The Best Walks in the Peak District
Britain’s first national park, and the one within an hour of Manchester, Sheffield and Derby. The walking splits cleanly into two halves, gritstone edges and moorland in the Dark Peak, limestone dales in the White Peak, and we list 28 places to stay across both.
Published 18 August 2026
The Peak District is two landscapes wearing one name. The Dark Peak in the north is millstone grit: heather moor, peat, and the gritstone edges that gave British rock climbing its start. The White Peak in the south is carboniferous limestone: green dales, drystone walls, clear rivers and caves. Almost every decision about where to walk here follows from which of the two you want.
Easy: flat and traffic-free
The converted railways are the Peak’s great gift to people who want scenery without a climb.
| Walk | Distance | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Monsal Trail | 8.5 miles | Six lit tunnels and the Headstone Viaduct; wheelchair and buggy friendly |
| Tissington Trail | 13 miles | Open plateau, big skies, links to the 17-mile High Peak Trail |
| Ladybower Reservoir | 2–9 miles | Water on both sides, the Derwent dams, flexible length |
| Chatsworth parkland | 3–4 miles | Estate paths, the house, and the Derwent |
Moderate: the classics
Mam Tor and the Great Ridge
The best moderate walk in the park and the one to do first. A paved path to a 517-metre summit, then a ridge walk east over Hollins Cross and Back Tor to Lose Hill, with Edale on one side and Castleton on the other the whole way. Covered in full in the Mam Tor walk.
Dovedale and the stepping stones
The limestone showpiece, a river gorge with the famous stepping stones, Thorpe Cloud rising above them, and a path that can be as short as a mile or extended for miles upstream. See the Dovedale walk.
Stanage Edge
Four miles of gritstone escarpment above Hathersage, and the birthplace of British gritstone climbing. The walk along the top is easy going with a huge drop on one side and moorland on the other. Park at Hooks Car and go north.
Padley Gorge
A short, atmospheric climb through sessile oak woodland beside a tumbling brook near Grindleford. Best in autumn, and one of the few genuinely shaded walks in the park.
Hard: the Dark Peak
Kinder Scout
At 636 metres the highest ground in the Peak District, and a plateau rather than a summit, a confusing expanse of peat groughs where navigation genuinely matters. The usual approach is from Edale via Grindsbrook or Jacob’s Ladder, returning along the Pennine Way. Kinder Downfall, the waterfall on the western edge, blows back on itself in a strong westerly.
Bleaklow
North of the Snake Pass and harder going than Kinder: deep peat, few landmarks, and the wreckage of a crashed B-29 at Higher Shelf Stones. Not a first walk in the area, and not one for poor visibility.
Walks that end at a pub
The Peak has an unusually good ratio of walks to pubs: the Old Nag’s Head at Edale, the Rambler Inn at Edale, the Barrel at Bretton, the Yorkshire Bridge below Ladybower. Across our whole database, 718 sites have a pub within a mile of the gate, which we have broken out in walks that end at a pub.
Where to stay
We list 28 sites in the Peak District catchment, 16 of which sit inside the national park boundary itself. The split matters: sites inside the boundary are generally in the dales or on the edge of the moor, while the catchment picks up the villages just outside, which are often better placed for the trailheads anyway.
Glamping in the Peak District
Across the Peak District catchment, best-rated first.
See all 28 sites (22 more not shown here).
Common questions
- What is the best walk in the Peak District?
- Mam Tor and the Great Ridge for the best moderate day, the Monsal Trail if you want it flat and traffic-free, and Kinder Scout if you want a serious moorland outing.
- What is the highest point in the Peak District?
- Kinder Scout, at 636 metres. It is a peat plateau rather than a peak, and navigation across it is harder than the height suggests.
- What is the difference between the Dark Peak and the White Peak?
- The Dark Peak in the north is gritstone: heather moorland, peat and rocky edges. The White Peak in the south is limestone: green dales, drystone walls and clear rivers.
- Are there easy walks in the Peak District?
- Yes. The Monsal Trail, Tissington Trail and the Ladybower reservoir paths are all flat former railways or waterside tracks, and the Monsal is suitable for wheelchairs and buggies.
Keep reading
- Peak DistrictMam Tor and the Great Ridge: The Castleton CircularHow to walk Mam Tor and the Great Ridge from Castleton, the route, the parking, the shivering mountain and the broken road, plus where to stay nearby.
- Peak DistrictThe Monsal Trail: Walking and Cycling It End to EndA complete guide to the Monsal Trail, 8.5 traffic-free miles through six lit railway tunnels between Bakewell and Chee Dale, with parking, bike hire and stays nearby.
- Peak DistrictDovedale and the Stepping StonesA guide to walking Dovedale, the stepping stones, Thorpe Cloud, Lover’s Leap and the walk upstream to Milldale, with parking advice and stays nearby.
- Peak DistrictThings to Do in the Peak DistrictWhat to do in the Peak District beyond the walking, the Castleton show caves, Chatsworth, the cable car at Matlock Bath, the trails, and the villages worth a detour.