PeakDistrict
5
Day Itinerary •
UK
Five days in the Peak District gives you the full extraordinary depth of England's most visited National Park. Beyond Chatsworth and the Castleton caves lie the extraordinary ancient oakwood of Padley Gorge, the wild Kinder Scout plateau where 400 ramblers changed British access law in 1932, the finest limestone dale in England at Dovedale and the Hartington creamery producing the only Stilton made in Derbyshire. This route moves from the dramatic Dark Peak moorlands of Mam Tor and Edale through the cultural riches of Chatsworth and Bakewell to the eastern gritstone edges, then south into the quieter limestone country of Dovedale and Hartington before finishing on the extraordinary Kinder plateau and the ancient oakwoods of Padley Gorge. Five extraordinary days in the heart of England.
Best Time To Visit
April to June or September to October
Getting There
Train to Hope from Sheffield, car from Manchester
Getting Around
Car essential, bicycle hire for Tissington Trail
Budget Per Day
Approx 80 to 230 GBP per person per day
Difficulity
Moderate, moorland and dale walking
DAY 1
DARK PEAK NORTH
MORNING
MAM TOR AND THE GREAT RIDGE, THE FINEST RIDGE WALK IN ENGLAND
Mam Tor at 1,696 feet is the most accessible and dramatic summit in the Peak District, its extraordinary shivering mountain of shale and gritstone giving a view over the Hope Valley, Edale and Castleton that is the finest panorama in the Dark Peak. The Great Ridge walk from Mam Tor to Lose Hill at 1,563 feet is the finest short ridge walk in England, 4 miles of open moorland edge with views on both sides throughout. Entirely free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
CASTLETON AND THE BLUE JOHN CAVERNS
Castleton is the finest village in the Dark Peak, its extraordinary Norman castle of Peveril perched on a cliff above the village and its four show caves giving access to the most extraordinary underground landscape in England. Blue John Cavern contains the only known deposit of Blue John stone in the world, a unique purple and yellow fluorite mineral. Cave entry approx 12 pounds. The village itself with its Winnats Pass backdrop is extraordinary. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
EDALE AND THE START OF THE PENNINE WAY
Edale is the finest walking village in England, the southern terminus of the Pennine Way national trail and the start of 268 miles of upland walking to Kirk Yetholm in Scotland. The village itself, hemmed in by Kinder Scout to the north and the Great Ridge to the south, is extraordinarily atmospheric. The walk up Jacob's Ladder onto Kinder plateau gives the finest moorland landscape in the Peak District. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Odin Mine near Mam Tor is the oldest documented metal mine in England, with records dating to 1280, and is accessible via a public footpath from the Mam Tor car park past extraordinary mineral veins of galena and calcite visible in the exposed rock faces. The gorge through which the ancient mine track runs is one of the most extraordinary small geological features in the Peak District. Entirely free to visit on the public right of way.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Penny Pot Cafe, Castleton The finest breakfast in the Hope Valley. Outstanding local eggs and Derbyshire sausages. | Lunch: The Rambler Inn, Edale Outstanding walkers' lunch at the finest pub in Edale. Local pies and Derbyshire ales. | Dinner: The George Hotel, Castleton Outstanding Peak District food. The local Hereford beef and Blue Vinny cheese are extraordinary.
DAY 2
THE WHITE PEAK
MORNING
CHATSWORTH HOUSE, THE FINEST STATELY HOME IN ENGLAND
Chatsworth House is the finest stately home in England, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire since 1549, its extraordinary collection of Old Masters, sculpture and decorative art surpassing any country house outside London. The cascade waterfall, the Emperor Fountain and the extraordinary Capability Brown landscape garden are remarkable. The farm shop sells the finest estate produce in the Peak District. Entry to house and garden approx 26 pounds. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
MIDDAY
BAKEWELL, THE FINEST MARKET TOWN IN THE PEAK DISTRICT
Bakewell is the finest market town in the Peak District, its extraordinary Monday market, the medieval bridge over the Wye and the Old Original Bakewell Pudding Shop where the famous pudding was invented by accident in 1860 all essential. The extraordinary Church of All Saints contains some of the finest Saxon stonework in the Peak District and a remarkable collection of medieval grave slabs. Entry to church free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
MONSAL HEAD AND THE FINEST VIEW IN THE WHITE PEAK
Monsal Head above the Wye gorge near Bakewell is the finest viewpoint in the White Peak, its extraordinary Victorian railway viaduct crossing the gorge below while the Monsal Trail cycling path runs through the tunnel beneath the viewer. The Wye valley walk from Monsal Head to Miller's Dale through extraordinary limestone gorge is 4 miles of the finest White Peak walking available. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Via Gellia valley between Matlock and Newhaven, largely unknown to visitors who stay in Bakewell and Castleton, is the finest hidden valley in the White Peak, its extraordinary limestone gorge clothed in ancient ash and sycamore woodland with the Via Gellia mill at its centre. The valley is particularly extraordinary in late April when the ramsons wild garlic carpets the woodland floor in white. Public footpaths throughout. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Bloomers, Bakewell Outstanding bakery in Bakewell. The finest Bakewell tarts and scones in the Peak District. | Lunch: The Monsal Head Hotel Outstanding pub lunch above the extraordinary Wye gorge. Local game and Derbyshire ales. | Dinner: Fischer's Baslow Hall The finest restaurant in the Peak District, adjacent to Chatsworth. Outstanding tasting menu. Book ahead.
DAY 3
EASTERN EDGES
MORNING
STANAGE EDGE AND THE GRITSTONE EDGES OF THE DARK PEAK
Stanage Edge is the most magnificent gritstone escarpment in England, a 4-mile wall of dark millstone grit rising to 1,502 feet above the Hope Valley with extraordinary views south over Sheffield and north to the moors. The edge path is the finest moorland walk in the Dark Peak and the finest outdoor rock climbing venue in the country. The millstones abandoned on the hillside below are extraordinary industrial archaeology. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 15 min drive
MIDDAY
HATHERSAGE AND THE ROBIN HOOD CONNECTION
Hathersage is the finest village in the eastern Dark Peak, its extraordinary setting below the gritstone edges, the grave of Little John in the churchyard, the connection with Charlotte Bronte who set Jane Eyre here as Morton and the extraordinary 15th-century Haywarden Hall make it the most literary village in the Peak. The outdoor swimming pool cut from a millstone grit stream is the finest in England. Entry to pool approx 5 pounds. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
DERWENT DAMS AND THE DAMBUSTERS CONNECTION
The Derwent and Ladybower reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley are the most extraordinary man-made landscape in the Peak District, their drowned villages visible in drought years and their connection with the 617 Squadron Dambusters who practised low-level flying over the twin towers of Derwent Dam before the 1943 raid giving them an extraordinary historical resonance. The valley road circuit is remarkable. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
Carl Wark, a natural gritstone outcrop above Hathersage that may be a 5th-century hillfort, is one of the most extraordinary and least visited prehistoric sites in England, its extraordinary defensive wall of stacked gritstone blocks sitting on a natural promontory above the Burbage valley with remarkable views over the Dark Peak. The walk from the Fox House Inn takes 30 minutes and reveals one of the most mysterious places in the Peak District. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Little John Inn, Hathersage Outstanding Peak District breakfast in the finest pub in Hathersage. | Lunch: Outside Inn, Hathersage Outstanding local food at the finest independent cafe in the eastern Peak. Local produce throughout. | Dinner: The Plough Inn, Hathersage The finest old inn in the eastern Peak. Outstanding Derbyshire beef and local game. Excellent ales.
DAY 4
SOUTHERN DALES
MORNING
DOVEDALE, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LIMESTONE DALE IN ENGLAND
Dovedale is the finest of the Peak District's limestone dales, its extraordinary stepping stones across the Dove, its pinnacles and spires of weathered limestone and the extraordinary Thorpe Cloud hill at the valley entrance making it the most visited dale in England for good reason. The valley walk from Milldale to the stepping stones is 3 miles of extraordinary limestone scenery. Arrive before 9am in summer. Entry free, car park approx 3 pounds. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
TISSINGTON TRAIL AND THE WHITE PEAK CYCLEWAY
The Tissington Trail along the disused Ashbourne to Buxton railway line is the finest cycling route in the White Peak, 13 miles of traffic-free riding through extraordinary limestone country past Tissington village with its extraordinary Norman church and the finest collection of well dressings in the Peak District. Bicycle hire from Ashbourne or Parsley Hay approx 15 pounds per day. Entry to trail free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
HARTINGTON AND THE FINEST STILTON CHEESE IN ENGLAND
Hartington is the finest village in the southern White Peak, its extraordinary duck pond, the 13th-century church of St Giles and the Hartington Creamery producing the only Stilton cheese made in Derbyshire are all remarkable. The village shop sells the finest artisan cheese counter in the Peak District. The walk from Hartington along the Dove valley to Beresford Dale is 2 miles of extraordinary limestone walking. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
Lathkill Dale National Nature Reserve, the finest limestone dale in the Peak District for wildlife, is almost entirely unknown to the visitors who crowd Dovedale 5 miles south. The extraordinary clarity of the Lathkill river, one of the purest limestone streams in England, the ancient lead mining remains and the extraordinary orchids in summer make it the finest hidden dale in the White Peak. Access from Over Haddon village car park. Entirely free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Hartington Outstanding Peak District breakfast at the finest 17th-century inn in the southern Dales. | Lunch: Dovedale stepping stones cafe Simple excellent food at the valley entrance. Buy provisions and eat beside the river. | Dinner: The Charles Cotton, Hartington The finest inn in Hartington. Outstanding Derbyshire food and the best Stilton on a board in England.
DAY 5
KINDER AND THE MOORLANDS
MORNING
KINDER SCOUT AND THE MASS TRESPASS BATTLEFIELD
Kinder Scout at 2,087 feet is the highest point in the Peak District and the site of the extraordinary 1932 Mass Trespass when 400 ramblers defied landowners to walk on the open moorland, an act of civil disobedience that directly led to the National Parks Act of 1949. The Kinder plateau is the most extraordinary upland moorland in England, its extraordinary peat groughs, cotton grass and cloudberry giving it a wild emptiness unlike any other landscape in the country. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 30 min drive
MIDDAY
THE SNAKE PASS AND THE BLEAKLOW PLATEAU
The A57 Snake Pass between Sheffield and Glossop is the finest moorland road in England, crossing the extraordinary Bleaklow plateau at 1,648 feet through some of the most dramatic moorland scenery in the country. The Bleaklow walk from the Snake Inn follows Doctor's Gate, an ancient Roman road, across the plateau to Glossop through extraordinary peat moorland entirely free of other walkers. The Snake Pass in winter snow is extraordinary. Entry free. Drive/Travel: 20 min drive
AFTERNOON
PADLEY GORGE AND THE FINEST OAK WOODLAND IN THE PEAK DISTRICT
Padley Gorge between Grindleford and Hathersage is the finest ancient oak woodland in the Peak District, its extraordinary mossy boulders, tumbling stream and gnarled sessile oaks giving it an atmosphere of complete primeval wildness within 15 miles of Sheffield. The gorge is particularly extraordinary in May when the bluebells are at their peak. The walk from Grindleford station through the gorge to the eastern edges takes 2 hours. Entry free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The Longshaw Estate above the eastern gritstone edges, a National Trust moorland plateau of extraordinary heather, bilberry and ancient oak, contains Longshaw Lodge and a series of extraordinary hidden dells and ponds that were the private estate of the Dukes of Rutland until 1927. The dawn light on the heather moorland in August is the finest in the Peak District. The woodcock roding display over the estate woodland in April evenings is extraordinary. Entry to estate free.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Grindleford Station Cafe The finest and most extraordinary railway station cafe in England. Outstanding full breakfast since 1979. | Lunch: The Snake Inn Outstanding moorland pub lunch at the highest inn in the Peak District. Local pies and Pennine ales. | Dinner: The Maynard, Grindleford The finest hotel restaurant in the eastern Peak. Outstanding local food with extraordinary valley views.
Where To Stay
Hope Valley, Nights 1 to 3 Losehill House or The George, Hathersage. Approx 100 to 200 GBP per night. Hartington, Nights 4 to 5 Charles Cotton Hotel or Beresford Dale B&B. Approx 80 to 140 GBP per night. Budget Option YHA Castleton, YHA Hathersage or YHA Hartington. Approx 25 to 45 GBP per night.
Top Tips
1. Kinder Scout in cloud: take map and compass. The plateau in mist is extraordinary but navigationally challenging.
2. Dovedale stepping stones: arrive before 9am or after 4pm in summer. The valley is busy from mid-morning.
3. Lathkill Dale orchids peak in June. The early purple and bee orchids are extraordinary in the limestone grassland.
4. Padley Gorge bluebells: peak in early May. The ancient oak woodland at this time is the finest sight in the Peak.
5. Hartington Stilton: buy directly from the creamery shop. The cloth-bound Stilton is extraordinary and only sold locally.
6. Carl Wark prehistoric fort: combine with Burbage Valley walk for the finest half-day in the eastern Dark Peak.
Total Budget
80 to 225 GBP/day