Description
The Peak District -Exploring the White Peak
Grade 
Stay in beautiful Buxton and explore the limestone scenery of the White Peak with its diverse range of landscapes strewn with pretty villages.
Price: £1095
– Single supplement £250
Duration:
7 nights
Next departure:
– May 16th 2025
The Peak District is the oldest national park in the UK, and it is not hard to see why with its diverse range of landscapes and settings strewn with pretty villages and industrial heritage. On this week-long holiday we will explore the White Peak area, the limestone scenery that surrounds Buxton and Castleton. Our base will be Old Hall Hotel situated in the centre of the town of Buxton. This delightful market town and spa has had a surge of fortune in recent years; Buxton Crescent the focal point of the town, has been lovingly restored and is now a 5-star hotel with world class spa. Buxton a delightful base for a week’s walking. The sister hotel to the Crescent Hotel, Old Hall Hotel will be our home for the week.
Holiday highlights
- Discover the rolling hills, pretty villages with beautiful churches, and Victorian Industrial heritage of the White Peak area of the Peak District – quintessential English countryside.
- Visit and walk from the lovely Peak District village of Hartington, famous for it’s cheese!
- Explore the beautiful Goyt Valley and Miller’s Dale to experience their spectacular scenery and industrial heritage.
- Stay in elegant Old Hall Hotel in the centre of the delightful spa and market town of Buxton with its Regency architecture and independent shops.
Accommodation
Our home for the week is Old Hall hotel in the very centre of Buxton. This is an hotel with a remarkable history! The building dates back to 1573 making it reputedly the oldest hotel in the country – it was built by Elizabeth I to provide accommodation for Mary Queen of Scots while she was under house arrest. The ensuite rooms have been sympathetically refurbished in keeping with the age of the hotel but with all the modern comforts you expect. Situated in the very centre of Buxton it is an ideal base to explore the town and its beautiful surroundings.
Meals will be taken in the hotel’s elegant restaurant overlooking the pavilion gardens and offering the best of traditional British cuisine.
Sole ocupancy of a double room
Single occupancy supplement: £250
Included
- En-suite half board accommodation in Old Hall Hotel, Buxton.
- A three-course meal, served each evening in the hotel restaurant.
- 5 days guided walking with a qualified and professional leader.
Not included
- Lunches -these are available to buy from local shops in Buxton.
- Incidental expenses such as drinks.
- Transport to 3 of the walks. We will drive the short distances involved.
Day-to-Day Itinerary
The following is the proposed itinerary. Please bear in mind that in the event of local conditions changing, for example due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary to change the itinerary.
The walks will be ordered during the week to make the most of the conditions.
Day 1: Arrive in Buxton
Day 1: Arrive in BuxtonArrive at Old Hall Hotel and check into your room. Meet at 7pm in the lounge for a short briefing about the week ahead before our three-course dinner is served in the hotel’s restaurant.
Meal included: dinner
Day 2: The Goyt Valley
Day 2: The Goyt ValleyWe walk from the hotel up onto Burbage Edge and then down into the Goyt valley on the track of the old Cromford and High Peak railway. We pass Goyt’s Bridge, a picturesque packhorse bridge, moved to its current location in 1965, when Errwood Reservoir was flooded. We follow the valley before climbing up back to the hotel alongside Berry Clough and through Buxton Country Park.
16 km (10 miles) ascent/descent 360 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 3: Three Shires Head and Danebower Hollow
Today we start high and stay relatively high throughout the day, making for spectacular views across the south side of the Peaks. Parking at Derbyshire Bridge we pick up Drystone Edge to the waterfalls at 3 shires Head, the meeting point of Derbyshire, Staffordshire and Cheshire – a beautiful spot! Once we have stopped to admire the falls we climb steadily from the valley up onto Danebower Hollow and cross the moor to the iconic Cat and Fiddle pub (closed at the moment) From there we pick up a quiet lane to walk back to our cars at the Derbyshire Bridge.
14 km (9 miles) ascent/descent 300 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 4: Buxton to Castle Naze
The walk around Combs Moss to Castle Naze is one of the best circumnavigations of a moorland plateau in the Peak District. Think of it as a mini–Kinder Scout with even better views! Again we walk from the hotel along Black Edge on the east side of Combs Moss to the Iron Age fort of Castle Naze for splendid 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside. We return via Combs Edge back into Buxton.
Distance: 15 km (9.5 miles) ascent/descent 300 m
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 5: Free day
Today is free to discover the local area. There is plenty to explore in and around Buxton itself: Pavillion Gardens, Poole’s Cavern and Buxton Country Park.
However, there are also plenty of options slightly further afield. These include
- Chatsworth House and Gardens
- Peak Rail Heritage Railway
- Haddon Hall
- Crich Tramway Village
- Thornbridge Hall and Gardens
If you would rather not lose a day’s walking in this beautiful area, then I can provide you with plenty of routes/maps/walking books for ideas.
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 6: Miller’s Dale and Chelmorton
Today we drive to Miller’s Dale station and park there. We begin with a steady ascent and then follow a level track with lovely views over the surrounding countryside to the delightful village of Chelmorton. From there we pick up the Midshires Way to descend gradually at first so that we maintain the views and then finally down to the River Wye. We follow this picturesque river through the limestone gorge of Chee Dale and then, as the riverside path becomes a little tricky, we ascend to pick up the disused railway track, the Monsall Trail which we follow back to the station buildings at Miller’s dale.
Distance: 15 km (9 miles) ascent and descent 310 metres
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 7: Hartington to Pilsbury
This circular walk gives fine views out to the north west of the Peak District as well as views down into the beautiful River Dove – but without the hoards in Dovedale. We drive to the lovely Peak District town of Hartington and follow a route above the Dove Valley to Pilsbury castle. From here we pick up the Pennine Bridleway through the village of Heathcote back to Hartington. There will be time to explore this lovely village before returning to Buxton.
Distance: 15 km (9.5 miles) ascent and descent 435 metres
Meals included: breakfast and dinner
Day 8
The holiday finishes after breakfast. It’s goodbye -until next time!
Meals included: breakfast
Kit list
For walking each day:
- Good walking boots or shoes
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Lightweight, quick drying trousers
- Base layer
- Mid-layer such as a fleece jacket and an additional ‘spare’ layer depending on the forecast
- Walking socks
- Warm hat and gloves -just in case the weather turns
- Sun hat, sunglasses, lip salve and high SPF sun block
- Day sack (25 litre capacity is a good size) to comfortably carry your kit, lunch and water
- Dry bag or rucksack cover to keep the contents of your daypack dry
- Water bottle
- Basic first aid kit (plasters, blister treatment, antiseptic etc)
- Some snacks to keep you going
- Walking/trekking poles (if you use them)
Maps
OS Explorer map OL340 Holy Island and Bamburgh, OL332 Alnwick and Amble, OL16 The Cheviot Hills.
Group size
This guided holiday will have a maximum group size of 15.
