling is new to you, I would always recommend going with someone who is confident and knows the route.
If you don’t want to do the scramble section, there is a bypass path that avoids the scramble completely and takes you to the same point on Edale Moor.
Crowden Clough route on the Ordnance Survey App
