Walks in the UK: Thorpe, Peak District

This short walk around the picturesque village of Thorpe passes its most interesting features

Length: 2.1 miles

Walking time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Leisurely

Starting point: Thorpe Car Park (next to the Dog and Partridge)

Description:

This short walk around the picturesque village of Thorpe passes its most interesting features, including the conical Thorpe Cloud, an impressive limestone hill that stands in isolation, guarding the entrance to Dovedale, St Leonards Church with its square Norman tower and both the Tissington Trail and the Limestone Way.

1. Turn right from the car park up to the Dog and Partridge. Cross the road and follow Wintercroft Lane down to Peveril of the Peak Hotel. Just inside the entrance, before the stone pillars, pass through a narrow gate on the right to the Limestone Way.

2. Take this path, diagonally crossing two fields, and go over the stile at the end. Stick closely to the path if the red flags are up. Turn left and follow the wall around the back of the hotel, staying on the path as it bears right slightly. In the distance you’ll see Thorpe Cloud. When you reach a wide track crossing your path, turn left on the track back towards the village.

3. Cross the road at the junction and go straight ahead. Keep ahead on Dimire Lane to the end, where you come to the gates of St Leonards Church. Go into the churchyard and out through the gate on the opposite side. Take the path around the back of the church, then the signed path just behind the church on the left down the hill. Almost immediately you join the Limestone Way. Keep straight ahead and continue to a footbridge onto a road.

4. Turn right and go up the road (ignoring footpath signs on your right) and enjoy the stunning views as you continue to the top. At the junction, cross over the road and go through a gate onto a footpath. Go straight ahead, through the next gate and across another field to a gate that takes you onto the Tissington Trail. Go straight across the trail and down a path opposite and then through a gate.

5. Keep straight ahead through the trees then cross a footbridge over a stream. Go up the hill for a short distance. Turn left as soon as you see a footpath sign in the hedge. Go through the gate in the hedge, and then diagonally left to a gate and over a footbridge. Continue ahead up the bank, which takes you under the Tissington Trail, and straight on up the path. Turn right at the lane, leading to Narrow Lane and back to the car park.

For the full route and to download GPX data for the walk, visit www.ramblers.org.uk/findroutes. This walk is from Ramblers Routes, a collection of Britain’s best walks from the experts. There are hundreds of free routes available on the Ramblers website for anyone to enjoy, and hundreds more for Ramblers members.

The Ramblers helps everyone, everywhere, enjoy walking and protects the places people love to walk. For further information, visit www.ramblers.org.uk.