5/6/21 – Edale Skyline outing (Compass)

5/6/21 – Edale Skyline outing (Compass)

So, after a hasty breakfast, I headed eagerly towards Bowdon Bridge car park (for those of you that know it’s the site of the now famous Kinder mass trespass) for the start of my day out trialling my new Salomon X Ultra GTX’s that I recently purchased.

Nothing unusual you might think, but for those that know me (creature of habit that I am) I always wear boots when on the hills as I like the security of the supported ankle, hence the eagerness to ‘test drive’ these new rascals in a ‘live’ environment.

Not wishing to leave too much to chance, I also had my Mountain King Super Trekker speed lock poles with me, for the added stability and foot placement confidence across rocky and uneven terrain.

So, at Bang on 8:00am I set off, and at that point I was beginning to wonder whether I had set myself too large a challenge for the day, as these were brand new shoes, not worn in at all, and here I was embarking on a 24-kilometre outing on a bright, warm sunny day!

My quest for the day was to head up past Tunstead Clough farm and onwards to Kinder low end, where my first serious ascent of the morning was the staircase up to the Cairn on the top. Thereafter heading for the Trig at Kinder low and my first picture stop.

From there, I took a line directly towards Noe Stool to pick up the track which would take me across the Edale Skyline, passing two very dry brooks (Crowden & Grinds Brook) pressing on to Ringing Roger and the adjacent trig point at 590M.

The Trig point was my refuel stop and chance to reflect on Salomon X Ultra GTX’s Shoes, walking poles and the excellent compression socks from Brubeck. Firstly, I really enjoyed the additional ankle flexibility through wearing trail shoes rather than boots, and found the Ortholite foam insoles an absolute ‘god send’ as they offered excellent cushioning which I discovered to my delight, as I spent time rock-hopping on Crowden tower.

The solid and robust Mountain King poles offered further assurance on the odd occasion where my brain got too fast for my feet and ‘saved’ me from an embarrassing tumble (Note to self, you’re not 24 anymore)!!!

The Brubeck compression socks were great, I felt that they offered enhanced support to my calves and ankles coupled to increased blood flow around the lower limbs. Although the scientific evidence to support their benefits is limited, I personally like the ‘feel’ that my lower legs are better supported, reducing the chance of any soft tissue damage and enhancing my endurance. (Get some and see if you agree)!

Two Trig points down and one to go, my route now took me to Ringing Roger and the descent into Edale, I must admit the pub looked very tempting at this point!! Through Edale I charged off towards Barber Booth to locate my final ascent for the day, up Chapel Gate Track to the Cairn, where I would take the ‘tiger line’ directly to the Trig on Brown Knowl.

Trig point ‘bagged’, its off past Edale cross, down Oaken Clough, skirting off right traversing Harry moor to pick up my route back to the Car Park via Tunstead Clough Farm.

In summary, 5hrs 31 mins travel time, 24.2KMs covered, 943 metre of elevation, and three trig points ‘bagged’ and a comprehensive ‘Road test’ completed.

Observations:

Salomon, ‘Time to play’, was absolutely correct it was indeed time to play in these, I really enjoyed these trail shoes, particularly the comfort of the ortholite foam insoles, they are a big Yes from me! (and despite my initial fear they were really comfortable straight out of the box).

Mountain King, super Trekker, speedlock, also a resounding Yes from me, great support, easy to extend/collapse when not required, and an excellent balance of weight and robustness.

Brubeck Compression socks, no doubt about it, even though I cannot categorically point you at any definitive science to evidence their worth, the support and comfort ticked all the boxes.

Hope the details are a helpful guide to any outdoors enthusiasts, and I look forward to reporting back on the next trail session.

Martin (Compass)