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Chatsworth & the Peak District

Hathersage & Castleton
 
Explore the dramatic beauty of Britain's first National Park on this self-guided walking holiday, with luggage transported. Stay in two typical Peak District towns, enjoy panoramic views across the moorland, and visit Chatsworth House and its beautiful gardens.
Chatsworth & the Peak District. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Chatsworth & the Peak District. 4 nights
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A walking holiday in the Peak District

The Peak District was Britain’s first National Park and is, arguably, still the best, worthy of its status as the most popular. Within its boundaries lies a varied landscape where grand country houses and neat villages occupy lush valleys, while craggy edges mark the beginning of open heather moorland.
Linking two market towns typical of the area, this walk provides plentiful opportunities for you to discover the contrasting landscapes of ‘the Peak’, while enjoying warm hospitality at our hand-picked guesthouses.
Beginning in Hathersage, our route follows the River Derwent before rising to the summit of Win Hill, which rewards with spectacular views over the Upper Derwent Valley and Ladybower Reservoir. You then head off to your final destination in Castleton, taking in more stunning views from the hills as you make your way to the geological gems of Mam Tor and the Blue John Mines.
 

Improved itinerary coming soon!

We are currently revamping this holiday for 2021. If you would like us to let you know when the revised itinerary is finalised, please contact us.
 
Gallery
 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.

    The weather in the Peak District can be unpredictable, so pack for all weathers.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 6 6 9 12 15 19 20 20 18 14 9 7
    mm 71 57 62 59 58 58 52 62 58 60 70 73
  • Arrival in Hathersage
    Night 1: at The Plough Inn (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night’s accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of walking.
  • Circular walk from Hathersage: 16.5km (10.5 miles), 6 hrs
    For your first day, we provide a transfer to the Chatsworth Estate, from where you walk back to Hathersage. You are taken to the pretty estate village of Edensor, where each house is built in a different style – when the village was re-sited, the busy Duke of Devonshire simply ordered ‘one of each’ when it came to choosing the design of the houses! Take your time to explore before setting off towards the neat, landscaped parkland of Chatsworth House itself, seat of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Dating from the late 17th century, Chatsworth is one of Britain’s best-loved country estates and now houses famous works of art, a working farmyard and a spectacular cascade, as well as shops and places to eat. We thoroughly recommend you visit the house (pay locally).
    Your route back to Hathersage continues through the deer park along the banks of the River Derwent to the small town of Baslow. Here, you climb through bracken to reach the first of the gritstone ‘edges’ that characterise this region, enjoying an easy walk along Baslow, Curbar and Froggatt Edges with rewarding views over heather moorland on your right and the wooded river valley on your left. A direct descent through woodland takes you to the village of Grindleford where you rejoin the Derwent to follow its banks to Leadmill Bridge on the outskirts of Hathersage.
    Circular walk from Hathersage: 16.5km
    Chatsworth House
  • Hathersage to Castleton: 17km (10.5 miles), 6.5hrs
    From Hathersage you have a gentle stroll through farmland and woods beside the River Derwent to the village of Shatton. Leaving the river behind, you rise to the summit of Win Hill which rewards with spectacular views over the Upper Derwent Valley and Ladybower Reservoir which was famously used by Lancaster bomber pilots while training for the Dam-buster raid – the film was also shot here in 1954. From Win Hill, you drop down to then ascend Lose Hill. The day ends with a descent into the town of Castleton for two nights at Dunscar Farm.
    Hathersage to Castleton: 17km
    On the route from Hathersage to Castleton
  • Circular walk from Castleton: 11km (7 miles), 4hrs
    For your final day we suggest a walk which enables you to complete the horseshoe of hills which surround Castleton. The walking is on well-trodden, clearly marked paths and affords the opportunity to visit one or two of the the famous Blue John caves en-route (named after the blue and yellow, or bleu-jaune, mineral discovered here) and Peveril Castle, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, at the end of the walk.
    Circular walk from Castleton: 11km
    Peveril Castle
 

Accommodation

Each of your bases offer a warm welcome and comfortable accommodation.
 

Extend your stay

What is included
  • 4 nights
  • 2 picnics
    4 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • route notes and maps
  • transfer back to first accommodation to pick up car
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

All 8 reviews
  • Anon
    20 October 2020

    A lovely break in these depressing times.  It was wonderful to be able to get away into such lovely countryside especially with the beautiful autumn colours. The accommodation was very good and we had some very nice evening meals, at the Plough the first two nights and in Castleton village on our final two evenings.  The walks were strenuous but a good level for us and we thoroughly enjoyed them all. They showcased some great highlights of the surrounding area and made us feel we would love to return at some point.  The instructions, walk choices, maps etc. were all excellent as usual.

  • Anon
    11 September 2020

    First time with Inntravel, thoroughly enjoyed our 3 days walking. Holiday walking grade was accurate. No hesitation in recommending to others.

  • Mr M Sikkes
    London
    24 August 2020

    Absolutely perfect short walking holiday! All three of the walks were suberb and the accomodations were lovely. We couldn't recommend this more highly.

  • anon
    25 September 2019

    Highlights: The walks themselves - the 'Edges' are spectacular; Win Hill is a challenge - but at least this walk on day 2 went up the gentler side and came down the steeper one!

    The Plough Inn- wonderful accommodation.

  • Mrs K Lenchner
    USA
    01 September 2019

    We would suggest you walking these paths again soon to make sure your directions regarding signage are still current. We would also recommend you stay in our room with 2 people at Dunscar Farm to see the shape of this room.  We would recommend you spend some time and money supplying maps that are specific to the area to greatly increase the ease of use and enjoyment for the walkers.

  • Dr. Nic
    20 July 2019

    The highlights of the walk were Stanage Edge and Win Hill and Mam Tor and Chatsworth. Two tips for future walkers:

    1) On the Chatsworth day we walked the gardens and house until 4:00 in the afternoon so instead of completing the full walk afterwards, we walked to Curbur Edge and then called Penny’s Cabs to pick us up at the car park near the end of the edge. They were timely and friendly. 

    2) We used the maps to adjust our walks as needed and still take in the highlights. For example after walking up Win Hill we chose to walk down into Hope where we had a cider at the pub and then finished the walk to Castleton via the foot path that runs along the river between Hope and Castleton. 

  • Judy from Victoria, BC
    04 October 2018

    We did this trip as a bit of a family reunion of 5 sisters in our 50s and 60s and a niece in her 20s.  The hotels were excellent and the staff very friendly.  The walking notes are detailed and accurate.  The routes are beautiful and there is enough variety to be interesting and enough climbing to be a bit of a challenge.  We happened be at Chatsworth for a visit from Princess Anne.   The staff at Dunscar farm drove us into town for dinner and picked us up after.  The pick ups and luggage transfers all happened seamlessly.  I would recommend this route and this company.

  • Anon
    23 April 2018

    The views across the moors when the sun came out were the highlight for me. We discovered the heated outdoor pool in Hathersage,  did experience all weathers, including 2 sharp hailstorms on the ridges, and due to the heavy rain some of the downhill paths became small streams so the going was often slow and slippery. Due to the wet we abandoned the third walk, explored Castleton instead, and took the bus to Bakewell which was a sightseeing tour in itself. We were rather surprised to find many businesses closed on a Thursday. This may be due to the low season, or may well be a local custom as market day is Monday. 
 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • We sincerely hope that your holiday experience will be as enjoyable as it would have been before the pandemic – walking holidays are ideal in these times of social distancing, and we’re not operating holidays if the key highlights can no longer be delivered – but, naturally, there will be some changes to ensure your and other people’s safety.
    Your holiday experience: what to expect >
    Safety measures being taken by hoteliers & others >
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. If/when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation, meaning that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our walking holidays in Europe page.
  • Yes, absolutely. Over the years, we have arranged a great many walking holidays in the UK for customers living in the USA, Canada, Australia and beyond.

    If you've never travelled with us before, it's worth reading the web pages which explain how we can cater for customers who live outside the UK. The main thing to bear in mind is that our tour operator's licence doesn't allow us to book flights that originate outside the UK, and nor are we able to book rail travel in the UK, so we can't make travel arrangements for you, other than pre-arranging taxis between the local railway station and the accommodation – see the ‘prices & travel options’ section for the options available.

    As regards entry requirements, it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. Our essential travel information page provides links to websites where you can find out about the applicable requirements, along with general official travel advice.
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can cost tens of thousands of pounds.

    You don’t have to take out our recommended travel insurance policy (if you live outside the UK you’ll definitely need to make your own arrangements, as the policy is only for UK residents), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    We'll ask you for the details of your policy (insurer, policy number and medical emergency phone number) so that we can help out if the worst happens while you are on holiday. It's up to you, though, to check that your policy covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs; we don't check alternative policies.
  • We are happy to take bookings for families of teenagers if they walk regularly, love the outdoors and are comfortable with the distances and ascent/descent involved, but please note that the bedrooms at most of the accommodation we use will normally only sleep a maximum of 3 people, and sometimes only 2.

    At the request of some of the accommodation providers on this holiday, we are unable to accept bookings for children aged under 12.
  • Unfortunately not. The Inntravel team includes many dog owners, but the extra considerations – such as whether taxi firms accept dogs for transfers to the start of walks, whether routes cross private land on which dogs are not allowed, and proximity to a vet’s – would add another layer of complexity to what are already quite complex holidays.
Last fetch time is : 3/3/2021 12:28:30 PM