There has been some doubt in recent years about the exact position
of Kinder summit. Some unknown persons decided that the cairn we
identified in The Mountains of England and Wales as the top wasn't the
"True" summit and so demolished it. Unfortunately for them the
cairn was to mark a boundary, not the summit, and the Peak Park was under an
obligation to maintain it. The cairn was therefore rebuilt.
To settle the matter we suggested to those intrepid surveyors, John Barnard and Graham
Jackson that they should settle the matter so, on June 28th, John, Graham and
his wife Janet made the ascent with us to determine exactly which point is the top. It took
John and Graham several hours, but after peering through their Avery Automatic Level at every hump and bump on the plateau
they finally located Kinder summit.
As John and Graham conclude in their report "The summit of Kinder Scout is at grid reference SK 08485 87563 and is a grassy platform on a peaty knoll. The height of the summit is probably closer to 634m than the 636m given on current maps."
The good news, especially for those ticking off all the 2000ft summits, is that the cairn
we identified as the top is only a matter of yards from the now scientifically located highest point.
But just to be on the safe side, go and climb Kinder soon, erosion continues and
the summit won't stay in the same place for long!
John Barnard surveying Kinder
Graham Jackson by the cairn we give as the top
Summit party