Walking in the Peak District

Takeing in the great outdoors!

The Peak District is an upland area in central and northern England across the southern area of the Pennines, often described as the backbone or spine of England. The Peak District stretches into Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire, Staffordshire and South and West Yorkshire making it very accessible for walkers from most parts of North of England, taking advantage of the beautiful scenery and challenging hills.

The Peak District National Park extends almost to the borders of the Peak District, becoming a National Park in 1951.

The Peak District has a natural geographical and geological divide - the northern part is called the Dark Peak and the Southern area is called the White Peak. The Dark Peak gets its name from the moorland and gritstone, whereas the White Peak gets its name from the limestone that is exposed there. Each of which provides different sorts of challenging terrain for walkers and scramblers in each area.

Because of the diversity of the Peak District it has become very popular with hill walkers and hikers from all over the UK and beyond. An extensive network of public footpaths has emerged over the years, totaling over 1,800 miles worth to keep help keep you peak baggers very busy indeed!

10 Tallest Peak District Peaks

1. Kinder Scout - 636m

2. Bleaklow - 633m

3. Higher Shelf Stones - 621m

4. Grindslow Knoll - 601m

5. Black Hill - 582m

6. Brown Knoll - 569m

7. Shining Tor - 559m

8. Axe Edge Moor - 551m

9. Lord's Seat - Rushup Edge - 546m

10. Margery Hill - 546m

Other popular peaks with walkers in the Peak District include:

Derwent Edge (Black Tor, 538m), Mam Tor (517m), Lose Hill (476m), Win Hill (462m), Stanage (458m) and Stanage Pole (428).

Popular Peak District walks include:

- Crowden to Black Hill

- Snake Inn to Kinder Scout

- Ladybower to Black Tor via Derwent Edge

- Hope Village to Lose Hill via Win Hill

- Castleton to Mam Tor via Winnats Pass

- Hathersage to Stanage Edge

Long-Distance Peak District Walking Trails

Walkers seeking a pleasant challenge often set-about the 17 mile High Peak Trail, re-using former railway lines running from Dowlow (near Buxton) to High Peak Junction (Cromford).

The Tissington trail is another trail that follows an old railway route, and runs from Parsley Hay in the North to Ashbourne in the south, and is approximately 13 miles in total. Beware though, you might need to share this route with cyclists and horse riders!  Remember to take the right equipment, as you never know what the weathers going to be like in a few hours, exposed on a hillside.

More Outdoor Advice

You can access more outdoor gear and activities advice pages, including advice on lightweight backpacking and choosing the right gear for your walk, hike, run or scramble.  There's also a free measure my walk and run tool which is handy for calculating how far you've actually walked - not claimed to have walked!

Start planning your route, by clicking here for Peak District maps, or here for Walk and Ramble's range of specialist walking clothes and equipment.