Have you ever experienced visiting a new place for the first time, and instantly knowing that you’ll return there many times in the future? For me, it happened when I went on a quick evening hike in the Peak District back in July. From the moment I got off the train in Edale, I was in love. The views from the top of Grindslow Knoll only solidified that feeling. I couldn’t stop thinking about going back, and eventually, I decided to spend a weekend in Peak District at the start of September. Today, I’d like to share with you an ultra long hike I did, climbing Mam Tor, Winn Hill, and Kinder Scout in one day, amongst other activities. If you’re not into walking marathon distances, that route can be split into two or three shorter ones.
Getting to Peak District from London
It’s actually quite easy to get to the Peak District from London, even for a day trip. The train from London St Pancras International to Sheffield takes around 2 hours. Getting from Sheffield to Hope or Edale is another 30 minute train journey. So, technically, you could just do it as a day trip.
I decided to go up north for the weekend. I took a train to Sheffield on Friday afternoon and checked in to a hotel there. On Saturday morning, after a quick hotel breakfast, I took a train from Sheffield to Hope. It rained that morning, and I could see a beautiful rainbow over the hills from the train window. Luckily, that was the end of rain for the day!
First peak of the hike – climbing Winn Hill
I got off at Hope train station and used the footbridge at the station to cross the railway tracks. Then, I followed the public footpaths towards Winn Hill. For that section of the hike, I used Google Maps – it was good enough and had all the relevant pathways.
I love climbing over the fences (a completely legal and normal part of English countryside walks) to then walk through the field with sheep or cows. I don’t bother the animals and keep my distance, but it makes me happy to be able to share a space with them.
The ascent to Winn Hill was steep, but I was soon rewarded with incredible views of Peak District. I can never get enough of such views.
It didn’t take me long to reach the trig point of Winn Hill.
There are some interesting rock formations on top of Winn Hill. If you look around, you’ll see the reservoirs and Bamford Edge to the north-east (I visited those the following day and will write about it soon). To the west, you can see the ridge between Mam Tor and Lose Hill. The panorama from Winn Hill is incredible. A great place to sit down and enjoy a meal!
Descent back to Hope and a walk to Castleton
It was time to continue my hike. I descended from Winn Hill back to Hope, this time, following the paths on the north-west part of the hill. In Hope, I had a quick stroll around the village in search for souvenirs – specifically fridge magnets. Sadly, I didn’t find any. I did, however, locate public toilets – a welcome treat on any long hike.
From Hope, I walked towards Castleton. The quickest way is along the road, but I chose a slightly longer route, through the fields. It was a flat part of the hike – I could simply relax and enjoy the views.
Exploring Castleton
Castleton is a cute village. I walked past many cafes and pubs, and even popped into an antique store, which I’ve really enjoyed lately. Finally, I got to the visitor centre, where I found fridge magnets. Success! By the till at the Visitor Centre, I saw a discount leaflet for Castleton Castle – what a coincidence! I’d already planned to go to the castle next.
Ruins of Castleton Castle are located on a small hill, from which you can enjoy spectacular views of Mam Tor and other nearby peaks. There’s also a small museum at the castle, and toilets.
Near Castleton, there are also a couple of caves that seem fascinating. One of them even has an underground lake! I saw those caves pinned on Google Maps, and I was really tempted to check them out. However, I decided I didn’t have time to spare and continued my hike instead. I’ll have to return to Castleton one day to visit the caves.
Climbing Mam Tor via Winnats Pass
Next, I headed towards Winnats Pass. From the car park, I climbed the hill following the footpath. It was probably the most exhausting part of the hike! It was a steep climb and I was out of breath pretty soon. But, as always, the views made it 100% worth the effort. The wind in that area was incredibly strong, so I didn’t spend much time there. I wasn’t far from my next destination: Mam Tor.
Mam Tor ridge
I followed the path from Winnats Pass to Mam Tor, one of the most popular hills in Peak District. I had to cross a small road to get to the final stretch of the path to Mam Tor.
This was by far the most crowded part of my hike. The climb from the road to the top of Mam Tor took about 10 minutes, so I’m not surprised that many people choose to go there. I generally prefer to stay away from crowded places (there’s a reason why I spend my weekends on countryside walks), but the view from Mam Tor was incredible. I could see Winn Hill, which I climbed in the morning, and I could also see Kinder Scout – another popular hill in Peak District.
I tapped the trig point on Mam Tor and sat down to enjoy a quick meal. It was basically the only time I sat down all day!
After maybe 15 minutes, I was ready to continue the hike. I followed the path along the ridge of the hill, admiring the views on both sides. I got to Back Tor, and then Lose Hill. From that point, the path seemed to go steeply down.
Instead of continuing straight ahead, I turned back. I valked via Back Tor again, until I reached a crossroad. From there, I turned right and descended to Edale.
From Edale to Kinder Scout
I loved the entire hike until that point, but getting to Edale felt like… home? Even though I’ve only visited it once before, during my evening hike back in July.
I followed along the same route as I did in July, and climbed Grindslow Knoll. From there, I followed the path, taking a left turn at a fork, to head towards Kinder Scout.
Soon, I reached the woolpacks – unique rock formations covering a large area on top of the hill. There’s something truly magical in this place!
I was slowly running out of daylight hours, but decided to add just one more section to my hike. Instead of turning back to return to Edale the same way I climbed up, I headed towards the trig point of Kinder. I got to the area I didn’t reach in July, with even more huge rock formations. Eventually, I found the trig point, tapped it, and started the descent.
Final leg of the hike
From Kinder, I headed towards Jacob’s Ladder, and then walked back to Edale via Pennine Way. I got back to the village just around the sunset time.
I had about 20 minutes to spare, and decided to pop in to The Old Nags Head, a pub just at the end of the trail. I ordered a small glass of a craft ale and sat down in the garden, thrilled with how the day had played out.
Eventually, I headed back to Edale train station to catch a train back to Sheffield.
Summary of the hike
My ultimate Peak District Hike covering Winn Hill, Castleton, Winnats Pass, Mam Tor, Back Tor, Lose Hill, Grindslow Knoll, Kinder Scout and Edale was 38.4 km and took 11 hours 40 minutes, including the breaks on Mam Tor and at the pub in Edale. It included 1582 metres elevation gain.
Overall, I set my personal record of the number of steps done in one day: 60k!
I absolutely loved that hike and would do it all again. In fact, if train tickets were cheaper, I’d probably go to the Peak District every other weekend.
This ultra long hike could be split into a few much shorter ones. You could just climb Winn Hill, or spend a day exploring Castleton and nearby caves. Mam Tor with the ridge with Back Tor and Lose Hill can also be enough for one day, if you prefer a lighter hike. And naturally, my July quick trek from Edale was amazing on its own too!
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