It is neither very long nor is it very well known, but the Limestone Way follows old walled tracks and quiet footpaths through some of the most beautiful White Peak scenery of Derbyshire.

It is certainly aptly named: you are surrounded by the stuff! The wall that you climb over, the cobbles that you slip on and the rock where you sit for lunch are likely to be limestone, as well as the cliffs and scree slopes that you walk past. 

With its distinctive silvery glow, it is the main ingredient of the White Peak landscape, a unique area of Derbyshire which is on a more intimate scale than the wild gritstone moors to the north in the Dark Peak. The low limestone plateau supports a rich farming industry with a network of stone walls and pretty traditional villages.

Instigated in 1994, the original version of the route ran from Castleton to Matlock, a distance of some 27 miles. It was later extended to Rochester, just beyond the Staffordshire border, giving it a final length of 46 miles and providing a link with the Staffordshire Way.

I decided to explore the original section, walking south from Castleton.

Castleton to Hay Dale

Castleton is a popular village and provides a suitably dramatic start to the Limestone Way. Just beyond the war memorial, a little lane leads off through a narrow cleft and a sign on a gate proclaims the ‘Limestone Way’ with the Matlock and Rochester distances. The logo is a horned ram and it will appear frequently on signposts en route.

The path climbs up Cave Dale between looming rocky outcrops – eons ago, this whole area was under the sea. The 11th century Peveril Castle, whose keep was built by Henry ll in 1176, can be seen above – it was immortalised by Sir Walter Scott in his Waverley novel Peveril of the Peak. 

Gradually things open out. There are various old cave openings, one with the sound of underground water. Be sure to keep looking back as ever more expansive views appear with the castle and the distinctive pyramid of Lose Hill on the Great Ridge beyond Castleton.

The track emerges high on the hills under big skies with polka dotted sheep fields. Mam Tor is visible over a distant farm: The famous shivering mountain has always been prone to landslips as can be seen by the distinctive chunk missing from its face; the authorities gave up and closed the road below it in 1979.

The track follows a wall closely for some way until a gate above the descent to Mount Pleasant Farm: as it unfurls ahead, there are superb views. However, as I had picked the wettest ever October to do the walk, these were usually either seen beneath a rain cloud or in the rain. This made for quite muddy walking in places and I slipped down a narrow path to a house before a better grassy road for the last bit. 

At Mount Pleasant Farm there is a 100 m section of horribly busy road though thankfully there is a good verge. Taking a road to the right, the path stays on bitumen for about half a mile, passing the appropriately named Limestone Way Farm. 

Soon after it joins the Pennine Bridle Way. and heads off southwest on a stony lane which in just over a km leads to the top of Hay Dale. It is easy, pleasant walking with few if any people. 

Hay Dale & Peter Dale

At a right hand bend in the track the Way goes straight on over a stile and for the first time is actually on a footpath which wends down the shallow Hay Dale with scattered scree and small escarpments.

About half way down there are the meagre remnants of an old mine: the secluded plateau above the track is a good wild camping spot.

At the bottom of Hay Dale, Pat’s bench invites you to ‘have a minute’ and gave me a chance to appreciate the rocky world around me as rooks cawed in the background. Leggy sheep kept me company between narrow walls to a road which crossed into Peter Dale.

This is a short but wild little dale which rapidly narrows between high cliffs. The way is rocky and rough, muddy with cattle hoof prints. Stunted trees overhang old walls with lichened glossy coats.

Nearing the end before the road there is a small dry overhang which makes a good picnic spot on a wet day!

At the road a left turn joins the Pennine Bridle Way for about 600 m: the short, sharp hill to the Monksdale House crossroads would certainly be easier on a horse!

Monksdale House to Waterloo Inn

At Monksdale House, a right hand turn leads to a long walled track which drops down to Miller’s Dale, with lovely expansive views on the way.

Threading through a farmhouse, the final steep section of track decanted me onto the road, with a right turn into Miller’s Dale. Above, the huge metal bridges of the Monsal rail trail were visible – it is possible to detour to the station and catch the coffee shop, or stop at the Anglers Rest for a pint – it also has limited accommodation.

There is a short uphill section on a busy road before Long Lane which leads gently uphill through narrow walls with low overhanging trees, though the going is quite rough with lots of loose stones. 

Emerging onto bitumen, it is a short walk to the Waterloo Inn, where the busy A6 is crossed. 

Waterloo Inn to Monyash via Flagg

Back on a rough track, there are superb northern views as a small hill is climbed.

The route passes a rough farm and the walled track can be muddy from rain and cattle.

It is a big sky area though as the last stretch to Flagg is completed on the road. Everywhere there is rich green grass, the small fields enclosed in an unending patchwork of walls.

Approaching the outskirts of Flagg, the footpath heads across a field to avoid the village. It is nice and easy walking on this section. After another short stretch of road, the way returns to footpaths, skirting around the manicured campsite of Knotlow Farm with camping and glamping options.

Emerging at a 4 way junction, I checked out the old hay barn with its beautifully made timber roof and old cow stalls. Following a walled track from here, the old church shows the way to Monyash.

There is a pinfold on the way into the village – this little enclosure was once used to house straying stock. The owner could reclaim them on payment of a fine.

Monyash to Youlgreave

Monyash has a popular pub, the Bull’s Head, but heading on, a quick traverse of the village leads to another walled track which eventually merges back into fields. 

Within half an hour One Ash Grange Farm looms ahead, a motley selection of new and old barns. The place actually dates back to the 12th century and was originally a grange run by (possibly miscreant) Cistercian monks from Roche Abbey in SouthYorkshire. 

A hint of other ages are the old pig sties by the raised walkway, with a clever trough feeding system, and the ice house – now the home of a rather bizarre nativity scene. 

Next follows possibly the most precarious section of the Limestone Way: just below the grange, a narrow cleft leads steeply downhill towards Cales Dale. The rocks were very slippery on a wet day so I had to tread very carefully.

From the dale at the bottom the only way is up : a steep flight of stone steps that left me gasping for breath and happy to see the daylight at the top, where a handy rock provided a seat to recover. 

Lathkill Dale is visible to the north. It has the only entirely limestone river in the peak with beautifully clear water and is home to several unique species of flora. 

My route continued up at a gentler pace to  Calling Low Farm after which the track passed through a small piece of national park woodland and leveled out for the final stretch to the road above Youlgreave. 

Crossing the road at a 3 way junction, there is a large car park where the track bears right. Very soon there is a picnic table with a fine view over Youlgreave – it would be a good wild camping spot.

The Way continues down through fields, passing an old barn and crossing one road to another with a final drop down to the Bradford River by a mossy old track through a wood. The stone bridge at the bottom is a nice place to pause awhile – the autumn colours were really starting to put on a good display for my visit.

Following the river downstream through a woody valley, there is one of the most idyllic spots in Derbyshire: a succession of weirs and dams that wend gently down, providing a safe haven for swans and coots. The metal sluice gate wheels date back to the 1890’s.

At the little clapper bridge, a short, if uphill, detour leads into the delightful little village of Youlgreave which has an interesting church and various refreshment and lodging options.

Youlgreave to Winster

Only a short section remains along the river from Youlgreave, but it is a pleasant stroll, complete with a couple of handy benches. One overlooks a swimming area where a dam has created a deep pool, wonderful for a dip on a hot day.

I saw many dippers here with their startling white chests and bobbing heads. The birds actually walk under the water looking for shrimps and insect larvae.

Turning right at the road, the river is left behind and the path heads gently uphill though pastoral land with scattered trees and isolated stiles from long lost fences. There are great views back towards Youlgreave.

Swinging around the hill, it is easy to miss the left hand u-turn which leads into a wood and a beautifully flat track that swings around such a perfectly round hill that I was sure there must be a castle on it – and apparently there once was.

A right at the road and a quick left sees Robin Hood’s Stride ahead – a jumbled rocky outcrop with superb views.  It is worth scrambling to the top to see the graffiti clad boulders and there is the odd niche to shelter in on a rainy day.

Heading on, I detoured on a rough track called the Occupation Path which led through the trees – some of them down – to a hermits cave, though it is actually more of a big overhang. When I emerged, Hilary’s Seat was a good place to catch my breath.

There is a short downhill section but most of the last 2km into Winster are up: initially on a lane then on an old byway which emerges at the top of Winster near the Miner’s Standard pub, which may look very tempting by this stage. It has a camping/glamping site out the back.

Winster to Matlock

Crossing the road by an old lead ore storage house, the Way follows a rough walled track up a gentle hill, with great views out over Winster. Beyond the village the patch of white cliff face under which the hermit’s cave snuggles can be clearly seen with Robin Hood’s Stride to its left. 

Matlock was already visible ahead of me, nestled in the valley below. After a gate, the path bears down through a field and into an area of jumbled mining remains. A small rocky outcrop lies amidst pine trees above. 

A succession of fields and squeeze stiles follow, the little fields with their broken down walls and stunted trees reminding me of the west of Ireland.  I then walked through a field of Limousin cattle, and thought of France. Maybe that is how we travel these days: little reminders that tug on the heartstrings,of better times in different places. 

After a road crossing, more fields. There were multicoloured sheep and the rain chased behind me. This end of Derbyshire is very rural, green and close cropped.  Another lane, fields and a rough slippery track until I started dropping down to emerge at the little hamlet of Upper Town.

From there Stepping Lane leads down to Bonsall: resurfaced in the 1940’s by German prisoners of war, it is a pretty approach to the old lead mining village which has a little square clustered round a tiered market cross and a picturesque 17th century pub, the King’s Head.

In recent years, Bonsall has become well known for UFO sightings and if that isn’t weird enough, they hold the World Hen Racing Championships at the Barley Mow every August!

The rain had caught me by now and the steep path up from the square was an atmospheric corridor with close dripping trees between high lichened walls. I passed an abandoned barn and started dropping down towards Matlock. Lost in the rain, the dark silhouette of Riber Castle was visible on an escarpment to the south: built in 1862-66, it was once the retirement home of John Smedley, a local knitwear magnate.  

After a section of dark wooded track, I came out on a road and suddenly the town was spread out in the valley below me. The final field led down past an old farm that had been submerged by the town and suddenly I found myself by the bridge in the middle of Matlock. There was no obvious ceremonial finish or start to the Limestone Way but it had been an enjoyable walk through some of the finest country in Derbyshire.

NOTES

The Limestone Way stretches 46 miles from Castleton to Rochester, just over the Staffordshire border. I chose to walk the northern half from Castleton to Matlock, which arguably has the best scenery and is about 27 miles long.

Sign posting is generally good but the following map is a useful backup: Outdoor Leisure Map (1:25,000): 24 The Peak District – White Peak area

I also found the 1997 guide Walking the Limestone Way by Ron & Elizabeth Haydock and Bill & Dorothy Allen which you may be able to track down second hand. Derbyshire Dales council also produce a small guide for £3.50 which can be downloaded online. They also offer some accommodation suggestions.