Recently, we found a brilliant new circular walk from Castleton village into some prime Peak District country, with classic viewpoints along the way.
Castleton is a pretty village in the Dark Peak which is surrounded by hills and overlooked by the well-preserved keep of the Norman Peveril Castle (£ English Heritage). Apart from its' picturesque location, Castleton is famous for visitor-friendly caves which are not only beautiful inside but also provide the semi-precious Blue John stone from which jewellery is made. Numerous walks, of varied toughness, start from here. Castleton also has a great visitor centre and many places to relax, eat, drink & chill out.
Our hike started with a steep climb from the entrance of Cave Dale to a high ridge from where a great vista revealed itself: Peveril Castle, with Mam Tor and the Great Ridge behind. Easy grassy tracks then led us over to Winnats Pass, a winding limestone gorge with a road running through it. This eagle's-eye view over Winnats Pass from the southern ridge is far superior to the more trodden (and better signposted) north side, and the various knolls give a range of places to stop and wonder / have a picnic lunch / take pictures.
From the head of the Pass it's an easy walk uphill to the prehistoric hillfort remains of Mam Tor. The panoramic scene spread before you encompasses Kinder Scoutand the Edale Valley to the north, the sweep of the Ridge to the East with Stanage and the Derwent valley to the south east and Castleton to the south. The walk can be extended or curtailed depending on your endurance and time pressures but in good weather allow at least 4 hours as you'll want to linger at many points along the way. We dropped down the side of the Ridge at Hollins Cross and circled back to Castleton, a round route of about 4 hours.
Anyone who stays in Catherine Cottage can get the precise directions for this walk from us. It's one of the best walks we've done in the Peaks.
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