Explore the Peak District on a short walk from Bakewell

Published: 3 April 2026

There’s no better way to enjoy our glorious national parks than on foot, but you don’t have to walk far or high for a quality experience. So, when I stepped down as Chair of the Peak District National Park a couple of years ago, I jumped at the chance to share my local knowledge by writing a series of walking guides to Britain’s oldest National Park for leading outdoor publisher (and Campaign for National Parks corporate partner) Cicerone Press.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Peak District National Park, and these 555 square miles of natural beauty in the heart of England continue to make a vital contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of millions of people. With this in mind, Cicerone’s Short Walks series deliberately reaches a wide audience of new and returning visitors, so people of all backgrounds and abilities can enjoy this precious breathing space.

On the easy descent to Bakewell

The books cover the three broad areas of the National Park – Dark Peak, White Peak, and South West Peak – but I began in the south, with the glorious limestone scenery around Bakewell (known as the White Peak). I still live in the area and even once had a post round in the town (yes, really!). It’s an attractive patchwork quilt of small fields, woodland and rocky valleys, generally lower than the gritstone moors to the north (the Dark Peak) and frequently rich in wildlife and cultural heritage.

The short walk featured here is a comfortable 2-hour ramble, and you don’t need any specialist gear. Along the way, there’s plenty to see and learn. For instance, the important role played by the weekly livestock market in the National Park’s farming community; and how the Monsal Trail – Bakewell’s former railway line turned recreational trail – provides an accessible and traffic-free route promoting active travel and opportunity for all. Plus, of course, the mouth-watering culinary delight that is the Bakewell Pudding (not tart!).

The famous Bakewell Pudding is not to be missed!

Bakewell is served by regular buses from Sheffield, Derby, and Buxton, and the walk starts in the middle of town, by the National Park Visitor Centre. From there, you cross the medieval road bridge and via the market go up to the railway trail. The trackbed offers level, leafy walking as far as Hassop, where the old station buildings have been converted into a café and bike hire. The return is on a high-walled track between fields with splendid views over rooftops, dropping down to an elegant 5-arched packhorse bridge.

The other walks in the book cover surrounding villages like Taddington, Youlgrave, Beeley and Litton, as well as the splendour of Chatsworth Park. There’s also dramatic limestone dales like Cressbrook and Lathkill, a tree-lined stretch of the River Derwent, the airy viewpoint of Baslow and Curbar Edges, and an exhilarating tunnel and viaduct outing at Monsal Head. They all showcase how special the Peak District is, and now, 75 years after the Campaign for National Parks lobbied for its creation, Britain’s oldest national park is being promoted by Cicerone for everyone to enjoy.