Distance: 8.5 miles

Difficulty of the terrain: hard

Get the route via: Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

Walk from Matlock Railway Station along the Limestone Way long distance footpath, up onto the limestone plateau, to Youlgreave a large former lead mining village, now a popular daytripping destinition.

The Story

Route Notes

Getting Back

High above the River Bradford

Youlgreave with a population of around 1,000 is one of the Peak District National Park’s larger settlements.

It stands high on the Peak District plateau above the River Bradford dale in the eastern part of the White Peak plateau, around two and a half miles south of Bakewell, the national park’s only town. Though, interestingly it is not too far from the most southerly extent of the more northerly part of the Peak District’s gritstone and shale geology, above the Derwent Valley which erupts in the form of Robin Hood’s Stride a couple of miles to the south east of the village. 

Like many of the Peak District’s other larger settlements, such as Wirksworth, Eyam and Castleton, it lies in the former lead mining belt. Lead is not the only metal or mineral found in the rocks, flurospar and calamine occur at the same levels and were also historically mined near Youlgreave.

Peak District mineral mining was never on the vast scale that coal was mined elsewhere in Derbyshire and the wider Midlands. Though it could be just as dangerous. In 1932 five of the six Youlgreave miners working in the Mawstone Mine were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning following an explosion. Tragically three rescuers attempting to reach the trapped miners were also killed by gas poisoning, meaning that the total death toll from the disaster was eight.

The same incident also destroyed Youlgreave’s water supply. Unusually in the UK Youlgreave is served by a tiny private water company Youlgrave Waterworks. It was founded in 1829 which is when the large, solid, limestone water pump in the village centre was installed. Following the mining accident in 1932 the pipe was repaired, with the springs near the Mawstone Mine continuing to supply the village to this day, although numerous other sources of water have been connected to the network in the decades since.

Youlgreave’s historic mining wealth paid for numerous spectacular buildings in the village centre and more intangibly the numerous pubs which continue to serve the community to this day. Historic buildings in the village centre include the tall co-op building constructed in the 1880s which is now Youlgreave’s small youth hostel, as well as Old Hall Farm, Thimble Hall and Old Hall, all of which date from the mid-17th Century when the Derbyshire lead mining industry was at its zenith.

Thimble Hall, which has dimensions of 3.61m by 3.12 m and stands 3.71 metres tall, has been acclaimed the “world’s smallest detached house” by the Guinness Book of records. These days it is a shop, having not been a dwelling since the 1930s, though at one time a family of eight inhabited the property. The last time it was up for sale was in 1999 it went for £39,500. Pricy then, but probably not unreasonable these days for even a small property in one of the Peak District’s most popular villages.

Route Notes

the route via: Ordnance Survey Maps or download the GPX. file from Dropbox

This walk was created using Ordnance Survey Explorer. To subscribe and also get Ordnance Survey Maps on your phone, click the banner above.

This circular walk from Matlock to Youlgreave via Robin Hood’s Stride, begins from Matlock Railway Station.

Upon exiting Matlock Railway Station head up onto a footbridge leading towards Matlock’s big Sainsbury’s. 

At the end of the footbridge turn left, walking along a terrace, and then head right across a bridge carrying a lane over the Matlock to Ambergate branch line. From the bridge there is an excellent view south east towards the hilltop upon which Riber Castle, built by Matlock Bath businessman and hype guy John Smedley in the mid-19th Century looms over the town. It was recently restored as flats after decades of dereliction.

On the far side of the bridge you pick up the Limestone Way, a long distance footpath from Rocester to Castleton, taking in some of the best geological, historical and natural features in the Peak District’s limestone south.

Follow the Limestone Way uphill out of Matlock Dale, there are spectacular views back across the valley towards the town.

You continue up the steep hillside, to the left you see the top of the jagged limestone High Tor cliff next to Matlock Bath rising high above the River Derwent gorge.

Carry on uphill the views behind you into Matlock Dale expand, and the eastern flank of the Peak District appears to the right.

Presently you reach a network of lanes which carries you across the top of the central Peak District’s limestone plateau. As you walk you cross the boundary into the Peak District National Park. Generally the drivers I encountered while walking the lanes were careful around walkers, but take care on this stretch.

After some distance you pick up the Limestone Way once more, heading across sheep pastures towards the edge of the dale where Winster lies.

As you head towards the edge of the dale there are spectacular views into the heart of the Peak District.

Above Winster the Limestone Way climbs to near the top of the ridge and steadily turns into a track.

Soon it reaches the B5056 main road which runs across open moorland approaching the western end of Winster from the south. There is a y-shaped junction here next to an old stone structure where miners from the village used to store ore overnight. Pass the structure, reach the junction and turn left up the road on the other side, before picking up a bridleway running to the right towards the bottom of the village of Elton.

Follow the bridleway downhill until you reach the road, known as Dudwood Lane, running downhill from Elton.

Pick up this road, which tends to be pretty quiet, and descend downhill until you reach the side of the B5056 once more. Ahead of you as you walk the sheer, rocky cliffs of Cratcliff Tor rise up in front of you to the left.

Having walked a very short distance along the B5056 turn left up a driveway and begin ascending the steep hill towards the cliffs.

Soon you reach the place where the Limestone Way path leaves the driveway and runs up through scrubby woodland to Robin Hood’s Stride.

This outcrop is notable in this part of the Peak District, for like Stanton Moor, a little to the east, above Darley Dale, being made of a sandy gritstone, more like the northern Peak District, rather than limestone like most the south of the region.

Robin Hood’s Stride itself is like something from myth. An exploded boulder strewn hillside, which appears held together by thick vegetation.

From the Stride descend to the right across fields until you reach a lane.

Once on the lane turn right and walk a short distance until you come to a track running off road through woodland on your left.

Follow this path through the trees until you emerge onto open hillside. From here you can Youlgreave clearly in the middle distance on top of the plateau above the River Bradford dale.

Descend from the hillside, to the right, following a clearly marked path across pasture toward Youlgreave.

Soon you reach the road running through Bradford, a small village which sits beneath Youlgreave.

Follow this road to the right and cross over the River Bradford, via an old style clapper bridge.

On the far side of the river there is a footpath running to the left alongside the River Bradford beneath Youlgreave.

Soon at a place where the dale narrows you reach a steep lane which runs down from Youlgreave. Turn right here and follow the lane uphill into the village.

Once at the top you pick up the main road through the village. Turn right here and continue to the main square where the former pump, placed by Youlgreave’s pretty unique local water company, stands.

This is where the walk ends.

Getting Back

At the time of writing in October 2025 Youlgreave was served by eight buses a day, throughout the day until 17:20-17:30 in the evening. With five buses a day on Saturdays, the final buses also run around the same time in the evening. The sole service calling at the village, the 172, runs between Bakewell and Matlock. Matlock has main line trains hourly throughout the day south towards Belper, Derby and Nottingham, as well as bus services to destinations across northern and central Derbyshire, while Bakewell also has numerous regional bus services, including several to Sheffield. At the time of writing Youlgreave had no public transport connections on Sundays.