I walked this route from Hathersage to Dronfield found it to be a first class route, The route out of Hathersage is up through woodland along a bridleway which soon brings you out along a byway and onto footpaths up to Hathersage Moor....

Tim Ryan

The route though Dronfield to Dronfield Woodhouse is mostly along enclosed footpaths through housing estates, but pleasant nonetheless and you soon after passing under the A61 flyover you find yourself in open countryside along the field boundary edge to the north of Dronfield Woodhouse. Once you get to the woods at Moss Road you are on a delightful bridleway as it climbs up along the Sheffield Country Way on Moss Road and across Totley Moor....

Tim Ryan

This section is at OS Grid Ref: SK 167 860 near to where the footpath meets the road at Normans Farm about a mile and a half north of Hope. It is possible to avoid this by walking along the road between this road crossing and Nether Booth Farm. This road was fairly quiet when I walked it - in midweek, I suspect that it is busier at the weekend....

Tim Ryan

The climb up from Hope to Hollins Cross is fairly steep and long. Edale has good rail connections and a bus service to Hope....

Tim Ryan

Beautiful walk, helped that the weather was on my side...

Phoebe Hood

I reviewed this walk last year, and I would say the level of accessibility remained the same (quite inaccessible particularly the latter third)....

Joe Richards

The walk from Sheffield to forge dam was fairly flat with accessible paths. However, from there the terrain would have been difficult for the sections off paths....

Stacey Grayson

I walked from Hathersage to Dronfield in early August. In a couple of places the gradient, especially up to Burbage Moor, is very steep but not for too long. In the woods leaving Hathersage, stay on the downslope side when encountering any forks. Don't climb the highest hill on Houndkirk Moor, but stay South of it. After leaving Hathersage, there aren't any places to stop for refreshments until you get to the shops at Barnes Lane in Gosforth. There are also places to get food at the shops outside Dronfield station. Dronfield station has only places to sit down. Hathersage can be reached from Sheffield using the 271/272 Castleton bus or some variants of the 257, although I had to get off at Bamford turnaround and walk a couple of km to Hathersage on that day. In Hathersage there is the grave of Little John, Robin Hood's friend, in the Church yard, and various places north of the village are of interest to Jane Eyre fans, such as Brookefield Manor, North Lees Hall and Moorseats....

PeteS

The first two thirds of the route are ideal for cyclists until you get to the riverside portion between Bamford and Hathersage, where the path isn't always suitable. The route is a road until you get to Heatherdene car park. It's the car park on Ashopton Road, East of Ladybower, between the fish breeding pens and the discharge well. On this lane there is a stile to cross and you pass through fields to the A6187 Hope Road and the start of the riverside section. Bamford and Hathersage and Hope are nearest railway stations. Hathersage likewise has a public toilet on the main road and plenty of places to eat or drink....

PeteS

This app needs a lot of work as the live location does not update as you are walking and have to close the app and re-open it for the app to pick your location....

Sheikh Ali

Lovely walk, once out in the Peaks, the path seemed to move away from accessible tracks at points...

Rhys Wooding

This route comes out at Millhouses Park, which is a nice start to the River Sheaf Walk which you follow into the city of Sheffield....

Andrew Davies

Next is a steep climb then the impressive Eyam Moor, and finally country lanes to reach the popular tourist town of Hathersage, which was bustling with life on a sunny Saturday in May....

Andrew Davies

Once you get through the bogs and can see a path you can walk the rest on a stone covered path, the GPS may suggest walking through the Heather but stick to the path....

James Preskey

There are public loos in Hathersage so have a comfort break here as there aren't any other opportunities before Sheffield. There is a pub at Ringinglow which is about half way and then cafes and public loos in both Forge Dam and Endcliffe Parks so there are more opportunities to stop on the Sheffield side....

Katy L

As we walked from Hathersage, there was lots of uphill walking and breaks needed as we ventured out of Hathersage and into the open fields and rocks. An alternative to walking directly through the heather is to walk up an over the rocks....

Philip Foster-Dennison

From the Fairholmes visitor centre, we cross the car park lane and take the path straight on to join Derwent Lane as it heads right below the impressive Derwent Dam. The field path starts with a stile, and leads us under the railway to Hope Road, where we cross and use the bridge opposite, then take the signposted path left. At Leadmill Bridge we turn left and cross the Derwent, then take the path left that is constrained between fences and straighter than the right of way line, then another unmarked but well trodden path takes us across the field back to the road....

Hugh Hudson

Overall we enjoyed it and it was received by the team, if the weather was better we could have finished the trail as the rest seemed to be town flat roads but would have finished on approx would be 18 miles....

FourSeason Walking and Hiking Club

Sir William Hill Road is loose stone and open to all traffic so could be busy with motorised off roading at weekends. Tideswell Lane confirms we are on the right track which again is loose stone and open to all. The next short section of road offers views back along the lane I had walked and in the distance the mast on Sir William Hill Road. That section of busy road walking could be avoided across the access land. A short section of the road to Litton can be avoided by staying on the permissive path an overgrown stone stile does allow later access to the road....

Ken

It's easy going along a metalled but almost traffic free road to the site of Derwent village. Approaching the road there is an option to avoid some road by staying on the bridleway which also allows a visit to the Ladybower Inn although this path is rugged so less suited for wheels. The gentle descent starts along a quiet road then take the Thornhill Trail which uses the course of the temporary railway built to supply materials for the construction of the upper dams. Still easy to follow around the field edge then under the railway to the road where a direct but unassisted crossing is required....

Ken

While the plot follows the definitive paths which should be available they are not, so some interpretation is required. Back on track having used a track I entered the golf course and all looked well with waymarking in line with the plot alongside the stone barn. Again I relied too much on the plot along the Definitive line and failed to spot the permissive waymarked route. The roadside pavement continues with a short detour passing through Heatherdene car park where there is a loo and useful water supply for a hot day. I had never used the permissive path along the west side of the reservoir which I found most enjoyable being far enough away from the road to be peaceful and the shade of the trees was appreciated on the hot September day. The approach to Fairholmes follows the water rather than the road....

Ken

mostly flat and easy follow with outstanding views....

Tim Ryan

Really pleasant walk, some challenging paths at times with rocky terrain but overall a good walk with a lot of scenic overlooks. As there are some gates to climb over, this walk wouldn't be wheelchair accessible....

Brad

I'm an inexperienced walker and while parts of the route felt challenging it was very achievable...

Jenna Dixon

Hathersage Moor then awaits, and is overgrown - the path on the route is quite vague here, and we ended up just cutting across it, through some bogs, due to a lack of defined path. The final stretch from Hathersage Moor to the town itself is mostly very pleasant, across a few fields, largely downhill (notably steep in places), through a field containing cows, and finally onto some roads. Overall, a very pleasant if challenging walk, with some considerable obstacles along the way (bogs, roads, steep inclines / declines, uneven terrain), which makes it fairly inaccessible for around 40-50% of it....

Joe Richards

A couple of the paths near to Carl Wark were boggy but easy to navigate. The short bit of the route after Carl Wark to the road the path trod on the ground deviates a little from the Right of Way on the OS map but is navigable if competent with map & compass....

Shamsa Riazat

Some sections were a bit muddy - I would recommend older shoes or ideally waterproof walking boots if there has been any rain recently - and there are some steep and uneven sections. The views from the hill near Rowland and the walk from Calver to Hathersage along the river were particular highlights....

Ben

This is generally a good route,care needs to be taken shortly after the start as it winds it ‘s way through a large new development (after passing under the A61)insuring one stays on route.From Mickey open fields and woodland follow.crossing Baslow Road the moors are to be seen in the distance Moss Road is mostly tarmac until reaching Totley moor.This area offers some very good views of Sheffield and beyond,A small amount of pavement walking (6521 passing Fox inn/ Longshaw estate).Towards the end of route crossing the A6187 and heading via Mothers Cap became confusing as there a number of paths,it was possible eventually to find the correct route however care needed.The last stage is straightforward.No access issues,good public transport links( trains)either end.Underfoot mostly good some mud.Enjoyed this walk it has plenty to offer....

J w ollid

From the meeting place the network of sometimes unrecorded paths provide a very pleasant off road route with a gentle climb through the much expanded town. We only cross the well walked path alongside the bright stream before taking a sunken path to arrive at the Hatherrsage Road by a car park. As discovered from the review of Hatdro-1 the definitive path is not available and this sets the tone for the next section of the walk. From there the walked path takes us to Over Owler Tor where it's difficult to see a walked path close to the definitive and plotted route. I followed walked paths to meet the definitive path which heads north and from here it was simple to follow the plot on a path along a fence line then to a gate at the road. Once that right to roam experiance was over it was again straightforward to follow the plotted route down a very pleasant path which becomes a track to return to the Hathersage Road....

Ken

Really nice mixture of terrains from riverside fields to dale top paths. Very muddy couple of fields when I completed it in January but all easily navigable....

Eddie Jones

Good route with nice views and varied terrain. Thorpe farm somewhat tricky to navigate....

Eddie Jones

Here we turn right then left past the ford and up the hill. Where the lane rejoins the road, the GPX suggests we turn right along a non-existent path along the right edge of the field. We turn left up Westfield Road then take the path right through the Roman fort site. We cross the main road and go left a few meters and take the signposted path right, which leads past a housing estate and past the cement works railway to head up Lose Hill (two thirds of the way up I finally emerged from the mist into sunshine with glorious cloud inversions). We take the contouring path left (a new experience for me, as I have always included the top of Lose Hill when using this path in the past), which leads through a small wood to rejoin the ridge path below Barker Bank, Here I lost concentration on navigation, and went off route, going straight down the far side below Back Tor....

Hugh Hudson

As the previous reviewer mentions, going along Thornhill Trail to the Quaker house might be an improvement....

Neil Stabbs

The start of the walk (photo 1) took me to a park set in a small dip in Dronfield itself. The first rural path (photo 2) is very rural into a small farm to get to the lane (photo 3). Climbing over a stile and though a small wood I walked into Totley and said ‘Good Morning’ to a local – a brief chat and I discovered that he also walks the path past the school that I was about to take. From there it was a straightforward walk to Totley Bent’s Recreation Ground and a walk along the lane to take me to Moss Road (photo 6). I went through the entry gate to the moor (photo 7) and onto the muddy path straight up and over Totley Moor. I walked onto the small quiet road to take me onto the final leg of my journey (photo 15 – I lost the light at this point.) After a stile and a smaller lane I was walking into a small wood which took me to the back of Hathersage Booths and into Hathersage itself...

Lynn Jackson

The .gpx path is not accurate enough to provide a clear path up to Mother Cap and my initial view of what I thought was the path was that it was not a great path for Slow Ways and the actual path (I think) was rarely used and not clear. Although the Mother Cap path is an inconvenience, it was the stile that stopped this route from being recommended....

Lynn Jackson

Beyond the bridge we take the surfaced path left into the fields by the river, following the field paths to Holme Lane, where we turn left to the footbridge over the Wye. Beyond the A6020 we cross a field (in winter one can take a straight line, but when the crops are high it might be better to follow the right hand edge of the field), At the wall a well trodden path leads along the side of the plantation to a track which leads up to Longreave Lane. We go left a very short distance then up the road to the right into Rowland, following the surfaced road up the hill beyond the village (there was a road closure here yesterday because they were digging up the pipes, but I was able to walk past this without any trouble). We emerge at New Bridge, and leave the road immediately to follow the Derwent Valley Heritage Trail path left to a bridge over a side stream then right along the Derwent. We take the road right over the old bridge, turning left onto Hollogate and straight on along Spooner Lane, which soon becomes a path paved with old stones. Our route goes right a short distance then takes the grassy field path left through the fields by the Derwent....

Hugh Hudson

Enjoyable as a group with a reasonable level of fitness, age and stamina....

Jenny Millsom

Descending into Burbage valley and then ascending the along the side of Carl Wark, I would suggest following the very visible path down, rather than the suggested routing....

Ben

On leaving Hathersage village, North of the main road to Sheffield, in the first wood, when in doubt stick to tracks on the downhill (South) side of the wood, always heading East. When leaving the Limb Valley, the path continues next to the bus stop on the opposite side of the road. The only other stop-off without leaving the route is the Hardy Pick pub where Little London Road meets Broadfield Way. As you reach the road when exiting the Limb Valley, it's well worth taking 10 minutes to look around Whinfell Quarry Garden which is almost immediately left of the valley exit. There is a section as you leave the Tesco by the road where the route goes into a tiny gap in the bushes. Instead, keep going up the road from the Tesco and rejoin the route at the top of Troutback Road about 150m further on. Another obstruction is a fence blocking the footbridge across the river on Broadfield Road, just before Clyde Road. You can go down Clyde Road but a better route is my old walk to work which is a bit nicer. This was not to turn off Little London Road at Broadfield but to carry on down Little London Road until it goes under the bridge and rather than passing under, carry on down the path....

PeteS

An excellent route between the city centre and the Peak District town of Hathersage through parkland, trails and open moorland....

Tim Ryan

I did walk the section from SK 338 836 to SK 354 857 as shown in the photo. Part of the route described in Hatshe2 along the Sheaf valley is not possible to walk....

Tim Ryan

Mostly on clearly marked footpaths and quiet country lanes....

Tim Ryan

Original path heading down to Calver is now blocked off with undergrowth but a new path round it is established (see photos in partner's review)....

Sue Lindley

It helps to have an OS map as the path deviates slightly from GPX route....

philtooze

A really pleasant walk from Sheffield to Hathersage encompassing a mixture of the industrial history of Sheffield along the River Sheaf, through to woodland walking through Ecclesall Woods and the Limb Valley as you leave the city, followed by open moorland walking across to Hathersage. There is one area across the moors above Hathersage where the paths can be unclear and in poor weather conditions may require the use of map and compass to determine the correct route. This area can also be very boggy underfoot....

paul.scholey

Negociating the route through Calver was a little complicated but then, after a cliimb it was an enjoyable stroll down into Bakewell....

PostmanPaul

Nothing to add to previous detailed reviews other than to say it is a beautiful and varied walk. I also accessed it by train from Hathersage to Edale and walked back....

Sue Lindley

We fully agree with the previous reviews description of the walk and have little to add. We have included a number of photos to illustrate the nature of the paths, terrain and obstacles, we counted over 50 stiles or gates. We travelled to Edale by train which takes about 10 min and goes usually on the hour....

philtooze

The first section of the route comes down the west side of Ladybower reservoir: it's true that there's a walking path between the road and the reservoir most of the way, but the alternative is to come down the walking and cycling trail on the east side of the reservoir, avoiding vehicle traffic entirely....

Alistair Griggs

Then there's a busy section along the 'Great Ridge' (Mam Tor - Hollins Cross - Lose Hill) before our route takes us contouring to the right of Lose Hill but still with great views southwards into the Hope Valley and across to Hope and Castleton. (If you decide to stay on the main ridge walk to Lose Hill, be aware this is one of the busiest routes in the Peak District and there are always lots of walkers here. There are spectacular 360-degree views from the top of Lose Hill though.) Then the route takes us down a mainly grassy path on a delightful route into Hope....

Alistair Griggs

This was a result of the generally well marked Sheffield Country walk suddenly being unsigned above Totley where there are numerous moorland paths. Had I been more attentive to my map I'd have been fine. I'd use this again but with a little more care!...

Bshepherd

Quite steep ascent out of Hathersage and from Mitchell Field up to Hathersage Moor....

chhan