A Taste of the Peak District |
Accommodation, activities and attractions of the Peak District of the UK |
||
|
|
|
||
|
Site map >> Home >> Town, Villages and Dales >> Edale |
|||
Edale - It is well known as the starting point for the Pennine way but less well known for its annual barrel race and beer festival.
For accommodation - see the bottom of this page, click here for B&B, click here for hotels centred on Castleton (which is close to Edale) or click here for more cottages. |
The village that is now referred to as Edale is really called Grindsbrook Booth. Edale is a collection of hamlets, each suffixed with the word ‘Booth’. Booth is often used in everyday language to describe a small cubicle but in this context is refers to a small and temporary shelter for shepherds or cattle herders (Tudor origins). It may reflect a nomadic way of life for early farmers as they moved with their animals from one part of the valley to the next.The scenic Sheffield to Stockport railway line passes through the Edale valley, with a station at Edale itself. It has been dropping off and collecting walkers and sightseers since 1894.The Old Nag’s Head Inn is the official starting point for the 260 miles (give or take) of the Pennine Way long distance footpath. The Pennine Way is probably the most famous and was the first of the long distance paths conceived in the UK. The route is initially on a firm track heading westwards along an old packhorse trail signed to Hayfield. It passes through Upper Booth and leads you up Jacob’s Ladder. The ladder is a set of zigzag steps cut into the hillside in the 18th century by a local ‘jagger’.It is also the finishing point for the annual Barrel race and beer festival organised by the Edale Brewery. The race is limited to teams with a connection to the village. Teams of eight must carry a barrel (filled with water, not beer!) over Kinder Scout, The Peak Districts highest hill. The starting point is the Snake Inn on the A57. The 2003 and 2004 winners, team Gladioli, are the record holders with a time of just under 50 minutes. |
|
|
Edale Accommodation |
|
||
|
|
|
||
