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Best Walks: The Peak District
29th January 2022
The Peak District is home to some fantastic walking routes, with hundreds of miles of footpaths, including the famous Pennine Way. Located in Derbyshire, it is one of Britain's most iconic landscapes – hike over hills, moors and mountains, amble beside idyllic rivers and climb through deep gorges with our guide to the best walks in the Peak District.
Chee Dale, Miller's Dale & Wye Dale
Although it may have its challenges, this walk is readily accessible to all with a measure of agility and a sense of adventure. The four-mile loop walk follows along the River Wye in the Peak District takes you through deep gorges and lush forests. Set off at an abandoned railway junction, fused to the side of the valley beside mellowing girder bridges that leap across the Wye.
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You’ll find an abundance of natural beauty on this walk, namely flowers. Clumps of fireweed, bedstraw, ramsons, rockrose, orchids and carpets of wild thyme and marjoram will assault the senses and linger in the memory. Peer into the arboreal canyon of the Wye, a tantalising foretaste of what is to come. The return leg of this stunning ramble is a fairytale-like riverside ravine walk via stepping stones, crags, rapids, languid pools and gushing springs.
Thorpe Cloud and Stepping Stones
Thorpe Cloud, in the far south of the Peak District National Park, is a fantastic starter hill for little legs. It’s a short, steep hike up there, and the views from the top are incredible. Plus you get to traverse Dovedale Stepping Stones along the way.
There’s a bit of a scramble getting up the rocky outcrop of Thorpe Cloud; with the steep drops at the summit you will need to hold the hands of little ones, and you may want to avoid this walk on exceptionally windy days. The footpath can also get rather slippy underfoot in wet weather. But adventurous kids will absolutely love this walk! Make sure everyone is wearing hiking boots, or at least trainers with good grip. The walk is around 2.5km and shouldn’t take any longer than 2 hours and there are also public toilets and an ice-cream hut at the start of this walk.
Castleton, Mam Tor & The Great Ridge
This is a 6 ½ mile walk starting in Castleton and walking through some of the most admired and stunning parts of the Peak District. Known to be one of the best ridge walks in the country, this Peak District walk gives stunning views over Edale, Hope Valley and even the edge of Kinder Scout. There is also an option to extend this route to an 8 mile walk to include a stroll by the river on the way back. This walk starts in the main car park at Castleton, and passes both Treak Cliff and Blue John Cavern, which are unique show caverns and two of the most-loved attractions in the Peak District. If you have time they are definitely worth a pre or post-walk visit!
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The slightly longer route takes you back to Castleton along the riverside, via Hope. Both Castleton and Hope are wonderful villages in the Peak District, perfect for enjoying tea and cake or even some traditional pub grub! One of the most well-known pubs in Castleton is the Cheshire Cheese Inn.
Bakewell to Chatsworth
This walk in Bakewell takes you over the Monsal Trail, through some woods and to the picturesque village of Edensor, ending in the gem of the Derbyshire countryside, Chatsworth House. There are some glorious views of the house and the Hunting Tower along this walk, as well as the chance to have a cup of tea and some cake in the traditional tearooms at Edensor, the closest village to Chatsworth itself.
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There are two routes, one is 6 miles and one is slightly longer at 8 miles. The longer walk takes you a more scenic route on the way back from Chatsworth, as to include a walk along the River Derwent. This route also includes places of interest such as a ruined corn mill and an Iron Age fort, which comes with another wonderful viewpoint.
This is a brilliant walk to do if you’re staying in Bakewell, or you’d like to combine visiting both Bakewell and the delights of Chatsworth.
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