15k Run High Peak: Scenic Challenge to Kinder Downfall

Route Overview & Local Insights

This 15.4km circuit through the High Peak offers a quintessential gritstone running experience, demanding both stamina and technical focus. Starting from Hayfield, you’ll face a rigorous climb up the Snake Path before tackling the notorious "slog" of William Clough—a steep ascent that tests the strongest of legs. The reward is a spectacular, undulating stretch along the edge of the Kinder Plateau, where you'll navigate rocky obstacles and pass the iconic Kinder Downfall waterfall. With nearly 500m of elevation gain and sections reaching over 500m above sea level, runners should expect exposed terrain, fast-changing weather, and a technical descent from Edale Cross on a mix of stony and grassy paths that require nimble footwork.

Kinder Scout is steeped in outdoor history, most famously known as the site of the 1932 Mass Trespass, a pivotal act of civil disobedience that eventually led to the creation of the UK's National Parks and the right to roam. As you run past Kinder Downfall—the tallest waterfall in the Peak District—you are traversing the highest point in the East Midlands. On a windy day, keep an eye out for the unique phenomenon where the wind blows the waterfall's spray back up over the plateau. Finishing back in the valley along the river toward Hayfield, you’re following in the footsteps of generations of fell runners who have called these rugged moorlands their training ground.