Peak District Wild Camping: Finally Capturing a Sublime Sunrise Over Edale
I came back to the Peak District with a mission: to burn out a rain-soaked, frustrating five-year-old Peak District wild camping memory, and replace it with a cinematic time-lapse worthy of the UK’s incredible upland landscapes.
My first attempt at wild camping on the slopes of Kinder Scout was a total washout. 5 Years ago, creating a YouTube video titled DELUGE | 2 Day hike and wild camp in the Peak District, it was biblical. Torrential rain, all afternoon, all night, and all morning. All I saw was the inside of a cloud. Honestly, it was erm, let’s say - character-building, but as a professional trying to capture cinematic stock footage, it was a failure.
So, this time, this trip was always about more than just a hike and a wild camp. It was a pilgrimage back to the site of that original defeat, carrying a much heavier bergen, with a much better weather forecast—and much higher expectations.
The Ascent: Hunting the Edge of Edale Valley
I set off near Hayfield on the western side of the Peak District, having driven up the M6 to get there. The forecast was spot-on, promising a clear, cold sector with a light northerly breeze. Crucially, the weather models looked like they had a small possibility of an inversion—and at least, a moderate possibility of that elusive layer of lowline mist hanging in the valleys first thing in the morning. That was the prize.
My route was designed for photography, not just hiking speed. I parked near Hayfield and started walking up towards Kinder Scout, hugging the southern side toward Woollpacks and Swine's Back.
At the two-hour mark, I hit South Head and took a moment to appreciate the view. This is where the long miles start to pay off. The day's route was a little extended; I’m working on my fitness, so I walked south around the back of Mount Famine, east toward Jacob's Ladder, and finally up onto Swine's Back. It was nice to find quieter paths of South Head after the initial stretch; I'm used to the relative solitude of Snowdonia and Shropshire, so the peace was welcome.
The 26.8 Kilo Dilemma: Edale vs. Manchester
About five miles in, the true cost of chasing cinematic shots set in. That Bergen pack was heavy—26.8 kilos digging into my shoulders. Much of the weight came from all the camera gear needed to pull off my time-lapses:
My Main Camera: Sony ZV-E1 (for B-roll and landscapes).
Time-Lapse Camera: Sony A7iii, paired with the super-fast 20mm f1.8 lens (for low light and wide shots).
The Big Glass: The heavy Sony FE 24-240mm lens (for long, compressed shots).
My Shelter: The trusty old MSR Elixir 1 tent (a perfect solo shelter, light winds, so I left the Hilleberg at home).
As I neared Swine's Back, the Edale Valley started to open up on one side, offering the perfect foreground rocks and deep valley view I had come for. But then, to the left, I got an amazing, clear view of Manchester City Centre.
It immediately presented a headache. A view overlooking a city from a wild camp spot is rare, cinematic, and far more commercially valuable for stock footage. However, I hadn't planned for it, and the spot was directly into the strengthening wind. I spent a good half-hour debating the shot.
Ultimately, I stuck to the original plan: Edale.
Why? The lenses weren't right. The 20mm was too wide for a good city compression shot, and while I had my 240mm with me, a city shot requires a different lens (like my 50mm f1.4) and zero wind. With a breeze picking up, chasing the Edale shot was the only sensible choice. The Manchester shot will be a future trip (a mission you will see me attempt in my next video!).
Setting the Scene: The Time-Lapse Rig
Having decided on the classic Peak District view over Edale, the setup began. The time-lapse camera, anchored on a rock, was set up for a nine-hour sequence: one shot every 20 seconds, running from sunset right through the night to capture the stars and the pre-dawn glow.
The main challenge in a popular area like this is gear security. Leaving three grand's worth of kit out overnight is always a gamble. I secured the tripod with a big boulder and—just in case—had my movement alarm to clip to the rig. Thankfully, I didn't need to dish out any punishment that night.
The Cold and The Culinary Delight
As the beautiful sunset dipped below the horizon (revealing a remarkable 240mm shot looking out toward what I'm almost certain was Liverpool), the temperature plummeted. It hit maybe four or five degrees—a shock to the system after a warm summer. I was grateful to get into the MSR Elixir 1 and get the JetBoil on.
Dinner was a highly anticipated event: noodles and meatballs. A true culinary delight, though I had to switch from my usual Pot Noodle (they've been ignoring my sponsorship requests for seven years, so Super Noodles got to be the star of the show).
The cold was biting, but the time-lapse was running, capturing the first clear stars, and the warmth of the tent was a welcome relief. Knowing I needed a sharp focus and a different aperture for the sunrise light, I planned to bring the camera in around midnight, adjust the focus using the stars, and reset it before dawn at 4 a.m.. This process ensures I have two clean sequences and minimises the risk of a single, all-night mistake.
The Sublime Payoff: Sunrise and the Drone View
I woke up expecting a perfect, idyllic sunrise. Nature, as always, had other plans. A thick bank of cloud rolled in and sat directly due east, wiping out the initial clear shot. It was frustrating, but that's mountain photography—you take what you get.
However, the final result was far more rewarding than a clear-sky sunrise. As the sun climbed, it broke through that cloud bank, bathing the Edale Valley in incredible, warm light and generating some truly amazing shots. This is the kind of light you simply cannot fake; it's the reward for the long haul. The high-resolution time-lapse footage from this morning is some of the finest I've ever captured.
The morning also provided a chance to get the drone out. The resulting drone footage, capturing the scale of the valley and the solitude of the camp, is sublime. It gives an unparalleled sense of place that ground footage simply can't match.
Before hiking back to Hayfield, I used the view from the ridge to scout two future locations: Horse Hill Tour and Kinderlow End (the perfect spot for that Manchester city shot I now plan to nail).
Gear List for Cinematic Wild Camping
For those interested in the specifics behind the visuals, here's the core kit I carried on the ascent of Kinder Scout:
MSR Elixir 1 Tent - https://amzn.to/46A6cpB
Bergen - https://amzn.to/427uYw5
Main video camera - https://amzn.to/4pBUfZd
Timelapse camera - https://amzn.to/4mBQ39o
Vlogging Camera - https://amzn.to/4gEZbbJ
Vlogging Mic Lav - https://amzn.to/4nOiUZ3
Drone - https://amzn.to/4gB19de
Licensing the Light: From the Peak District and Beyond
The exquisite time-lapse and sublime drone footage captured during this expedition, and the recent second trip, are now available for license.
These unique, cinematic 4K clips—including the breathtaking Edale sunrise, the drone sweeps, and the dramatic twilight shots—are distributed across Clip Packs 303, 304, and 305 in my professional stock footage library. They are also available for commercial and editorial use via my license-by-clip SELECT service, or as part of the entire ULTIMATE library subscription.
If you are working on a documentary about UK landscapes, a commercial project needing authentic outdoor visuals, or a film requiring stunning environmental B-roll, this footage is broadcast-ready and visually unique.
Explore the UK’s Wild Heart in My Archive
This trip is just one piece of my dedication to documenting the UK's high places. If you loved the scenery of the Peak District, I have hundreds more hours of professional, licensed stock footage:
The Power of Upland Solitude: Explore my vast collections from Snowdonia, featuring the rugged peaks around Ffynnon Lloer, Crib Goch, and the remote beauty of Llyn Du.
The Gentle Drama of the Hills: See the cinematic potential in the Shropshire Hills, including the dramatic Callow Hill and the quiet trails of the Long Mynd.
The Raw Narrative of the UK: From remote wild camps to the chaotic beauty of city-level infrastructure (like the aerial M6 Motorway timelapses in Clip Pack #301), my goal is to provide visuals that transcend the generic.
Thank you for following along on this journey back to Kinder Scout. It was worth every single step.
Watch the full video of the expedition here: WILD CAMPING PHOTOGRAPHY in the PEAK DISTRICT | An amazing view of Edale
For more cinematic journeys, please explore my other YouTube videos and my full licensing library.