Hope - Castleton - Hope

Phil and Sue Eptlett

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The towns of Hope and Castleton are typically pretty (and popular) Derbyshire towns with loads of pubs, cafes, restaurants, shops and tourist facilities. The famous Derbyshire well-dressing, a traditional process of decorating the village wells with flowers and objects, happens in two weeks over June and July, which certainly adds to the charm of these towns.

The towns are small enough to potter around, so I have not suggested a route, as exploring is always more interesting. However, if you have time, a walk (steep) up to Peverill Castle (English Heritage) from Castleton is worth the trip. You can always pop down any of the four underground cave systems in the area. Peak Cavern is on the route, but the others are all within 1km.

The walk starts at Hope, heads towards Castleton on country paths following contours on the valleyside, going though fields and tracks, then a pull up Cave Dale to get the panoramic views across to Mam Tor and Hollins Cross, before returning into Castleton. On the way up you will come across a cave system that roars at you as it pushes air from the depths of the earth. Are there dragons down there, we mused!

It is whilst descending from this hill that you can pop up to the caverns further up Hope Valley. Once back in Castleton, the route returns to Hope along the valley bottom, following the lines of the river known as Peakeshole Water. The path is well-marked, level and passes through some wonderful meadows full of wildflowers. All in all, it is a varied walk with something for most people.

England - Central England - Derbyshire - Town or city

Features

Birds, Butterflies, Castle, Church, Flowers, Food Shop, Great Views, Hills or Fells, Museum, National Trust, Play Area, Pub, River, Toilets

4/9/2015 - Darren Fretwell

Walked this route on the 9 April 2015. The weather was fantastic for an English spring day and walked the whole way in t shirt and shades. The instructions are easy to follow as ever with walking world routes, no chance of losing your way. A couple of words of warning: Firstly, we walked up Cave Dale after 5 days of dry weather and there was still water pouring down the dale. Some walkers were in trainers and they found it really difficult to grip the wet stones so please wear boots. Secondly, the walk down from way mark 11 is steep and quite slippy, so take your time and zig zag down the hill like the walk author advises. Finally the return route from Castleton to Hope is very dog unfriendly, with several high stiles to climb and we saw people really struggling to lift the larger dogs over. It took us less time than expected and we clocked the walk as 7.6 miles and not the published 9.6. There are some really nice places to eat in Castleton so there is no need to pack the bag full of sandwiches and drinks.