Although Kinder Downfall (originally called Kinder Scut) is the tallest waterfall in the Peak District with a 30-metre drop, it’s only really impressive after heavy rain. The small River Kinder drops down a steep cliff-line on the western side of the Kinder Scout plateau, but often theres only a trickle of water.
The waterfall looks very different when the Kinder River has a decent flow (photo below by Phil Champion).
At the top of Kinder Downfall there are a few smaller cascades which can be accessed by scrambling down the rocks from the Pennine Way.
The cliffs around the waterfall are considered amongst the most dramatic on the moor, and there are multiple climbing routes up the narrow valley (it’s also a location for ice-climbing in winter when the waterfall is frozen).
Getting to Kinder Downfall
Multiple routes can be taken to visit Kinder Downfall, which is located along the Pennine Way on the Kinder Scout plateau. The most common route is from Hayfield (Bowden Bridge) up past Kinder Reservoir, which follows the path of the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass.
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And did those feet in ancient time: walking Britain’s oldest paths - Atlanews · May 14, 2026 at 3:25 pm
[…] a single outing, from glittering reservoir to whispering moorland and monumental rocks. It includes Kinder Downfall cascade and a section of the Pennine Way, the earliest of Britain’s national trails. I walked the trail […]
Y estos pies en la antigüedad: recorriendo los senderos más antiguos de Gran Bretaña | Días festivos en el Reino Unido | Sí, Se Puede · May 14, 2026 at 3:47 pm
[…] desde un embalse resplandeciente hasta páramos murmurantes y riscos monumentales. el entiende Cascada Kinder Falls y una sección del Pennine Way, el primero de los senderos nacionales de Gran Bretaña. Caminé por […]