Guide Great Walks

20 Scenic Hikes to Explore This Summer in Peak District (@_jackcrane_)

The Peak District is one of England’s most walked uplands, but venture beyond the honeypots and you’ll find genuine wildness. This is a roundup of twenty hikes that deliver either dramatic geology, hidden waterfalls, proper solitude, or some combination of all three. Most are within an hour’s drive of Birmingham, and all reward the effort with views that explain why people keep coming back.

These aren’t ranked. Some are short bursts of scrambling; others are full moorland days. Pick based on what you want from the Peak District on a given weekend: ravine walks through ancient woodland, limestone gorges with climbing routes up the sides, reservoirs that remember whole villages beneath them, or ridge walks where the horizon stretches into Cheshire.

Make a plan from this

Picks 20 places
Good forhikers and walkers seeking Peak District depth beyond the guidebook classics
Best timesummer weekdays to avoid crowds; early starts recommended
Spend£0 per person
1 Open now

Lud’s Church Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Buxton £0.00 - £0.00

A moss-drenched, 18-metre-deep rock chasm in Back Forest, genuinely other-worldly and free to visit.

2 Open now

Chee Dale Stepping Stones Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Buxton £0.00 - £0.00

Ancient limestone stepping stones beneath towering cliffs on a scenic river gorge trail.

3 Open now

Wessenden Head Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Holmfirth £0.00 - £0.00

A wild moorland reservoir at the top of Wessenden Valley, the launch pad for some of the Peak District's quietest waterfall walks.

4 Open now

Lathkill Dale Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Bakewell £0.00 - £0.00

Limestone valley with clear river, caves and ancient woodland through a designated nature reserve.

5 Open now

High Tor and the Chasm, Matlock Opening hours
Mon 08:00 to 20:00
Tue 08:00 to 20:00
Wed 08:00 to 20:00
Thu 08:00 to 20:00
Fri 08:00 to 20:00
Sat 08:00 to 20:00
Sun 08:00 to 20:00

Trail Matlock £0.00 - £0.00

A 300 ft limestone cliff above Matlock Bath with a vertigo-inducing ledge path, fenced mining chasm, and jaw-dropping gorge views.

6 Open now

Bamford Edge Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Bamford £0.00 - £0.00

Iconic gritstone ridge above Ladybower Reservoir delivering one of the Peak District's most photographed views.

7 Open now

Seven Falls Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Glossop £0.00 - £0.00

Hidden Peak District waterfall walk with cascading falls along Arnfield Brook.

8 Open now

Padley Gorge Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Derbyshire Dales £0.00 - £0.00

Ancient woodland gorge carved by Burbage Brook, beloved for family walks and stream paddling.

9 Open now

Monsal Weir Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Bakewell £0.00 - £0.00

A short circular dale walk dropping to a weir on the River Wye, directly beneath the iconic Headstone Viaduct.

10 Open now

The Trinnacle Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Oldham £0.00 - £0.00

A dramatic three-pronged gritstone stack perched on Saddleworth Moor above three reservoirs, reached via a steep scramble up Birchen Clough waterfall.

11 Open now

Wolfscote Dale Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Hartington £0.00 - £0.00

Limestone dale walk along the River Dove with dramatic cliffs, caves and quiet riverside paths.

12 Open now

Reynards Cave (Dove Dale) Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Ashbourne £0.00 - £0.00

A limestone cave framed by a dramatic natural arch high above the River Dove, reached via Dovedale's famous stepping stones.

13 Open now

Winnats Pass Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Castleton £0.00 - £0.00

A jaw-dropping limestone gorge above Castleton with 340-million-year-old reef walls, caverns and ridge views.

14 Open now

B-29 ‘Overexposed’ Crash Site Memorial Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Glossop £0.00 - £0.00

Historic 1948 US Air Force bomber crash site on remote moorland; solemn memorial and challenging hike.

15 Open now

Derwent Reservoir Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Bamford £0.00 - £0.00

Three linked reservoirs in the Peak District offering walks from easy dam strolls to challenging moorland hikes with views of lost villages beneath the water.

16 Open now

Cave Dale Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Castleton £0.00 - £0.00

Dramatic limestone gorge with soaring cliffs and views of Peveril Castle, accessed through the centre of Castleton village.

17 Open now

Wyming Brook Nature Reserve Opening hours
Mon 07:00 to 19:00
Tue 07:00 to 19:00
Wed 07:00 to 19:00
Thu 07:00 to 19:00
Fri 07:00 to 19:00
Sat 07:00 to 19:00
Sun 07:00 to 19:00

Trail Sheffield £0.00 - £0.00

A wilderness ravine nature reserve with babbling streams, rocky crags and pine woodland just west of Sheffield city.

18

Baslow Edge

Trail Baslow £0.00 - £0.00

Dramatic gritstone escarpment with moorland trails, Highland cattle, and sweeping views over the Derwent Valley.

19 Open now

Middle Black Clough Waterfall Walk Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Trail Glossop £0.00 - £0.00

A short, scrambly out-and-back through Birchen Bank Woods to a dramatic 10 m waterfall hidden in the Dark Peak moorland.

20 Open now

Jugholes Cave Opening hours
Mon 00:00 to 23:59
Tue 00:00 to 23:59
Wed 00:00 to 23:59
Thu 00:00 to 23:59
Fri 00:00 to 23:59
Sat 00:00 to 23:59
Sun 00:00 to 23:59

Activity Bonsall, Via Gellia £0.00 - £0.00

A half-natural, half-mined Peak District cave system packed with chambers, old shafts, and centuries-old lead-mining history.