On Sunday 24th April 1932, 400 ramblers held a mass trespass on Kinder Scout – the highest point in Derbyshire. This rebellion ultimately led to the passing of the Rights of Way act and the creation of the Peak District National Park (the UK’s first) in 1951. One of the trespassers, Ewan MacColl (father of singer Kirsty MacColl) was just 17 when he took part in the 1932 demonstration. He went on to become a prominent folk singer and wrote The Manchester Rambler, a song written in and based on the events of 1932 and from which my title comes. I was born and raised locally and my entire family heritage involves ancestors variously working at the local cotton and paper mills and farming the land. The lyrics of The Manchester Rambler and the idea of the countryside belonging to us all are part of my DNA.

The Hard Moorland Way is a series inspired by and celebrating the 1932 mass trespass. While the surrounding world has moved along at quite a pace, the ramblers’ much-loved landscape has remained pretty much exactly as it always has, quietly observing the changing world around it.

Original and digital prints available.