Outdoors
Whatever your interest, there is something in the Peak District for you. The rugged and dramatic Dark Peak lies to the north with its great expanses of heather moorland and strange grit stone outcrops. Here you can walk for miles with just sheep, grouse, skylarks and curlews for company. The views are wild and rugged, in stark contrast to the soft rolling hills and peaceful limestone dales of the White Peak in the south. Here, fields are crisscrossed with dry stone limestone walls and sheep graze in lush green fields. Hay meadows, ancient dew ponds and wild flowers abound.
With over 1,600 miles of footpaths and many more miles of off road cycle trails the only problem is deciding where to go first.
Walking
and hiking
Candlelight Cottage is part of the Walkers Welcome scheme. We provide all of the following:
- A separate heated drying room for clothes and boots
- First Aid Kits
- Outside tap
- Information on local outdoor activity shops
- Maps and walking books.
From the door of Candlelight Cottage, you can easily walk to
Tideswell Dale, Litton Dale, Monsal Dale, Cressbrook Dale, Millers Dale
and Water-cum-Jolly Dale. In spring and summer, all these dales are
covered with wild flowers and trout can be seen in the River Wye as you
walk along its banks. Both the
Limestone Way and The
Monsal Trail pass through nearby Millers Dale and
The Pennine Way can be joined at its start in Edale, a 20 minute
drive from Litton. Other trails to explore are the
White Peak Way,
The High Peak and
Tissington Trails, which follow former railway lines and pass
through stunning limestone scenery and beautiful villages. Details of
all these trails are available in the cottage along with several
guidebooks and maps.
Peak District Walking Festivals take place each year. Each
festival covers a different area of the Peak District and consists
of a programme of guided walks for people of all abilities. Walk
themes cover everything from discovering orchids to ghost walks, and
evening bat walks.
Try Walking Britain's route 2573 - Tideswell, Miller's & Cressbrook Dales from Litton, a nice 7 mile route - click for more details.
Be entertained as you walk, using one of 13 free audio tours of the Peak District moors, available to download onto MP3 players at Moors for the Future.
Trail guides are another great way of discovering more about the area as you walk. Each guide includes a route, descriptive text, map and things to see and do along the way. The guides are downloadable from Visit Peak District.
Cycling
The Tissington Trail, High Peak Trail and Monsal Trail are all
former railway lines which have been converted to safe, traffic free
cycle paths. There are cycle hire centres and picnic sites along the
trails, making them an ideal day out for all ages. Carsington Water and
Ladybower reservoir also have cycle hire facilities and the views are
stunning. The Pennine Cycleway, (National Cycle Network No 68) starts
in Derby and runs through The Peak District on its way to the
Northumbrian coast.
For the more intrepid, there is an extensive network of bridleways, some of which follow ancient packhorse routes over challenging moorland. These can be ideal for mountain biking and take you to some of the remoter parts of the Peak District. Favourite spots for mountain bikers include the Goyt Valley, Edale and the Upper Derwent Valley.
A local company, Peak Tours offer a cycle hire and delivery service to/from anywhere in the Peak District, so if you can’t bring your bikes with you, you can have some delivered to Candlelight Cottage. There is room at the back of the cottage to store them out of sight.
See also:
Peak MTB - offering mountain biking courses and guided rides.
Peak Cycle Hire - for local cycle hire.
Other Outdoor Activities
Peak Pursuits is a company offering organised activities such as: abseiling, archery, bell boating, canoeing, climbing, fencing, ghyll scrambling, kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering, skiing, scrambling, snowboarding and walking.
Climbing and caving
Superb climbing and caving opportunities exist in the area for both beginners and experienced adventurers. There is even an indoor climbing wall at Upper Limits in Longnor.
From the limestone quarries at nearby Stoney Middleton to the grit stone areas of Stanage Edge and Curbar Edge - there are thousands of climbing routes, from the easiest to the most challenging in easy reach of Candlelight Cottage.
Water sports
Canoeing, wind surfing, sailing and kayaking are available at Carsington Water, Rudyard Lake, Tittesworth Water and Staunton Harold. Tuition can also be arranged.
Fishing
The rivers Dove, Wye, Lathkill and Derwent are world famous for excellent fly fishing. The southern stretch of the River Derwent offers coarse fishing and tuition is available at Rudyard Lake.
Fishing is possible on a number of local lakes including Ladybower.
Golf
There are several courses in the area including Chatsworth, Bamford and Bakewell - try Peak Practice Golf.
Skiing
Swadlincote Ski and Snowboard Centre and Sheffield Ski village.
Swimming
There is an outdoor heated pool at Hathersage open during the summer. Indoor pools at Bakewell, Matlock and Buxton.
Bird watching
The diverse habitats of the Peak District make it an excellent place for birdwatchers. RSPB Coombes Valley and reservoirs such as Tittesworth, Ogston and Upper Derwent Valley are favourite destinations.
Other available activities include riding, gliding, paragliding, hang gliding, helicopter flights, balloon flights, cable car rides, canal boat hire and clay pigeon shooting.
Other useful websites
Haddon House Riding Stables specialises in hacking out for adults who are competent riders, capable of riding across open country at all paces.
The Derbyshire & Lancashire Gliding
Club for gliding.
The Derbyshire Flying Centre for paragliding and hang gliding.
Pennine Helicopters for helicopter flights.
The Dragon Balloon Company for local balloon flights.
The Heights of Abraham for cable car rides above Matlock Bath.
The Chesterfield Canal Trust and Freedom Boats for nearby canal and towpath activities.
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