Derwent Edge Walk | 8 Miles

January 30, 2024 MEDIUM WALKS 4-9 MILES, PEAK DISTRICT WALKS, PEAK DISTRICT WALKS WITH KIDS

This Derwent Edge walk starts from Cutthroat Bridge, and is a steady 8 mile out-and-back walk to Back Tor trig point. If you want spectacular views over Ladybower Reservoir, this is the walk for you!

We had originally planned a slightly different walk up onto Derwent Edge from Fairholmes Visitors Centre to reach the Back Tor trig but we arrived too late to find a parking space – that’ll teach us to go on a dry January weekend! We parked in the large lay-by by Cutthroat Bridge and walked along the rough track over Highshaw Clough.

The track heads east and climbs steadily until you reach the junction of a few paths at Whinstone Lee Tor. It’s worth having a stop off to admire the stunning view down over Ladybower Reservoir from here (and catch your breath!). We then turned right and continued to climb up onto Derwent Edge itself, passing the Hurkling Stones along the way.

We followed the path pretty much all the way to Back Tor, passing other fabulous rock formations along the way including the Wheel Stones, White Tor, the Salt Cellar and the Cakes of Bread.

A close up view of the Wheel Stones

The trig point at Back Tor is set up on the rocks, and it’s a bit of a climb if you want to actually touch the trig. It’s quite high and can be very windy so please take care.

We then just retraced our steps back, making sure we went the right way at Whinstone Lee Tor! It’s too easy to keep on going along the path and end up down near the Ladybower Inn!

This was a great walk for those just starting out in hillwalking, with a steady incline up, amazing views and an easy to follow path. The path is flagged in a lot of places however there are some very muddy sections, and off the path it’s very wet in parts.