Why does Kinder Scout appeal to Matt Oliver when his usual subject of photography is woodlands? He says that although they are very different environments, they carry a similar sensation. Find out more by tuning in.

In this interview Matt tells us about how he got into photography, the challenges of capturing the Kinder Scout landscape, the companionship his dog Ralph brings to his life, and why he revisits the Kinder plateau. I asked him for a few tips on how to take good landscape photos too. Find out why Matt thinks you can show more by capturing less. 

We recorded this interview below the rocky outcrop of Ringing Roger, sheltered as much as possible from the wind. Listen out for the curlew and grouse in the background.

Matt lives in Sheffield which gives him good access to the Peak District and combines his enjoyment for walking with his love of photography. He’s been a commercial photographer for over 28 years and whenever he can he visits the Derbyshire countryside to experience its beauty and finds it a great balance to his day to day work.

Matt has been runner up in the Professional Photographer magazine Portrait of the year awards, and received highly commended images in both the Pink Lady food photographer of the year and The Best Shots photographic awards. He has also had images commended and printed in the Landscape photographer of the Year awards books and shortlisted for Outdoor Photographer of the Year 2018 & 2019.

Links

Matt’s website: Derbyshire and Peak District landscape and woodland photography

‘Forgotten Souls’ book by Matt Oliver

Matt’s substack: Among Trees

Follow Matt on Instagram

Follow Matt on Bluesky

Matt’s commercial work: website

References

After the rains - Matt’s post about Kinder Scout

‘Forgotten Souls’ book by Matt Oliver

Recording date

This interview was recorded on Kinder Scout, 3rd May 2025.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Subscribe to the Wild About Kinder newsletter and send in your contributions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram and abouttheadventure.com on Bluesky, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

“It’s really important that I get outside, out of the fluorescent lights, out of my uniform, and chase my own dreams and chase my own wants and desires outside of the career that I love so much.”

Sarah Barker says that she can’t fully explain what it is about Kinder Scout that she loves so much but she thinks it’s because it makes her feel a certain way. It feels safe one minute and threatening another and she likes the challenge of both those places.

In the first part of this interview you'll listen to Sarah talking about her first wildcamp on Kinder Scout and why she leaves the comfort of her family home to go out alone in nature to spend a night on a local hill or mountain. We recorded this part while hunkered down in the porch of her tent on Grindslow Knoll until we gave in to the howling wind and cold to the warmth of a log fire in my bungalow in Edale village.

In the second half of the interview, Sarah shares why she started her YouTube channel which beautifully documents her wildcamping trips, how she learned navigation skills and of course what makes her Wild About Kinder.

Sarah's biography

Sarah is a Midwife, she chose this career path because she has an innate passion and drive for nurturing people. Supporting families through vulnerable life events is at the core of who she is and she gains a great deal of satisfaction from caring for birthing people as they become families. 

She lives with her Husband, teenage children and 4 dachshunds near the Peak District and has recently been working on renovating her forever home. 

She has a YouTube channel with over 3000 subscribers and 74 videos published to date. She started filming her camping adventures in 2024 and now believes that her videos have become an important extension to her camps to keep them alive for longer. The unique connections that she has made with ‘the best friends she may never meet’ continues to bring her joy and is highly motivating for herself and for others who either wish to explore the outdoors themselves or do so already. This diary of memories will continue to build throughout her exploration of the Peak District predominantly and become a legacy to her family when she is no longer able to do it.

Links

Subscribe to Sarah’s YouTube channel: SoloSarahB

Follow Sarah on Instagram: solosarahbx

Written feature on Wild About Kinder website: "A Tidy Mind on Kinder Scout" - by Sarah Barker

References

Patrick Dickinson

Andrew Beavers

Mountain Walks Kinder Scout book - by Sarah Lister

Recording date

This interview was recorded on Grindslow Knoll and later at my home in Edale on 19th December 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Subscribe to my newsletter to hear about the latest episodes of this podcast, new blog posts and guided walks.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Martin Porter says that the 1932 Mass Trespass of Kinder Scout is two stories that cross over. One is the story about how we regained access to the land, and the other one is the story of British communism. In this interview he sets the wider historical context, shares his interpretation of the event, and describes some of the people involved.

Later on in the episode Martin talks about his personal connection with Kinder Scout and the trespass, describes his favourite walk and finally adds the role of Edale in the Kinder trespass.

Martin lives in Glossop and is the grandson of Claude Porter who was part of the Kinder Trespass in 1932.

Martin has been an environmental activist for more than 20 years and helps to run the Manchester Greenpeace Group. He is also a qualified Social Worker and holds the role of Adult Care Convenor for Derbyshire UNISON. Between 1988 to 1991 he studied Physics with Astrophysics at the University of Leicester.

Links

Martin Porter on LinkedIn

Martin Porter on X

The Greenman blog by Martin

References

Manchester Greenpeace on Facebook

Derbyshire Unison

Further reading and information

Forbidden Kinder by Keith Warrender

Very scarce 1932 Kinder Trespass by Benny Rothman

Mass Trespass video by WellRedFilms featuring Martin Porter

The Communist PLOT That Changed The English Countryside - documentary by Stephen Reid

Recording date

This interview was recorded near Oller Brook in Edale on 17th October 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Where did you feel separated from during the national lockdowns? Yvonne says that she longed for Kinder Scout in a way she never had before, missing it almost as she would an old friend. 

In this interview, Yvonne reads two of her poems, ‘To a Snow Hare’ and ‘Dear Tor’, while sitting among the boulders of the Woolpacks on Kinder Scout. She chose this setting because of the characterful rocks that resemble living creatures. 

I asked her about her creative process, what she has learnt about protecting mountain hares, how poetry has become part of her life, and why Kinder Scout is a special place to her. I think you’ll really enjoy Yvonne’s eloquent storytelling, fun nature and stirring words.

A mountain hare came hopping past while recording which was only the second time that Yvonne has seen one on Kinder Scout. We were lucky to capture this very special experience while the microphones were on. 

Yvonne Reddick is a poet and researcher. She is the author of Ted Hughes: Environmentalist and ecopoet, 2017 and Burning Season, a collection of poems, 2023. Burning Season won the Laurel Prize for Best UK First Collection of Ecopoetry and was shortlisted for the Saltire Poetry Book of the Year Award 2023. It was a BBC Radio 4 Poetry Extra Book of the Month for January 2024.

With the wildlife filmmaker Aleksander Domanski, she made the film Searching for Snow Hares, shortlisted for the BMC’s Women in Adventure film awards. You can read more about her work here.

Links

Burning Season book by Yvonne Reddick

Anthropocene Poetry: Place, Environment and Planet book by Yvonne Reddick

@yvonnereddickwriter on Instagram

@YvonneReddick on Twitter

Yvonne’s website

References

Ted Hughes

Penny Pot Cafe

Searching for Mountain Hares - Cairngorms on YouTube

BMC

Recording date

This interview was recorded at The Woolpacks on Kinder Scout on 11th May 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Subscribe to the newsletter and send in your contributions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

“I love to imagine I’m back home on the hill that started it all for me, even though it’s worlds apart.” In this interview we listen to Andrew Terrill’s memories of walking, running and bivvying on Kinder Scout and why these experiences have had such a powerful and lasting impact in his life. He says that being in nature gave him the confidence to be himself.

You’ll soon be able to tell that Andrew is a writer because of the way that he expresses himself and shares his anecdotes. He is a wonderful storyteller and reflects on his memories of Kinder with fondness. He says that he misses wandering in the mist, the sideways rain and the bogs squelching underfoot and being cold and damp.

This interview is entertaining, heart-warming and inspiring. We hear from a man who shares openly and generously about how his journeys have changed him. There’s an air of curiosity and playfulness to his storytelling that I think you’ll find really engaging. 

Andrew has written two books: The Earth Beneath My Feet (published June 1, 2021) and On Sacred Ground (published October 1, 2022). The books take readers on a 7,000-mile wilderness walk into the heart of wild nature. He also writes regularly on his blog which he describes as an outdoor diary, and shares beautiful photography. 

Links

Visit Andrew’s website

Buy his books 

Follow Andrew on Instagram

Follow Andrew on Facebook

Contact Andrew here

References

Article - An Ode to Kinder Scout

(First published in TGO, August 2005)

Mountain Walks Kinder Scout 

Blog article - Acting my age

Kinder Log by T. Nelthorpe (Cicerone, 1987)

Recording date

This interview was recorded online on 21st February 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Subscribe to the newsletter and send in your contributions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

What does it smell like when you're sitting up on Kinder Scout Plateau? ‘Patron of the Bog’ Bella Hardy describes it as sweet and earthy. During this episode she shares memories of growing up in Edale, ‘beating the bounds’ with the local community, stories about sleeping dragons and giants from her childhood, and reflects on what makes her wild about Kinder. It’s a place that both inspires her music and gives her brain a break. You’ll hear Bella play the fiddle - ‘Broadlee Bank’ and ‘Crowden jig’ at the beginning and the end of this interview.

Bella is a folk musician, with many of her songs inspired by the landscape and folk tales of the Peak District. The ‘Dark Peak and The White’ album is her first collection of music specifically from the area, with adaptations and new tunes to works from ‘The Ballads and Songs of Derbyshire’ published 1867, and original songs written for the history, folklore and legends of the area. Bella attended Edale CE Primary School and Hope Valley College and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from York St John University in 2005 and a Master of Music degree from the University of Newcastle in 2007. You can read more about Bella on her website.

Listen now to find out why Bella thinks Kinder Scout is a unique place.

Links

Bella’s website

Follow Bella on Instagram

Listen to Bella’s songs on Spotify

Follow Bella on Bandcamp

References

The Dark Peak and The White

With the dawn

First light of the morning

Hares on the Mountain

Loving Hannah 

Africa’s Mountains of the moon by Guy Yeoman

Moors For The Future 

Recording date

This interview was recorded at Bella’s home in Edale on 15th January 2024.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Kinder Scout is Paul’s favourite place. In this interview he describes why it’s special to him and why he thinks it’s loved by others. He poses the question: “How can something that has taken lives and can be so threatening and violent be beautiful?” Paul shares timeless stories and reflections that will both capture and hold your attention. If you’re familiar with the landscape and nature of Kinder then you’ll undoubtedly find yourself nodding and smiling to yourself while you listen. This will be an episode to return to time and time again, and will leave you wanting more!

Paul Besley is a writer who lives in Sheffield. His books include, Day Walks in the South Pennines and 1001 Walking Tips for Vertebrate Publishing, and three Peak District guidebooks for Cicerone Press. He has also written for outdoor magazines. For many years Paul volunteered as a ranger for the Peak District National Park. He was also a team member of Woodhead Mountain Rescue, and a dog handler in Mountain Rescue Search Dogs England with his Border Collie, Scout. 

Listen now to find out why Paul thinks Kinder Scout is magical!

Links

Buy Paul's book: The Search - The life of a mountain rescue search dog team by Vertebrate Publishing.

Paul Besley’s story about when he fell off a mountain

Paul Besley on Mountain Walking Newbies podcast: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3.

References

Scout on Twitter and Instagram

Doug Scott obituary in The Guardian

Henry Moore

Mark Richards

Cicerone

Andrew Beavers

Recording date

This interview was recorded inside a barn at Lee Farm along the start of the Pennine Way towards Jacobs Ladder on Kinder Scout, on Friday 3rd November 2023. 

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Kinder Scout has a special place in Wayne’s psyche. When he was a child, his father would drive regularly along the snake pass. Due to unreliable automotive mechanics they often had to take pit stops along the pass. At the time he was reading passages of Lord of the Rings to Wayne and images of the misty Snake Wood and views of Fairbrook Naze made quite an impression on this estate kid from the North West. Since then, Wayne has had many adventures on Kinder Scout and he’s on a mission to represent this beguiling place in his artwork.

In this interview, Wayne shares how terrifying tall tales and snatch sightings of Kinder Scout from afar captured his imagination and ignited his curiosity. He shares with us how, in contrast, he feels when he’s having a mooch and an amble on Kinder Scout these days; what he learns about the landscape by drawing it and how an appreciation of the practice of historical and contemporary landscape artists informs his thinking, painting and teaching practice. 

Wayne is Director of Creative Arts at Redhill Academy Trust and Head of Art at Brookfield Community School.

This interview was recorded in four parts. We met at the Winter Gardens in Sheffield for coffee and lunch before heading to a Millenium Gallery store for a private tour of a selection of stunning landscape art exhibitions selected by Wayne. A few weeks later we met in Edale for a short walk on Kinder Scout where we recorded outside close to Jacob’s Ladder. Finally, we met at the Penny Pot Cafe in Edale for a sketching tutorial and lots of coffee! 

Wayne’s links

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/waynefallon/

Twitter https://twitter.com/MrWFallon

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wayne-fallon-55586a269/

References

• Millennium Gallery in Sheffield https://www.sheffieldmuseums.org.uk/visit-us/millennium-gallery/
• Paul Henry - Rain on the bog painting
• Robert Macfarlane “Wild Places”
• Simon Schama “Landscape and Memory”
• Peak District Artisans https://www.peakdistrictartisans.co.uk/
• Norman Ackroyd http://www.normanackroyd.com/
• John Newland https://www.birchamgallery.co.uk/catalogue/artist/John:Newland/biography/
• Heaton Cooper Gallery https://www.heatoncooper.co.uk/
• Penny Pot Cafe in Edale https://pennypotcafe.com/

Recording dates

This interview was recorded at:

• Winter Gardens in Sheffield and Millennium Gallery store on 2nd August 2023
• Kinder Scout on 28th August 2023
• Penny Pot Cafe on 9th September 2023

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your feedback and any suggestions for guests.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Kinder Scout was Clare’s first ever walk in the Peak District and she’s been back many times  since then. In this interview she shares the joy that she feels while walking and teaching navigation here and what it’s like to bring other people here who don’t feel confident to explore alone.

Clare is a qualified Mountain Leader and National Navigation Award Scheme Course Director. She has worked in the outdoor industry for over 20 years. She began her outdoor career working as a walking guide for Exodus, and later for Walking Women. In 2016, she set up Navigation for Women to help women develop new skills, gain confidence in their map and compass reading and put these skills into practice in the hills of the UK. Having long dreamt about running her own walking company for women, she set up Her on a Hill in 2019 to offer a range of guided walking holidays, navigation courses, and guided day walks and workshops.

Listen now to find out what makes Clare feel wild about Kinder.

Links

Her on a Hill

Navigation for Women

Recording date

This interview was recorded at Madwoman’s Stones, Kinder Scout, on 16th June 2023.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!

Kinder Scout is a place steeped in memory, reflection and gratitude for Pete Wallroth. In this interview he shares his personal connection with the brooding landscape through family life, loss and grief.

Pete loved walking on Kinder Scout with his late wife Mair, eventually prompting them to move to Glossop so that they could access Kinder Scout more easily. After her death at 41 he walked many of the same routes with his daughter in tow and now carrying her little brother too. In his grief and recovery he began running and his first forays into trail and fell running were to retrace and run those same routes that had brought them to the area in the first place. 

Pete is the founder and CEO of the charity Mummy’s Star, set up in 2013 in memory of his wife Mair, to offer support to women diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy or within 12 months of having a baby. 

This episode is dedicated to Pete’s late wife, Mair Wallroth. 

Links

Mummy’s Star charity

Pete Wallroth on Twitter

Pete Wallroth on Instagram

Pete’s Kinder Scout story

References

Jen Scotney on Instagram

Glossop Mountain Rescue Team

Recording date

This interview was recorded near Crowden Tower, Kinder Scout, on 7th December 2022.

Host & Production

By Sarah Lister, About The Adventure

Contact the host

You can email [email protected] to send in your comments and suggestions.

Get involved with the conversation

Send in your own Kinder Scout stories on the Wild About Kinder website and contact the show host to send in your comments, questions and suggestions.

Share your favourite episodes by tagging @about.the.adventure on Instagram @ABTheAdventure on Twitter, and use the hashtag #WildAboutKinder. Thank you!