Peak District: Easy Dovedale Walk
As I’d never been away walking before, we decided to have an easy practice run in the Peak District before we attempt some more adventurous walks later on in the year. We had a great weekend camping at Common End Farm Campsite, and spent our days exploring the local area.
Easy Dovedale Walk
You can view the full route here
For this easy 7 mile walk we parked in the Dovedale carpark (DE6 2AY) and headed across the footbridge to tackle the distinctive summit of Thorpe Cloud (the flat topped hill at the entrance to the valley) This is a very achievable short climb and provides the first photo opportunity.
Thorpe Cloud: Easily recognisable and an easy summit for novice hikers to tick off
From the top, we headed down the track towards the famous stepping stones. Staying on the right hand side of the river, we followed the path (admittedly on a Bank Holiday weekend this stretch was busy) for a couple of hundred metres but were soon able to leave the crowds behind. We took the clear path on the right hand side up to Lover’s Leap, after a short climb we were soon rewarded with great views and the added bonus of a bit of solitude! From the top we turned left and followed the high level path along the river heading North towards Milldale.
Walking above the valley floor meant we had some lovely views all to ourselves
We were only a couple of hundred metres or so above the busy valley floor, yet we had this path pretty much to ourselves. As we neared Milldale we rejoined the path beside the river. We crossed the river at Milldale and headed back towards Dovedale.
This easy Dovedale walk was a great introduction to the Peak District, and to walking in general for me. It was busy, but it does show that if you’re willing to head off the beaten track you can avoid the worst of the crowds.
Looking for more Peak District Walks?
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