This is a partial list of recreational walks in the county of Derbyshire in England. The list includes walks that are wholly inside Derbyshire and also those that pass through to other counties. The walks are generally through countryside on a variety of trails and footpaths. Small walks of only local interest are not included. There are over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) of public rights of way in Derbyshire.
Name | Image | Route | Length | Notes | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dane Valley Way | Buxton to Northwich, Cheshire | 48 miles (77km) | Between Derbyshire and Cheshire, partly alongside the River Dane. The Derbyshire section runs from Buxton to Three Shires Head | [1] | |
Derwent Valley Heritage Way | Ladybower Reservoir, Bamford, to River Trent at Shardlow | 55 miles (89 km) | Alongside the River Derwent, through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and Derby | [2] | |
Five Pits Trail | Grassmoor to Tibshelf | 5.5 miles (8.9 km) | Former railway line | [3] | |
Goyt Way | Whaley Bridge to Etherow Country Park, Greater Manchester | 10 miles (16 km) | Part of the Midshires Way | [4] | |
High Peak Trail | Buxton to Cromford | 17 miles (27 km) | Former railway line | [5] | |
Limestone Way | Castleton to Rocester, Staffordshire | 50 miles (80 km) | The Derbyshire section goes between Castleton and the River Dove near Thorpe | [6] | |
Longdendale Trail | Hadfield to Woodhead Tunnel | 6.2 miles (10 km) | Former railway line | [7] | |
Midshires Way | Bledlow, Buckinghamshire, to Stockport, Greater Manchester | 230 miles (370 km) | The Derbyshire section starts at Sawley near Long Eaton, on to Buxton and through the Goyt Valley towards Stockport. | [8] | |
Monsal Trail | Wye Dale, Buxton, to Coombs viaduct, Bakewell | 8.5 miles (13.7 km) | Former railway line | [9] | |
Peak District Boundary Walk | Buxton circular | 190 miles (310 km) | The Derbyshire sections are between:
| [10] | |
Pennine Bridleway (National Trail) | Middleton-by-Wirksworth to Hebden Bridge | 130 miles (210 km) | The Derbyshire section is between Middleton-by-Wirksworth and Tintwistle (near Glossop) | [11] | |
Pennine Cycleway (Sustrans-sponsored route) | Derby to Berwick-upon-Tweed | 335 miles (539 km) | The Derbyshire section runs from Derby up to along the Woodhead Pass valley towards Holmfirth | [12] | |
Pennine Way (National Trail) | Edale to Kirk Yetholm | 268 miles (431 km) | The Derbyshire section is from Edale to Black Hill | [13] | |
Sabrina Way | Hartington to Great Barrington, Gloucestershire | 203 miles (327 km) | The short Derbyshire section is between Hartington and the River Dove (towards Alstonefield) | [14] | |
Sett Valley Trail | Hayfield to New Mills | 2.2 miles (3.6 km) | Former railway line | [15] | |
Tissington Trail | Buxton to Parsley Hay | 13 miles (21 km) | Former railway line | [16] | |
Trans Pennine Trail | Southport to Hornsea | 207 miles (333 km) | From Merseyside to East Yorkshire. The Derbyshire section runs from the border with Greater Manchester at Broadbottom Bridge to the edge of Barnsley Metropolitan District east of Woodhead; from Padfield it coincides with the Longdendale Trail, above. A spur runs from Chesterfield past Killamarsh (towards Sheffield). | [17] | |
White Peak Loop Trail | Circular via Buxton, Bakewell and Matlock | 60 miles (97 km) | The trail combines sections of the High Peak Trail and the Monsal Trail. As of 2020 some sections are not yet complete. | [18] |
Abbott's Hike is a long distance footpath in Northern England in the United Kingdom.
The Pennine Way is a National Trail in England, with a small section in Scotland. The trail stretches for 268 miles (431 km) from Edale, in the northern Derbyshire Peak District, north through the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland National Park and ends at Kirk Yetholm, just inside the Scottish border. The path runs along the Pennine hills, sometimes described as the "backbone of England". Although not the United Kingdom's longest National Trail, it is, according to The Ramblers, "one of Britain's best known and toughest".
Kinder Scout is a moorland plateau and National Nature Reserve in the Dark Peak of the Derbyshire Peak District in England. Part of the moor, at 636 metres (2,087 ft) above sea level, is the highest point in the Peak District, in Derbyshire and the East Midlands.
The Midshires Way is a long-distance footpath and bridleway that runs for 230 miles (370 km) from the Chiltern Hills from near Bledlow in Buckinghamshire, through the Midlands counties of Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, to Stockport, Greater Manchester. It also links several other long-distance walking routes or trackways including The Ridgeway, the Pennine Bridleway and the Trans Pennine Trail.
The Limestone Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath in Derbyshire, England. It runs for 46 miles (74 km) through the White Peak of the Peak District National Park, from Castleton south to Rocester over the county boundary into Staffordshire. The trail is named for the limestone scenery along its route. It was devised by Brian Spencer of Matlock Rotary Club and developed and opened in 1986 by the West Derbyshire District Council. It originally ran to Matlock, but was extended to its current, longer route in 1992 to join up with the Staffordshire Way.
The Ribble way is a long-distance walk between the Lancashire coast and the Yorkshire Dales National Park largely following the course of the River Ribble.
The Sabrina Way is a waymarked long-distance footpath and bridleway in England.
The Derwent Valley Heritage Way (DVHW) is a 55 miles (89 km) waymarked footpath along the Derwent Valley through the Peak District. The walk starts from Ladybower Reservoir in the Peak District National Park via Chatsworth, the scenery around the Derbyshire Dales, and through the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. It follows the Riverside Path through Derby and continues onwards to the historic inland port of Shardlow. Journey's end is at Derwent Mouth where the River Derwent flows into the River Trent.
Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultivated and unenclosed land has opened up since the enactment of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. In Scotland the ancient tradition of universal access to land was formally codified under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. In Northern Ireland, however, there are few rights of way, or other access to land.
A long-distance trail is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents except Antarctica.
The Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) is a British not for profit, volunteer-led association whose aim is "to further the common interests of those who enjoy Long Distance Walking" in rural, urban, mountainous, coastal and moorland areas. The LDWA is recognised as the sports governing body for the discipline of "long distance walking" in England, Wales and Scotland.
The Yorkshire Water Way is a 104-mile (167 km) path that runs from Kettlewell in North Yorkshire to Langsett in South Yorkshire. It was devised by Mark Reid in conjunction with Yorkshire Water (YW) and it passes by over more than 20 reservoirs which are operated by Yorkshire Water.
The Peak District Boundary Walk is a circular 190-mile (310 km) walking trail, starting and finishing at Buxton and broadly following the boundary of the Peak District, Britain's first national park. The route was developed by the Friends of the Peak District and was launched on 17 June 2017.
The Dane Valley Way is a long-distance footpath through Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire, England. It runs from the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton to the end of the River Dane, where it enters the River Weaver in Northwich.
Peter Dale is a short dry crag-sided valley near Buxton, Derbyshire, in the Peak District of England. There is a farmland plateau on either side. The northern end of the valley leads into Hay Dale at Dale Head and the foot of the valley leads into Monk's Dale. Hay Dale and Monk's Dale are both part of the Derbyshire Dales National Nature Reserve managed by Natural England. The Carboniferous limestone rocks of all these dales were formed 350 million years ago from the shells and sediments of a tropical sea. The landscape was then sculpted by the ice sheets from the last Ice Age 20,000 years ago.
The Peak & Northern Footpaths Society (PNFS) is a UK registered charity which was formed in 1894. The purpose of PNFS is to monitor, protect, and improve the footpath network of the North Midlands and North West of England, including the Peak District National Park. The organisation is the oldest existing regional footpath society in the England.
The Frome Valley Trail is a long-distance footpath in Dorset, England which follows the River Frome from Evershot to Dorchester and will, when completed, extend to Poole Harbour.
This is a partial list of long distance footpaths and multi-use trails in the Peak District of England. The list includes trails that are wholly inside the Peak District and also those that pass through it. The walks are generally through countryside on a variety of footpaths, lanes and bridle paths. Short walks of only local interest are not included.