Peak Way

Cheshire, Derbyshire, Gtr Manchester, Staffordshire

A route devised by LDWA member Ken Reece as a Covid-lockdown project. Much of the route is in the Peak District National Park and starts in the Dark Peak, with its high moors and dark gritstone, before reaching the gentler White Peak, a landscape of limestone dales, drystone walls and pretty villages.

From Stockport, easily reached by public transport, river and canal paths are used to reach Hayfield. A climb onto the Kinder plateau picks up the Pennine Way to Edale. The ascent of Rushup Edge to Mam Tor and along the Great Ridge to Lose Hill give superb views of the valleys below.

After a gentler section alongside Derwent Reservoir the route climbs up again onto the moors passing impressive rock formations and onwards along the eastern gritstone edges to reach Baslow marking the transition to the White Peak. The impressive parkland of Chatsworth follows and then into the small town of Bakewell. The journey continues through Matlock and on to its most southerly point at Ashbourne. Here the route heads north again and takes in several iconic limestone dales. Onwards to Buxton and through the Goyt Valley to reach Lyme Park. The Macclesfield Canal offers a pleasant corridor through built-up areas on the return to Stockport.

Strider News - August 2026 (Publication Update)

 

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Details:

Path Type:	Other Paths
Attributes:	Other Paths Challenging Canal Lake/Reservoir/Loch Moorland National Park River Urban
Start and Finish:	SJ907905 - Woodbank Memorial Park, Stockport, Gtr Manchester
Web Sites:	Peak Way Peak Way Walk [YouTube video]

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Publications, Badges and Certificates:

Guidebook

Walking the Peak Way  (Ken Reece  - 2026 )

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