Several departures plus one calling in with a cold meant that 15 joined today's walk. After a sunny start, the group split after Upper Booth, with 6 going up Crowden Clough for a scrambling ascent to the edge of Kinder by Crowden Tower (not a scripted route but straight forward), while 9 walked on along the route. At the fork for the route to Kinder Downfall, 5 forked left to the fall and 4 followed the main route. There was a dark grey cloud passing through which produced 20 to 30 minutes of a light hail shower. The 4 never encountered the scramblers though, which I still don't understand as allegedly they - from Crowden Tower - reverse-walked the main route then went out and back to Kinder Downfall and then reverse-walked the main route back to Edale. But they are alive and well (I have spoken to 2 of them) so all is good. Of the 4, 3 took an early route down Golden Clough, while I (text-checking anyway) followed the script. We had lunch at The Rambler Inn as the Nag's Head was closed for a private function over lunch (a wake). I then walked on to check the rest of the route in glorious sunshine and bumped into several people just leaving when I got back to The Rambler at 17.40 or so. Seemingly everyone enjoyed the day and company. Most are now on the way back home. Safe travels! mostly sunny Strange and not so strange encounters: Jarvis Cocker carrying a tray of sandwiches from the back of The Nag's Head to a cottage next door (from that wake); Hashedic Jews, normally encountered in Stamford Hill or on Canvey Island, walking up the road in Edale and then another group up on the ridge between Hollins Cross and Mam Tor; About a dozen paragliders above Rushup Edge.

Addendum - special birds heard today: one cuckoo and some curlews

Hi guys anyone attending this walk as a day trip? One can get rather cheap tickets now with a senior rail card. Monica.

5 had left home yesterday, 2 left today during the day, 3 did their own thing, so we were down to 21 at the start. 4 soon went up Kinder Scout the direct route, one of the walk's descent routes, then followed the edge of Kinder around to the back and descended to Ladybower Reservoir, so did enough of the route to be counted (just). We had mixed weather: overcast with plenty sunny breaks for the first 3 hours, then an hour of wet (hail if you were still on the plateau, rain if already on the descent), then sunshine in the afternoon. The group clung together until after the turnoff for Kinder Downfall, then the faster ones did the full route before descending to Edale, others followed the shortcut over Grindslow Knoll. On the descent down Ringing Roger we finally saw whom we had been missing all weekend, the SWC Representative for Richmond & Kew. She had arrived the previous day. All I think made it to the Nags Head for lunch or drinks, most finished the walk there but 5 followed on up the Great Ridge and over Mam Tor. We had time enough for a final Peak District drink at The Ramblers before the 17.34 train. 22 mixed with an hour of wet stuff All in we had 35 different SWCers walking over the days, plus 1 recently injured one always around but not on any walk due to a plaster cast on one arm... And pretty good walking weather, if a little cold for the time of year.

Plenty of people left last night or this morning, but we had 3 walkers joining that had taken a rest yesterday plus 7 (!) new arrivals, so indeed had 27 on the walk again, in generally overcast-with-two-short-periods-of-rain type weather. 3 or 4 took an off-walk ascent route up the Crowden Clough, 13 added the extension to Kinder Downfall and the peat bog plateau crossing to the route, 1 went on to do the full Kinder Scout circuit. But only about a handful walked the afternoon loop back up to Mam Tor. The bog crossing, potentially very treacherous, was as easy as it is ever going to get: the Kinder River dry, the waterfall therefore w/o water, the gloopy boggy paths dry and bouncy, the tricky deceiving grassy bits just floating on deep water now being largely dry and w/o danger. So apart from following a compass bearing through pathless territory, there were no dangers today. No one shipped water, no one sank into mud. Almost a shame!

27 plus a dog, I should have said

Nuisance of the day: flying ants