Hartington to Wolfscote Dale Circular | 6 Miles
This walk starts from the gorgeous village of Hartington and heads through the stunning Wolfscote Dale. It’s a gentle walk, without any huge climbs and at 6 miles it’s a great way to spend a morning before having a lunch and a browse in the shops in Hartington.
Walk Overview
- Distance: 6.1 miles
- Difficulty: Gentle to moderate
- Start/finish: Hartington
- Dales visited: Wolfscote Dale, Biggin Dale
- Parking: Parsons Field car park, pay and display – £2.20 all day as of August 2026.
- Terrain: Riverside paths, dale-side tracks, rocky terrain in Biggin Dale
- Good for: Walkers wanting a gentle morning walk in the Derbyshire Dales
Walk Highlights
Wolfscote Dale – One of the prettiest stretches of the whole walk, with the river winding beneath steep limestone slopes on either side. Look out for the cave on the hillside known as Frank I’ Th’ Rocks Cave, said to be the one time home of a family with 6 children! Read more about the cave on this walk: Wolfscote Dale and Biggin Dale | 7 Miles.
Biggin Dale – A quieter, drier dale, with a different character to the river-hugging dales. Look out for the cave/mine shaft on the left as you pass.
Hartington – A beautiful White Peak village, with pretty old buildings, cafes, shops and pubs. Check out the lovely The Chicken Shed shop for beautiful gifts, or Dauphin Antiques for something a bit special.
Walk Details
Our walk starts from the car park at Parsons Field and we headed left into the village, passing the public toilets, farm shop and then The Devonshire Arms pub on the way. At the junction where the Hartington War Memorial is, we turned right to climb up the hill past Hartington Hall YHA.
A short distance after Hartington Hall, we turned right onto the rough track known as Highfield Lane and followed this to Dale End. Reaching the road we turned right, and then right again into Biggin Dale.
Biggin Dale is a quieter dale compared to some of the Derbyshire Dales. It starts out quite grassy but soon becomes rocky underfoot, with lots of loose limestone. It then gets easier going as it meets the junction with Wolfscote Dale.
We followed the path alongside the river as it winds its way north-west through the beautiful Wolfscote Dale. Wolfscote Dale is one of the prettiest stretches of the River Dove, all limestone crags and grassy meadows. It’s part of the same valley system as Dovedale but sees far fewer crowds, so it’s a lovely spot for a peaceful riverside walk with the classic Peak District mix of dry-stone walls and sheep-dotted hillsides.
We reached a wooden gate at the entrance to Wolfscote Dale, and then crossed the river. The path then runs through a grassy field before reaching another bridge at the entrance to Beresford Dale. There is the more adventurous option of some stepping stones to cross the river here as well!
We then turned right into Beresford Dale, following the river again as the path winds past Pike Pool and then leaves the river to head into Morson Wood.
Leaving the wood, the route opens out into farmland (where there were some cows) and then follows a well made path across the fields (via some stiles) back to Hartington.
We emerged from the path behind the public loos, then went across to the Charles Cotton Hotel for a drink. I think the food is better at the Devonshire Arms, but you can’t go wrong with a drink at either pub!
Walk Map (Opens in OS Maps): Hartington to Wolfscote Dale Walk
Parking: Pay and display car park at Parsons Field, Parsons Close, Hartington, Buxton SK17 0BE | What3Words: ///softest.immune.prefer – £2.20 all day as of August 2026.
Dogs: Dogs on leads near livestock – the route uses public footpaths but does cross farmland. There were a lot of cows on this route, especially in Wolfscote Dale and in the fields outside Hartington village.
Facilities: Public toilets, cafes, shops and pubs in Hartington.
Walk Time: 3-4 hours
Difficulty: ▲
Distance: 6.2 miles (10km)
Trig Points Bagged: None
Peak District Peaks Bagged: None
Peak District Ethels Bagged: None
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