When the kids arrive, I usually try to find a route for them to do that involves plenty of rock interest. I decided that Ringing Roger on Kinder Scout was ideal. We could have done a bit more if I just had the older two, but I had Harry – my 5-year-old – with me and his little legs will only take him so far. I’d already done Ringing Roger with him on a previous occasion where we descended via Golden Clough. This time, I tried to extend the route a bit so that he could get used to walking a bit further, and so I opted for a walk around the edge as far as Grindslow Knoll and then a simple descent down the hillside back to Edale.

We arrived bright and early at 9.30 am and set off up the familiar path that zigzags up to Ringing Roger. There were a few early complaints from Harry as he hadn’t been up such a big hill for a long time, but those complaints were soon forgotten when we arrived at the base of the Ringing Roger ridge. The older two spent a bit of time exploring the harder sections whilst I supervised Harry with a few simpler sections. I managed to get him up one something a bit more difficult as he was insisting on following his older brothers. Having to shield him from the drop at the same time as assisting him up was a bit awkward but we managed, and he seemed pleased with himself when he arrived at the top of the gritstone formation.

We stopped for a bite to eat on the plateau, and the older two practiced their parkour jumps between the scattered gritstone rocks. Once they were all finished and satisfied, we moved on and made our way around the edge path. It was fairly slow going as the kids insisted on stopping to play whenever we walked past a large bit of gritstone – which was often! Eventually, we arrived at the head of Grindsbrook where there seemed to be some kind of photoshoot going on.

After ascending the small hill at Grindslow Knoll, we made our way down the descent path towards Edale. Harry started complaining about his feet hurting around this point and he was finding it difficult keeping his balance on the steep slope. I helped him out for the last quarter of a mile by giving him a shoulder ride – he deserved it.