Peak District: Stanage Edge and High Neb – Walks in England’s National Parks

The UK’s oldest national park is the spectacular Peak District, which was founded in 1951 and paved the way for the rest. It’s a region adorned by contrasting geologies, from the wooded limestone dales, reef knolls and gorges of the White Peak to the moody gritstone escarpments and high, wild moorland of the Dark Peak.

This hike is a wonderful loop in the Dark Peak, taking in one of the national park’s most iconic landscapes, the great gritstone escarpment of Stanage Edge. Training ground for the UK’s finest mountaineers and climbers, Stanage is renowned for the quality of its rock climbing and it makes for a superb day out for hikers, too.

The walk begins in the pretty Derbyshire village of Hathersage, which is easily reached by train from Sheffield and Manchester. To leave the village, follow Church Bank past St Michael and All Angels Church, where you may want to detour to visit the final resting place of Little John of Robin Hood fame. Pressing on, the route snakes up through meadows and natural woodland to bring you to a weakness in Stanage’s escarpment at its south eastern end – also known as Stanage Popular.

Follow the scarp to the north west, enjoying the superb views across the Derwent Valley and the wider national park. On a good day, you’re likely to see people enjoying all sorts of pursuits, from other hikers enjoying the scenery and climbers wrestling with the slabby rock, to mountain bikers bouncing along the trails and cyclists gliding along the winding roads.

The trig point on High Neb marks Stanage’s highest point and is a fine place to appreciate the sweeping curve of the Edge and the atmospheric heather moorland. After this, it’s just a case of descending all the way back to Hathersage, passing charming stone-built farmsteads and exploring some lovely woodland as you go.