Lovers of ancient forest should put Padley Gorge at the top of their Peak District hit list. This beautiful stretch of woodland has a mysterious feel, with gnarled trees dripping in moss, and hundreds of boulders scattered amongst the bracken. The forest surrounds a picturesque gorge, which is perfect for a paddle on a hot summer’s day.
There are several easy trails around the gorge, including the one we’re sharing, which also takes you up to the Longshaw Estate - a great place to stop for a drink halfway.
If you’re lucky enough to visit in May/June, the rhododendrons will be in full bloom, which was absolutely breathtaking. However, it’s autumn when the woods are at their most atmospheric, and returning to see all the gorgeous colourful leaves is now firmly on our bucket list.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Padley Gorge.
The Padley Gorge Walk
The stats
Distance: 3.6 miles (5.9km) circuit
Elevation gain: 190m
Difficulty: Easy
There are several routes you can take around Padley Gorge. The one we’re sharing showcases the best of the forest, along with an optional side trip to the Longshaw Estate. The walk is easy, with very little in the way of hills, and generally good terrain - although you will encounter rocks and tree roots.
Some sections of the trail can be muddy, but when we walked in summer, the rocks scattered throughout the mud meant that we could hop through any squelchy patches with ease (in other seasons the muddy sections may be larger and less easy to avoid).
For the most part, the walk is not signposted, but we have full directions below.
Starting the trail at Grindleford
From Grindleford Train Station, the walk heads over the bridge before you’ll come to a signpost and right turn into the woods (75m from the station).
From here the trail gradually ascends through the forest via the dirt track on the right. It’s rocky and there are tree roots, but it’s not difficult or slippery (when dry at least).
After 125m you’ll come to a junction and keep going straight on, roughly 20m later you’ll come to another junction and head left.
You’re now walking on a wide path, which is flat at first and then begins ascending gradually. You’re surrounded on both sides by dense forest which is absolutely beautiful.
The only downside is you still get a bit of road noise along this section, but it’s not overly busy and you can zone it out easily enough.
Roughly 650m into the walk you’ll come to a junction and keep straight on, before turning right onto the road 160m later.
Up to Longshaw Estate
If you don’t want to visit Longshaw Estate, instead of turning right, you will continue straight on and the two trails meet a little further up (this route is over a mile/couple of kilometres shorter).
If you want to go to the estate, the route is a little fiddly (it involves several turns and no signage!). To go to the estate, turn right, through a gate onto the road. You then cross over and head immediately right along the narrow dirt path that runs parallel to the road.
The trail undulates for the next 220m and then you need to make a sharp left, towards a gate.
Head through the gate and then along the path between the ferns, veering left 50m later. The walk heads briefly downhill and over the creek (200m after the ferny path).
From here you bear right (away from the house) and head uphill where you’ll soon meet a wide gravel path.
Follow it for 150m before you’ll see a grassy path on the right which leads up past a small wood. Follow this path for a few hundred metres and then you’ll pass through a gate and see the lake and a gravel path to the right.
You can now relax and follow the gravel path all the way to the cafe, 650m away.
We were visiting in June and the rhododendrons along this stretch of the walk were incredible. Both sides of the path were lined with hundreds of vivid pink flowers, it was absolutely beautiful and would be worth the visit alone.
The path to the cafe is either gradually uphill or flat, and all very well graded. The cafe is run by the National Trust and the view is lovely, so it’s the perfect place to take a break just under halfway through the trail.
Heading towards the gorge
The walk then heads back along the same path until you reach the lake. From the lake instead of retracing your steps, you head right, alongside the water and into the woods.
There were yet more rhododendrons along this stretch, which looked especially beautiful set amongst the towering trees.
After 450m, you’ll pass through a gate and arrive at the Granby Discovery Barn which has some information panels about the local area and wildlife.
From here you’ll cross over the road and head down the small path and over the bridge. When we arrived at the bridge, it was being manned by two large cows and not daring to pass them, we crossed using the rocks instead!
You’ll briefly follow the water before passing some big boulders and heading through a gate and into the best bit of the whole walk, the ancient forest.
Through the mysterious ancient forest
You now have just over 1km of easy strolling through spectacular woodland. The forest canopy is dense and you’re surrounded by gnarled trees and so much moss. It’s incredibly beautiful and very atmospheric.
If you are keen on photography it’s best visiting on a cloudy day so you have even light in the forest.
The most magical time to visit would be on a misty day, when the forest looks eerily beautiful, like something out of a gothic fairytale. We’re hoping we might get lucky in autumn one day!
In terms of the walk: it’s very easy, mainly flat, with some gentle undulations here and there. This is the section that can get quite muddy, however rocks were scattered throughout any muddy patches and it was easy to navigate round.
In wetter, colder times you might end up getting muddy boots here - but it will definitely be worth it!
As well as walking through the glorious forest, you’re also now above the gorge, with the sound of the cascades as your constant companion.
There are frequent social trails downhill to the waters edge. A good and easy option is 300m after the gate into the forest.
The trail down (a couple of minutes each way) is a tad muddy, but not steep like some of the others. You’ll come to some pools of water which make for a nice spot to paddle in warm weather (although our favourite spot is in the next section).
Into the gorge
You continue through the forest and when you come to the junction with Surprise View you keep left, heading slightly downhill.
Roughly 150m later you’ll see a path on the left and follow it downhill. It’s narrow, and slightly rocky and muddy in places, but it doesn’t feel precarious in any way. After another 150m you’ll come to a small wooden bridge.
Once you’ve crossed the bridge, head right up the stairs and then you have another optional detour. If you’d like to explore a little of the gorge before finishing up the circuit, you can now head left, along the obvious path.
This section is not maintained like the rest of the trail, and is a little eroded in places, but it’s easy to follow and allows you to explore more of the gorge at eye level.
After 150m following the path along the gorge you’ll come to a pretty cascade and small pool. This is another great spot for a paddle. It’s very secluded and quiet, and a lovely spot to just sit and relax by the water.
Although you are below the walking track, it feels like a world away. You could continue further along the gorge if you wanted to, but at this point we headed back to the main trail (150m away).
Finishing the circuit
Once you’re back at the junction you now head right.
From here you walk slightly uphill before meeting the original trail you came in on. Head right through the woods and look for the path on the right, it’s roughly at the 3.5 mile mark (5.6km). It’s the same path you came in on, but easy to miss if you don’t keep an eye out.
You now have just under 200m downhill on the rocky path before heading back out onto the road by Grindleford Train Station.
All in all, this is a gorgeous walk which is great at any time of year, but especially in autumn for all the colourful leaves, or May/June for the amazing rhododendrons.
Parking for Padley Gorge
The parking for Padley Gorge is beside the Grindleford Train Station and is unfortunately a bit of a joke - you can only pay by RingGo, yet there is no phone service in the area (or not for most networks anyway)! We had to go into the station cafe and use their wifi - which is what they told us most people end up having to do! It’s best to have RingGo downloaded on your phone first to make this a little quicker and easier.
The car parking is £2.20 for the day (it says £2 but as you can only pay by card and there’s a 20p card fee…..)
There are quite a few spaces, but if it’s busy you’ll have to park quite a bit further up the road.
Grindleford Train Station is just over a 15 minute drive from Bakewell, 50 minutes from Ashbourne and 30 minutes from Sheffield.
There are toilets at the cafe (for customers only).
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