Mount Famine with Achla

Achla is one of my work colleagues, and we both get the same day off during the week. This Tuesday we decided to go out together to climb Mount Famine (473m). Unfortunately, we picked a rather wet day. We had planned a slightly longer walk than we actually managed, as we decided to head back to the pub after the first summit. By then we were more than a little damp!

I've been unable to find out why Mount Famine is so called. Doing a google search for it, just produces several links related to the fell races starting from Hayfield, which is where our walk also started. Despite the rotten weather, we did, in fact, see a fell runner on the top. He looked significantly wetter than we were!

We parked and started our walk from the visitor centre, and walked through the village of Hayfield to find a path leading alongside the river. We picked up signs for the Penine Bridle Way, which we followed for a while before turning right up a short hill and over a stile (always fun with Monty) to gain a ridge. On a fine day this would have afforded great views across the valley, but we had to be satisfied with a misty view across to the hills beyond. We descended from the ridge to cross the bridleway, and then ascended Mount Famine itself. There was a path on the ground, although nothing on the OS map. We walked amongst the sheep (keeping Monty on a short lead), and had a final steep climb up to the summit.

The walk books and websites say that the view from Mount Famine is one of the best you get of Kinder Low, which is the highest point on Kinder Scout. You can, apparently, also sometimes see the spray from Kinder Downfall, which is a large waterfall coming down from the plateau. I've only ever seen it from the top, never from the valley below. This whole area was the centre of a significant event in 1932. On Sunday 24th April that year, about 400 ramblers set off from Bowden Bridge Quarry to climb up onto Kinder Scout. They were trying to assert their 'right to roam', and this mass trespass had wide reaching repercussions, leading ultimately to changes in the law, and the widespread freedom we now have to ramble and roam around the countryside. Those of us who like to walk and ramble have a lot to thank these 400 trespassers!

Once we had taken our photos at the top, we decided that we would be better placed in a pub, rather than out on the wet hills. We retraced our steps to the bridleway, and then walked back along it to the village. A pleasant lunch was had in one of the hotels, washed down with a 1/2 pint of Cumberland Ale.

Although the weather was grim, it was, as ever, great to be out. We managed to avoid talking continually about work, and both felt better for our exertions. Thanks, Achla, for joining me for hill number 25! Only 15 to go!!