Surprise View

Surprise View sits above Hathersage on the road toward Fox House and Sheffield, close to the old Lawrencefield Quarry, and needs nothing more than a short stop to take in. Park at the car park just off the road and walk the short distance to the viewpoint; no serious walking is involved.

From the top, the Hope Valley opens out below: Hathersage fills the middle distance, Offerton Moor rises to one side, and on a clear day Mam Tor and the Great Ridge, with Back Tor and Lose Hill, close the view to the west. It is one of the more complete single-frame views in the Peak District, taking in village, valley and skyline without needing to walk anywhere to improve on it.

The car park charges by the hour, with an all-day rate for anyone who wants to linger, and it sits close enough to the National Trust’s Longshaw Estate that the two are often visited together. Evenings draw people specifically for sunset, when the low light catches the valley sides, so expect company at that time of day even outside peak season.

It suits anyone short on time or mobility, and anyone wanting sunset over the Derwent without a walk to get back from in the dark. This is not a walk for anyone who came to the Peak to do one: there is no route here, only a car park and a view. Stanage Edge is a few minutes further up the same road and gives four kilometres of edge-top path off the same kind of parking.