At 287 metres high (924 ft), its one of the smallest hills in the Peak District but you have wonderful views from the top! The path climbs some steps at SK 146518 before descending again. The walk was voted in at 26th place in the 100 most popular wal. Enjoy the views from Thorpe Cloud, at the far end you can see all the way down to the River Dove. There is a little section of road walking on a quiet lane, some mild hills to climb at times, and the option of refreshments at the cafe near the start. This is a paid car park. Dovedale (Ashbourne Circular) walk Through a pastoral landscape to the Peak District's most famous and scenic dale with its ravines, crags, pinnacles, arches and caves Circular Peak District Walk Directions Full directions for this walk are in a PDF file (link above) which you can print, or download on to a Kindle, tablet, or smartphone. I hiked up to the cave on a wet day and some rocks were slippy. This trail is great for birding, hiking, and mountain biking. Ascent: 400 feet. The village is worthy of exploration with the pretty Bentley Brook, a 14th century church and a fine inn with particularly lovely gardens to see. The delightful valley is one of the most popular places in the national park with its distinctive limestone scenery, fascinating caves and diverse plant life.You continue north past Bunster Hill, the Dove Hole Caves and the striking Ilam Rock before coming to Milldale. color: #444; Plus top tips and beautiful things to look out for on the way! The footpath then levels off as you approach the farm buildings. Trips Alerts Sign in Alerts Sign in You'll begin the walk at Ilam Park Dovedale. Tips for New Walkers: click here to download (PDF). Be careful! It's a popular and picturesque place with pretty little cottages and a village pond. Takes you down some big hills and down to a lovely little village where you can drop off near the water. This Dovedale walk is the equivalent of going off-piste on your favourite ski resort! If you dont fancy a longer walk then you can read my shorter walkhere. Just after the small group of buildings, there is a footpath on the right. Would imagine it gets super busy on weekend /* TOP Right*/ background: #95ba30; The third option is the car park directly on the Tissington Trail, there is a toilet and a small cafe here, selling hot drinks and snacks. Top of Baley Hill. }. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Posted on Last updated: February 28, 2023. Should be allowed to bbq as it would make the perfect picnic spot. Hedges, footpaths and fences can be moved and redirected. This is free to visit for National Trust members and one you don't currently have to book. Stay Until March 31st, 1 walk = 1 donation. Read more, Dovedale 10-Mile Circular Walk (+ Thorpe Cloud) | Peak District. On days where visibility is impaired by cloud, mist, rain or fog, some landmarks used as direction aids in the route descriptions may not be visible. We then joined the delightful path beside the River Dove, with the river on our right. A circular walk to the Peak District's highest point, Humber Bridge Circular Walk transform: scale(1.05,1.05); Check out my other website 'Peak District Walks' for loads of hiking inspiration, routes + tipspeakdistrictwalks.net, Stage 1 Narlows Car Park to Thorpe Cloud, Stage 5 Tissington Trail to Narlows Car Park, Read next - Beautiful Chee Dale Walk in the Peak District, *Becky the Traveller participates in the Amazon Services Associates Programme, as well as other affiliateprogrammes. Please follow us and use the #peakdistrictkids hashtag so we can share with our wider community. . } else { Look out for speeding cyclists coming up fast from behind as the section from Parsley Hay down to Ashbourne is on a slight gradient allowing cyclists to pick up a good turn of speed. Follow the footpath signs, keeping to the left of the boundary wall and going through several gates and stone stiles. The fencing prohibits you crossing over to take the footpath up to Thorpe Cloud. If you dont want to return the way you came, you can easily turn this into a circular walk as well. border-radius: 2px; Its another circular route, starting and finishing in Dovedale. For FREE newsletters with exclusive special offers, competitions and walk updates. Here we had a decision to make; we could either walk back the way that we had come through Dovedale, or we could make a circular walk by climbing up to the west of the valley. Ignore the turning on the left Gratton Lane, but shortly after turn left signposted to the YHA Youth Hostel. Did you know that there are other Peak District stepping stone walks? Next the walk crosses The Nabs before descending steeply down to Nabs Dale and onto Dove Holes and the Bat Cave as local rock climbers know it. Map: Wikiloc; For a direct walk to Mam Tor across the sublime Great Ridge, then the Hope to Mam Tor out and back trail is a fantastic option. Dovedale to Milldale walk Peak District The Outdoor Guide. Hartington is an attractive village at the northern end of Dovedale, set in the heart of some superb walking country. #lcsp_wrapper_1509246754 .owl-dots .owl-dot span{ There is also a second car park further down the road from this one. This section is a bit steep. Follow the Tissington Trail for 3 km, until you reach a second car park. Follow the path leading behind the toilets in Dovedale Car Park. As Wainwright says "There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing". The river is one side and woods the other (but the path is popular so you cant really hide!). Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 2 h 44 min to complete. These walks are also available on the Derbyshire Walks app here. Dovedale Stepping Stones 2. The walk then climbs above Milldale with views back over to Shining Tor on the left and Baley Hill to the right. The return journey is more challenging, with a steep climb out of Dovedale to . Head diagonally over to the wire fence alongside the copse and follow the fence up to a stile. Start: SK 14644 50960 Map: Landranger 119, Explorer OL24 Difficulty: 10 Refreshments : Dovedale and Milldale Route Map This Peak District walk starts at Dovedale and takes the well-known route through Dovedale to the village of Milldale. Only on the alternative route (return). Carefully descend the steep grassy hillside aiming for the head of Nabs Dale down to the path leading from Hanson Grange. I thought I'd share this lovely, leisurely walk, perfect for a Spring day. Carefully cross the A515 Buxton Road and go through the stile opposite following the path to Green Lane. You then go through a gate then descend Thorpe Cloud up a steep path. Other than these toilets there are very limited options on the first part of the route. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE: Without kids, this is a 2 hour walk, but with young kids it is closer to 3 hours (longer if it's a sunny day and you want to picnic by the river and maybe have a paddle). Early morning light as we continue along the path, A final glance along the River Dove as we part company with it and turn left uphill. Dovedale is a beautiful part of the White Peak Area in the Peak District National Park and itis a great place to start a circular walk. An assortment of interesting stop off points along our walks. We followed a path to the edge of Stanshope village and turned right to join a track between dry stone walls. Free toilets are available once you reach Milldale, compared to paying 20p at Dovedale. Date of walk: 9th June 2021. 994000 A Ilam walk posted on 26/02/18 by P&MFletcher. You can cross the small bridge to visit the cave next to Ilam rock or continue follow the path. Walk gets very busy especially around the stepping stones. Nice and easy walk. This is a much quieter route. The larger cave is about 30ft high and 60ft wide and known as The Bat Cave to local climbers, All too soon the riverside section of the walk came to an end as we reached Ilam Rock. In front of you, youll see the old railway bridge, leading you on to the Tissington Trail. Sorry, but your browser does not appear to be accepting our cookies. From here, turn left, walk up the short road and youll be back at the car park! #lcsp_wrapper_1509246754 .lcsp_logo_container a.lcsp_logo_link:hover { Take this sharp left through the woods, eventually leading you back out onto another road. A flat walk across the Humber Bridge, Walk the York Walls Fancy a walk in Dovedale but dont want to do a 10-mile walk? Download the Staffordshire Walks app to see your position on the map as you walk. border: 1px solid #ffffff; Dovedale Walk 3. Once you reach the stone wall, continue right, following the wall. No signal at all to load the map. This walk through the Dovedale National Nature Reserve is popular, but Dovedale is a beautiful place to visit. Read more . The path will go downhill to join the surfaced track by Dovedale car park and the public toilets (20p charge, not National Trust). Enjoy the limestone features of Lover's Leap, the Tissington Spires, and Dove Holes. Alstonefield - Alstonefield Youth Hostel - Overdale - Gipsy Bank - Wolfescote Dale - Coldeaton Bridge - Mill Dale - Milldale - Dove Dale - Achas Bank - Ilam Rock - Dovedale - Hall Dale - Stanshope - Dale Bottome - Alstonefield. To begin the walk, turn right out of the car park and follow the wide, well-marked path with the River Dove on your right. Public footpaths radiate from it in all directions. This option is for those of you that don't have too much time but still want to enjoy the wonderful scenery that this site offers. Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge The Dovedale to Milldale Walk The stats Distance: 6.8 miles (11km) total including the side trail to Thorpe Cloud Elevation gain: 140m or 300m with Thorpe Cloud Difficulty: Easy The only part of this walk that has anything more than a staircase or two to climb, is if you decide to head up to Thorpe Cloud - which we'd recommend for the great views. /*Bottom Right*/ (The next section of the route over access land is not recommended in mist or for small children in which case descend to Milldale and follow the route along the River Dove picking up the path at Dove Holes). Skip to main content. 1 from every sale of the iron-on patches goes towards the Peak District National Park Foundation, a registered charity established to raise funds to care for The Peak District National Park. There is a little van with food, drinks and ice cream at Dovedale car park, parking payment is cash only. } Despite being called the Peak District, this national park (the first in the UK) actually has very few real 'peaks'. If you crossed the bridge to use the toilets, then make sure you cross back again! I parked at Narlows car park, near The Old Dog pub. Take the one on the right that leads right up the hill to this gate (see photo below). Keep up with Think Adventure on Instagram. Turn left and walk along the road for 100m. You can follow this Thorpe Cloud walk from step 3. The route leads back to the original path again. This is a popular trail for hiking, running, and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. Dovestone Circular: a fantastic circular walk around reservoirs and moorland, enjoying the ever-popular . 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