Wolfscote Dale from Hartington

From the centre of Hartington, the route drops down to the River Dove and follows it south through Beresford Dale first, a narrower, more wooded stretch with the river running clear over stone, before opening into Wolfscote Dale proper. Here the valley widens and the limestone cliffs draw back from the water, and the path runs close to the Dove for over a mile, Staffordshire on the far bank and Derbyshire on the near one; the river forms the county boundary along almost its entire length.

The going is easy underfoot for a limestone dale walk: field paths, riverside track and quiet lanes, with no sustained climb, though a few stiles, at least one of them a squeeze stile, interrupt the rhythm. The return leg turns uphill toward Biggin, climbing gently out of the valley through Biggin Dale before flat field paths lead back to Hartington across open farmland.

Peak District Walks gives the loop as 8.7km with 262m of ascent and two and a half to three hours, and Visit Peak District’s route sheet measures it at 8.8km; the moderate rating comes more from length and stiles than from steepness. The stepping stones that draw crowds are in the National Trust’s Dovedale, further down the Dove, and are not part of this loop, so anyone hoping for stepping stones should look downstream instead. It suits anyone who wants a half-day in a limestone dale without the crowds, and who does not mind stiles. It does not suit a pushchair, and anyone whose day is built around the stepping stones wants the Thorpe Cloud walk instead, downstream near Thorpe and Ilam.