Hundreds expected at 90th anniversary event of Kinder Scout mass trespass

Former Green Party leader, Caroline Lucas MP, and broadcaster and President of the Ramblers, Stuart Maconie, will both be attending and making speeches at the event in the village of Hayfield on Saturday.

It is being held to mark the 90th anniversary of the day hundreds of men and women defied the law to walk over hills and moorland to the plateau of Kinder Scout, Derbyshire, in what would become the Peak District National Park.

Roly Smith, the event organiser and vice-president of the South Yorkshire and NE Derbyshire Ramblers, said: “Large areas of beautiful land were inaccessible to walkers, which was very frustrating for the people of Sheffield as you could look and see these big, beautiful landscapes, but you weren’t allowed to walk on them.”

An estimated 400 protesters from Sheffield and Manchester chose to trespass on the privately-owned grouse moors, demanding that the land be opened to the public.

The protest organisers had called for a rally to begin in Hayfield, but this was a diversion, which occupied a third of the Derbyshire police force.

Organisers then met with hundreds of ramblers at Bowden Bridge Quarry before setting off.

The ensuing police action led to the arrest of six young men, aged between 19 and 23, who were charged with unlawful assembly and breach of the peace. Five of the men were imprisoned.

Mr Smith said: “It actually involved quite a few Sheffield walkers as well, even though most people talk about the Manchester ramblers during the trespass, there were a number of Sheffield ramblers who took part in the protest.”

The descendants of the 400 protesters will be attending the event at the Royal Hotel and the adjoining marquee, with opportunities to hear the unique stories of the trespass throughout the day.

The event will also include the launch of a new book detailing the trespass.

Author, Keith Warrender, created the book in order to tell the stories of the ramblers and “expose the myths” surrounding the trespass.

The speeches, including an address from Kate Ashbrook of the Open Spaces Society, will begin at 2pm.