Retracing the defiant walk that changed Britain

Seventy-five years after the Peak District became Britain's first national park, visitors can retrace the mass trespass that helped open the countryside to everyone.

I am 636m (2,087ft) above sea level at the blustery plateau of Kinder Scout, the highest point of England's Peak District. The faint Manchester skyline is hazy in the distance, sitting behind the Dark Peak's stretches of barren moorland and its scattered, tumbling gritstones. This was once the stage of one of the most famous protests in English history.

Seventy-five years ago, the Peak District became England's first national park. Split into two distinct areas – the Dark Peak, with its barren moorlands and gritstone edges, and the White Peak, with limestone gorges, bright green dales and flowing rivers – it covers 550 square miles (1,483km) and attracts more than 13 million hikers, cyclists and climbers each year.

But before the Peak District was established, much of its land was privately owned and off limits to the public until some young, local workers fought for their right to access this sweeping northern stretch – and in doing so paved the way for the creation of the national park system in the UK.

Having grown up on the fringes of the Peak District, I have always delighted in walking across its dramatic landscapes, while being largely unaware of its role in shaping public access to the English countryside. Today, I'm retracing those bold rebels' steps where it all began.

The Kinder mass trespass

During the early 20th Century, England's industrialised northern cities were frequently filled with smog. Many factory and mill workers sought to spend their time off rambling in the fresh air of the rural countryside, but they were often turned away by landowners and gamekeepers.

Organised trespassing and political action against private land ownership at this time was not new, nor was the desire for public access to the countryside. The first freedom to roam bill was introduced to Parliament in 1884, inspired by the establishment of the world's first national park, Yellowstone, 12 years prior in the US. The bill failed, but campaigning continued through the creation of rambling groups across the country, who often organised protests like the Winter Hill mass trespass of 1896 in north-west England.

However, the Kinder mass trespass of 24 April 1932 is often cited as the catalyst that led to the birth of England's own national park system.

Led by 20-year-old Benny Rothman, the protest included some 400 young men and women from Manchester, Sheffield and the surrounding mill towns who defied the law and walked across the privately owned plateau of Kinder Scout, which was then used for grouse shooting. With strength in numbers, they were arguing for their right to roam freely in nature.

Like me, you can walk in their footsteps in the Kinder Scout mass trespass walk. Beginning at the Bowden Bridge car park (the rallying point for the trespass), the eight-mile (12.8km) path starts with a gradual ascent next to the shimmering Kinder reservoir, until you reach the foot of William Clough valley and join Snake Path – a winding, rocky and at times uneven trail surrounded by........

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