Route Outline
Day 1
You spend the first night in Hathersage, the home of "Little John".
Day 2 - 15 Miles
A long day! From Hathersage you climb easily passing the historic "North Lees Hall" to the famous climbing grounds of Stanage Edge. Walking the length of this on easy level paths, you then cross the wild Derwent moors, passing strangely eroded natural rock sculptures to descend in to the pastoral idyll of the Derwent valley. Have your lunch right beneath the magnificent "Derwent Dam", used by RAF 617 Squadron for practise before their famous "Dam Busters" raid.
You then have a short climb through well managed pinewoods to soon drop into the Woodlands valley. From here you follow in the footsteps of the Romans from 2,000 years ago on a long but gentle climb onto a wide ridge with fantastic views of Edale and Kinder Scout, to descend to a well earned rest in the village of Hope. A shorter alternative route (6½ Miles) is available for this day, visiting the village of Bamford and climbing the spectacular but easy peak of "Win Hill" for amazing views over the northern moors.
Day 3 - 10 Miles
Leaving Hope, you walk along level fields to Castleton, with its famous show caves and overlooked by the 11th century castle built by William Peveril,who may have been an illegitamate son of William the Conqueror and a Sheriff of Nottingham. A hidden gateway takes you out of the village into the impressive Cave Dale leading you easily over the wild "Old Moor", with its many signs of ancient lead mining and fantastic far reaching views.
After passing through the hamlet of Peak Forest, once the King’s administrative centre of the area, a beautiful walk down quiet dales leads you through a Derbyshire Nature Reserve. Easy ancient track-ways then bring you to the village of Tideswell, once part of Peverill’s estate, with its impressive church, "The Cathedral of the Peak".